With the raise of automation and all what is published about the industrial 4.0 future, there is also a growing concern about the future of human work, or as it should be more specifically put: the main source of income for most people.
In order to prevent massive rejection of automation and 4.0 projects I assume, the communication keeps emphasizing the people-centricity of the factory of the future. But to critical thinkers, this stance sounds more like a feelgood statement than a rational decision.
I believe the place of humans in the factories of the future will be a result, not a prerequisite.
If we make it a prerequisite, Industry 4.0 will be nothing else than perpetuating what has been done since industry as such exists, but with newer, fancier means. Inventing a new society thanks to the possibilities of a high degree of automation will be impaired by the fear of the unknown.
Which is strange. Our great-grandfathers didn’t keep armies of agricultural workers around the fields (for supervision or continuous improvement) as mechanization made them redundant, nor did our grandfathers insist keeping workhorses busy despite the rise of the internal combustion engine.
Now, the actual COVID-19 lockdown (these lines are written March 20th, 2020) may shed another light onto humanless factories. While the French economy stalls after the first week of the lockdown, as others did or will before and after, we’ll see what happens when human-intensive labor cannot be done after a while.
Once the inventories get low, the perspective of having operations automatically and autonomously, remotely controlled going on despite lockdowns may seem a good thing after all. Especially for essential goods and stuff.
The first week of the French lockdown isn’t over and there are already discrepancies between employees required to stay home and those required to keep working. And the fear of infection may not explain all of it.
The idea of cybernetic toilers taking over may become acceptable sooner as expected.
About The Author, Chris HOHMANN
Chris is a Frenchman born near the German border French region of Alsace, hence his German name. He’s living close to Paris, France and working as a business consultant specialized in manufacturing and operations.
Chris HOHMANN 