How to build a successful Automation Strategy

1. Automation strategy must align with business and operations strategy.

Automation can achieve four key objectives: improving worker safety, reducing costs, improving quality, and increasing flexibility. Done well, automation may deliver improvements in all these areas, but the balance of benefits may vary with different technologies and approaches. The right balance for any organization will depend on its overall operations strategy and its business goals.

2. Automation programs must start with a clear articulation of the problem.

It’s also important that this includes the reasons automation is the right solution. Every project should be able to identify where and how automation can offer improvements and show how these improvements link to the company’s overall strategy.

3. Automation must show a clear return on investment.

Companies, especially large ones, should take care not to over specify, overcomplicate, or overspend on their automation investments. Choosing the right level of complexity to meet current and foreseeable future needs requires a deep understanding of the organization’s processes and manufacturing systems.

Source: "Automation, robotics, and the factory of the future" by Jonathan Tilley, McKinsey&Company