Robotics & Automation News

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Volkswagen agrees digital transformation roadmap

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Volkswagen will be investing up to €4 billion in digitisation projects up until 2023 – mainly in administration but also in production. At least 2,000 new jobs related to digitisation are to be created.

This has been agreed by the Board of Management and the General Works Council in their “digital transformation roadmap”.

Agile working methods, improved processes and digitisation are to reduce the burden on employees and speed up processes. Tasks that used to be performed manually are to be simplified through improved IT.

[Read more…] about Volkswagen agrees digital transformation roadmap

Wanted: Robot to load dishwasher. Must be careful

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Chris Roberts, head of industrial robotics at Cambridge Consultants, provides an overview of the jobs robots could potentially do in future

Cambridge Consultants recently announced a new technology for automating one of the most unloved jobs in a commercial kitchen – loading the dishwasher.

This technology combines innovative robotics with cutting edge AI to achieve something hitherto impossible – detecting and handling a wide variety of dirty crockery haphazardly arranged on a tray.

However, the fundamental techniques used in this product can be applied to a wider range of situations and problems. There are many different tasks that it is only now possible to automate.

[Read more…] about Wanted: Robot to load dishwasher. Must be careful

Amazon testing automated custom packaging machine

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One of the things many people have noticed about receiving goods they ordered online is the amount of empty space inside the box. Sometimes, more than 90 percent of the box is empty.

This is obviously inefficient and can result in much additional and unnecessary cost, from the amount of box material wasted, through the amount of wasted space within vehicles in transit, to name just two aspects.

While these inefficiencies have continued, for a long time, machines that automate the process of putting items inside boxes have been available. Not only can these machines box things up, they can also custom-build the box to fit the item on the fly.

[Read more…] about Amazon testing automated custom packaging machine

GM confirms discussions to sell Lordstown Complex to Workhorse

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General Motors has confirmed that it is in discussions with Workhorse Group and an affiliated, newly formed entity to sell the company’s Lordstown Complex in Lordstown, Ohio.

The move – which was informally announced by US President Donald Trump earlier –  has the potential to bring significant production and electric vehicle assembly jobs to the plant, says GM.

Upon final agreement, the entity, led by Workhorse founder Steve Burns, would acquire the facility. Workhorse would hold a minority interest in the new entity. [Read more…] about GM confirms discussions to sell Lordstown Complex to Workhorse

Samsung Electronics to invest $115 billion in logic chip businesses by 2030

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Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, will invest KRW 133 trillion (US$115 billion) by 2030 to strengthen its competitiveness in System LSI and Foundry businesses.

The investment plan is expected to help the company to reach its goal of becoming the world leader in not only memory semiconductors but also logic chips by 2030.

The company also plans to create 15,000 jobs in R&D and production to bolster its technological prowess.

[Read more…] about Samsung Electronics to invest $115 billion in logic chip businesses by 2030

Half of American jobs at risk of automation, says new report

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industrial robot painting

About half of all jobs in America could be replaced by robotics and automation systems, according to a news story on CNBC.com. 

And as pointed out by CNBC.com, approximately one in four American jobs are at risk of being shipped overseas, which puts three-quarters of all jobs in the US at risk of disappearing or at least changing.

The study the story was based on is How Vulnerable are American Communities to Automation, which was conducted by Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

Self-awareness is the key to career survival as jobs get automated, says business psychologist

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self-aware book

Automation is about to do away with millions of jobs. A business psychologist claims he has at least some of the answers 

The good news is that the job you hate is about to be automated. The bad news is that you’re about to be out of work.

“Jobs that cannot be automated are on a very short list,” says Robert Pasick, PhD, an executive coach and organizational psychologist who also teaches at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. “If you are afraid to leave the job you hate, it may be about to leave you.”

Journalists fear computers that are already writing news stories. Truck drivers fear self-driving trucks, already carrying freight in controlled experiments. Accounting, lawyering, health care, package delivery, even Uber driver jobs are on the verge of automation.  [Read more…] about Self-awareness is the key to career survival as jobs get automated, says business psychologist

US President Donald Trump pressures automakers to increase production in the US

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By David Shepardson and Roberta Rampton, Reuters

US President Donald Trump pushed the chief executives of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler to increase production in the United States and boost American employment.

Trump opened a meeting with GM CEO Mary Barra, Ford CEO Mark Fields and Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne at the White House by saying he wants to see new auto plants built in the United States.

The new Republican president vowed to cut regulations and taxes to make it more attractive for businesses to operate in the United States. He promised frequently during his election campaign to be a job-creating president and stressed that message in his inaugural speech last Friday.  [Read more…] about US President Donald Trump pressures automakers to increase production in the US

Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

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A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters
A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters

By Martinne Geller and Ben Hirschler, Reuters

Open markets and global trade have been blamed for job losses over the last decade, but global CEOs say the real culprits are increasingly machines.

And while business leaders gathered at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos relish the productivity gains technology can bring, they warned this week that the collateral damage to jobs needs to be addressed more seriously.

From taxi drivers to healthcare professionals, technologies such as robotics, driverless cars, artificial intelligence and 3D printing mean more and more types of jobs are at risk.  [Read more…] about Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

General Motors to invest an extra $1 billion in US manufacturing

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gm building

General Motors says it will invest an additional $1 billion into its manufacturing operations in the US, adding to the $2.9 billion of investment it announced last year. 

And in a what may have been an extra comment aimed at President-elect Donald Trump, GM says it has invested a total of $21 billion in its US manufacturing operations since 2009.

Like virtually all other automakers and large manufacturing companies, such as Apple, GM has been the target of some criticism from Trump, who wants to fulfil his campaign promise to bring back manufacturing jobs to the US.  [Read more…] about General Motors to invest an extra $1 billion in US manufacturing