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up skilled workers to focus more
of their time on higher-value tasks.
And as advanced robots often can
perform many tasks autonomously,
they can keep working 24/7 even
while human workers sleep, serving
as a continual production shift.
BCG estimates that, “as a direct
result of installing advanced robots,
and depending on the location,
output per worker in manufacturing
industries will be 10 to 30 percent
higher in 2025 than it is today. This
increase will be over and above
the productivity gains that can
be expected to come from other
measures, such as lean production
practices and better supply-chain
management.”
This will also have a significant
impact on cost, with BCG
estimating that costs will be 16
percent lower than they are today.
It is also estimated that 25 percent
of all manufacturing will be
completed by robots, way up from
the 11 per cent of today. Combined
with 3D printing (and now 4D
printing) new opportunities
will open up for far more
efficient and economical
manufacturing.
The impact of course will
be on the opportunity for
lower skilled employees to
find jobs and pressure will
be placed on governments
to create suitable training and
re-training opportunities for
these employees.
We could even see the end
of many traditional trades,
at least as we know
them. Pathways to lower
skilled employment such
as apprenticeships may
dry up as newer and higher
skilled roles are invented and
created.
March 2016
ModernBusiness
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