6. Safety and Sustainability
⠀The new era of automation in metal structure production has finally extended its reach to non-repetitive and non-mass production activities. Modern robotic systems are now capable of making numerous decisions autonomously, replacing not only physical labor but also many intellectual tasks traditionally performed by humans. These robots can read drawings, create their own work plans, scan and recognize raw materials, check their quality, produce the final product, and even generate reports on the completed work. Therefore, they are creating a new data processing ecosystem within steel construction plants.
⠀It's widely recognized that robots represent the future. It's hard to imagine a futuristic scenario, where welding isn't done by robots. The transition to such production methods has already begun. Moreover, the cost of modern robotic systems is steadily decreasing, not just due to increased competition but also because of advancements in the hardware itself. After many years of experience in developing and implementing robotic systems in metal structure plants, several key points stand out that attract the most interest when deciding to invest in robots.
Investing in robotics inevitably leads to additional costs, such as monthly payments to the bank (or leasing company), including interest, as well as depreciation of the robotic line. All these additional expenses must be factored into the price of the manufactured steel constructions, whether you're calculating by "plant-wide man-hours" or "machine-hours" if tracked separately. However, it’s clear that the time required to produce one ton of steel constructions will decrease significantly. The productivity of robots is often several times, if not tens of times, greater than that of human workers. Therefore, the advantages during robotic production outweigh the additional machine hours cost.
⠀For a more detailed comparative analysis of production costs with and without robots, see the section titled "Cost Calculations."
⠀The alternative to robots is human labor, specifically that of skilled craftsmen who can read blueprints and certified welders trained for this work. However, the availability of such specialists today is a major concern. The average age of workers in this field has long surpassed 50, and many are nearing retirement. The younger generation is increasingly reluctant to pursue these jobs, preferring instead to work with computers in more comfortable environments. Additionally, the vocational education system in this branch has significantly declined, making it increasingly difficult to find such specialists in the near future.
⠀Increasing the workforce as an alternative to automation brings its own set of additional costs:
⠀⠀• Growth in wage expenses, including allowances for vacations, sick leave, and bonuses.
⠀⠀• Costs associated with recruiting and training new personnel, which may not always be successful.
⠀⠀• The disproportionate increase in the size of production workshops and the number of cranes, along with the need for more production equipment and protective gear (masks, suits, etc.). There are also additional costs related to occupational safety and insurance.
⠀⠀• Increased administrative costs, including the need for more non-production and support staff (logistics, management, labor protection inspectors).
⠀⠀• The risk of workplace injuries.
⠀No half-measures, such as having robots work alongside humans in the same area, are acceptable from a safety standpoint. A robot is a powerful and intelligent machine whose behavior is predictable based on its programming. However, human behavior around robots is unpredictable, and such collaboration is prohibited in all countries.
⠀The introduction of a robotic system for assembling and welding steel structures in the middle of the production process greatly simplifies plant management and internal logistics. From now on, all workpieces move toward the robot, which assembles and welds them. Additionally, the robot acts as an independent and uncompromising quality controller in the preliminary processing area. It not only rejects low-quality parts but also instantly reports this to the plant-wide database, which is taken into account when distributing bonuses. The awareness among workers that they are under constant and thorough monitoring significantly changes their organization and motivation.
⠀These changes also affect office workers. The production preparation department is now focused solely on "feeding the robot." Plant management becomes much simpler—if the robot is working at full capacity, it means all departments are performing their duties effectively.
⠀The design department must also adapt to the robots. While the robot is versatile, it does have certain limitations, such as the weight and dimensions of beams or the weldability of complex joints. These requirements must be considered when designing assemblies and dividing them into shipping marks, maximizing the percentage of beams that can be produced by the robot.
⠀It is clear that without sufficient workload, the robot will merely generate monthly costs, which is a particularly concerning scenario. However, it’s important to remember that the robot itself is a unique marketing tool and a "magnet for customers." All that’s needed are additional strategies to convert the increased flow of inquiries into orders.
⠀The new sales department will undoubtedly appreciate this. Orders that are "robot-friendly" should be prioritized and placed in a separate pricing category. The calculation of such structures will be greatly simplified, as all of the robot's operations and their costs can be estimated using the customer's 3D model, extracting the number and weight of workpieces and the length of welds (e.g.: this functionality is available in Tekla software).
⠀The limitless possibilities for post-sales and ongoing production reporting will undoubtedly build trust with customers. The robot can generate real-time reports for each order, indicating completed and expected shipping dates. Additionally, online production visualization will be available to management and selected customers.
⠀Maintaining quality in the geometry of steel structures is a significant concern due to the high cost of correcting errors. It’s challenging to detect errors in manual assembly at a steel structure plant without comprehensive scanning methods, and these errors are often only discovered during assembly on-site—typically when the structures are already in place. Construction companies often allocate 2% to 5% of the construction budget to correct such mistakes, and that money could be saved with higher precision during manufacturing.
⠀Moreover, if high precision assembly becomes the norm at steel construction plants, it could pave the way for the automation of assembly processes on construction sites, much like how the introduction of CNC sawing and drilling machines facilitated the shift to bolt-mounted structures.
⠀The autonomy and isolation of robotic work zones create new opportunities for advancement. For example, only robots can handle tasks like laser welding or operating with elevated torch temperatures. Robots can easily combine operations; laser welding can be supplemented with laser cutting, allowing for maximum equipment standardization and the potential to run "the entire plant from a single line." Or, consider an even more ambitious goal—a "lights-out" steel construction plant without humans. Such a plant would not require many of the systems needed to support human life, wouldn't need security, and wouldn't even need lighting.
— “Lights-out factories” won’t need people, just a dog.
— Why a dog
— To keep people away!
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