Attractive work in Smart Factories
What is a smart factory? A smart factory is concerned with the production of the future, new industrialisation and the digitalisation of industry. Harnessing the latest technologies, a smart factory is connected to the cloud, can be monitored by smartphone and has a digital twin for virtual simulation, etc. Smart factories also stimulate young people to pursue study in the field of technology with a view to working in industry. A smart factory is an attractive, sustainable workplace providing good working conditions which provides Sweden with renewal and a competitive edge, and it is the subject of this post.
In the demonstrator of a smart factory constructed by students and companies in the spring of 2017, attractive work is crucial. It doesn’t matter how smart a factory is if people don’t want to work there. To clarify what is meant by attractive work in a smart factory, a number of key factors are outlined below.
- Harnessing the potential of digitalisation by creating benefits for the employee and company alike, for example, through new working methods, a sound work environment, stimulating work and skills development.
- Using industrial digitalisation as a key concept in order to become an attractive employer.
- The factory is norm-critical and inclusive. Future employees in the factory are not restricted on the grounds of ethnicity, gender, age or disability.
- Digitalisation can make factories smarter by eliminating hazardous, repetitive operations.
- Although digitalisation may not make the factory greener, always consider the ways it can be made more environmentally smart.
- Smart working methods such as remote guidance can help companies save money, with experts assisting novices. Moreover, experts are not required to travel around, which benefits the environment and saves time.
- Visual planning makes employees more productive, and the company more profitable, through clearer objectives and more focused work.
- It is important to bear in mind that digitalisation is not a panacea, but a tool. It should also be noted that it may lead to consequences which were unforeseen, such as cognitive stress.
Below is a film in which SKF describes its work on “World Class Manufacturing”, the aim of which is to create attractive work. The film is in 360-degree format, and best viewed using the YouTube app in your smartphone. You can also watch it with VR glasses by selecting the VR mode in the app.
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