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Manufacturing companies are increasingly moving away from automating individual tasks to automating the entire process, according to Deloitte's 'Automation with intelligence' report. According to the managers and directors participating in this study, companies implementing the digital revolution that are not afraid of technological change are more likely to grow and remain competitive in a rapidly changing market.

Some of the biggest benefits of automating manufacturing processes include increased productivity, reduced costs and increased quality and accuracy. As many as 92% of the companies surveyed, which are in the process of implementing or scaling intelligent automation, confirmed that they are already implementing holistic solutions (44%) or plan to take this direction in the next three years (48%). Factory automation solutions can support the development of autonomous manufacturing in the automotive industry.

Autonomy is the direction in which manufacturing in the automotive industry is evolving. This is a response to the many challenges facing the industry. These include skills shortages, the need to respond flexibly to a rapidly changing market, or the increasing customisation of products. Also important is the need to increase efficiency while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Implementing solutions to automate production also allows for more optimised stock management and supply chain management, reduced downtime, longer machine life, and improved working conditions and safety (machines relieve workers of repetitive, heavy duties or working in conditions that are unfavourable to people).

Industrial robots and collaborative robots (cobots) can perform many jobs on the production line: from welding, extrusion, and painting, to assembly or machine operation. The use of industrial robots increases production efficiency and quality. Modern vision systems, on the other hand, make it possible to automatically control product quality and identify irregularities.

The implementation of modern machines, with built-in features to facilitate predictive diagnostics, allows the condition of machines and equipment to be monitored in real time. This enables failures to be predicted and maintenance and repairs to be scheduled to avoid unplanned downtime.

Thanks to the use of factory automation technology, automotive companies are achieving ever higher levels of autonomous production, increasing their efficiency while reducing costs.

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