New York SBDC Research Network

By David Mantey From ThomasNet Small and midsize manufacturers need to automate if they’re going to compete. That's according to industry insider Bob Doyle who discussed the state of the automation industry in a recent interview leading up to Automate 2019 in Chicago. According to Doyle, that’s one of the biggest myths about automation, that robots take jobs. He says that it not only creates jobs, but it creates higher paying positions. The investment in technology also helps companies become more efficient and subsequently hire more workers to keep up with growth. In February, the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) announced that robots shipped to North American companies increased by seven percent in 2018. What was particularly interesting is that shipments to non-automotive companies are up 41%. Most of the growth came from the food, consumer goods, plastics and rubber, life sciences, and electronics industries.

Blog post from SBA.gov by Anita Campbell "Good software can enable your small business to increase sales by saving time and money while expanding capacity. But you must choose wisely — because the wrong software can be an expensive mistake. Here is my tried-and-true checklist for choosing software to support your business operations: Testimonials from Businesses Like Mine Find vendors with a meaningful number of testimonials from other small business owners. Look for testimonials from businesses like yours — businesses of roughly the same size, in similar industries and trying to solve similar problems. A software package might work just fine for some businesses, however, it may not help fix your problem. Financially Strong Vendor For mission critical processes, I hesitate to put my company’s future in the hands of software or an app that may or may not be updated a year from now. You see this problem with some mobile apps and content management system plugins.

From ThomasNet This week’s Thomas Index will be taking a look at sourcing activity for Precision Machining by users in the Thomas Network at Thomasnet.com. Precision Machining is a process in which a machine operator starts with a piece of material called a blank, which is typically metal and uses the machine for precise, controlled removal of materials to transform that blank into a finished product. Machining encompasses a number of different manufacturing processes such as milling, turning, drilling, and tapping. It’s high-tech stuff; computer numerical control, or “CNC” machining involves computer programming and electromechanical devices for ultra-precise positioning of machining tools, to create incredibly complex surfaces and intricate geometries.

From Thomasnet : Rolling off the couch in his office at Tesla Motors in Fremont California, which is where CEO Elon Musk admits to sleeping lately, the entrepreneur recently discussed some Model 3 production difficulties with CBS This Morning anchor, Gayle King. Just to recap, the Model 3 was rolled out last July with that now infamous “production hell” claim from Musk that accompanied a promise to produce 20,000 vehicles a month. First quarter projections have that figure closer to 3,300 Model 3s per month. Perhaps the most interesting part of the dialogue was that Musk agreed to over-doing the automation at the Fremont facility.

From LinkedIn : Robots are going to take our jobs, they say. I say, "Only if that's what we ask them to do!" Technology is the solution to human problems, and we won't run out of work till we run out of problems. Entrepreneurs need to set their sights on how we can use big data, sensors, and AI to create amazing human experiences and the economy of the future, making us all richer in the same way the tools of the first industrial revolution did. Yes, technology can eliminate labor and make things cheaper, but at its best, we use it to do things that were previously unimaginable! What is our poverty of imagination? What are the entrepreneurial leaps that will allow us to use the technology of today to build a better future, not just a more efficient one? Great entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are using technology to do more, not just to do the same thing more cheaply. That is the secret both to business success and to making the world more prosperous.

From the American Institute for Economic Research : In March 2017, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made headlines by saying that the displacement of jobs by artificial intelligence was “not even on our radar screen … 50-100 more years” away. This drew a host of shocked responses from those who point out that AI and automation have already eliminated millions of American jobs and may replace many more in the next 5 or 10 years, let alone 50–100. In fairness to the secretary, his comment responded directly to a question about artificial intelligence. In the broader discussion, he spoke about low-paying jobs being replaced by automation, which many of the critiques consider together with artificial intelligence. The impact of automation is of unquestionable importance: One report released on the same day as Secretary Mnuchin’s comments suggested that 38 percent of U.S. jobs are at “high risk” of automation in the next 20 years.

Why work harder when you can work smarter instead? Several office tasks are perfect candidates to automate -- without sacrificing the well being of your business. In fact, some of these tasks not only save time, but also can actually be done better through automation. Automation makes it less likely that (a) you’ll forget; (b) tasks will fall through the cracks if an employee leaves; (c) mistakes will occur through repetitive entry of information. Here are seven tasks that you can and probably should consider automating to get things done faster and more reliably: More from SBA