There will always be articles about how automation is up or down, good or bad, but automation has been improving people's lives since even before the Jacquard loom in 1804. We at Teradyne Robotics Ventures take the long view, that investment in automation is investment in mankind's future. Local variations in adoption are just that: small bumps in the road. (Picture source: Wikimedia Commons) https://lnkd.in/gTb6Qsbj
The Wall Street Journal Robotics Article Makes a Mistake, and Jeff Burnstein Sets the Record Straight Last week, the The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “Demand for Industrial Robots Loses Steam” (Business & Finance, Oct. 8), discussing how U.S. manufacturers are cutting back on robot purchases due to easing labor shortages and declining production volumes. While the article was correct about the post-Covid decline and the impact of higher interest rates, it was wrong about labor availability and the willingness of workers to take on the tasks robots have been filling. I discussed this with Jeff Burnstein, President of the A3 - Association for Advancing Automation, and we both found the labor claims off base. Jeff wanted to set the record straight. Here’s his response, as published in the WSJ: “While the number of robots ordered has declined recently after record sales in 2021 and 2022, people aren’t lining up to go back to dull, dirty, and dangerous factory jobs. U.S. factories faced labor shortages long before the pandemic, and as boomers still in those jobs retire, labor numbers will drop quickly. Robots aren’t going away. They drive economic resilience and growth, ensuring that the U.S. remains competitive and employees prosperous. Companies that automate, especially when unable to find and keep human workers, stay productive and grow, creating even more jobs. The automotive industry has long experienced this, and now, so are many others. While we are still in the early stages of automation, we expect that as more companies automate, we’ll see safer, better-paying jobs and fewer of the dull, dirty, and dangerous jobs people don’t want to do.” – Jeff Burnstein Thank you, Jeff, for setting the record straight. WSJ Robot Article: https://lnkd.in/e86jD9cU Jeff’s response: https://lnkd.in/eYDf9xdt #robotics #manufacturing