Balancing people and technology to optimize plant operations
In its relentless march toward end-to-end automation, technology
has continually up-ended the boundaries between man and machine in industrial
enterprises.
With recent advances in artificial intelligence supported by
endless computing resources in the cloud, we must now ask ourselves, “ how much longer will we need people
directly involved in manufacturing?”
The fact is, we will always have people involved in process
manufacturing plants. So perhaps the better approach is to look for ways to
create an environment where we are able to balance the best attributes of
people and technology to assure optimization of communication, safety and
production.
The
machine/human connection
In looking toward technology investments, the focus should not
be simply on replacing people with machines but rather how, using the positive
attributes of both people and machines, there can be productive and
symbiotic relationships.
The
human factor
You may think that the massive reduction in the price of
computer memory over time would mean that the original Fitts list from the
1950s no longer applies.
However, many organizations have simply invested in data storage
without considering how it will be accessed, understood and used in practice.
Storing data only makes sense if it is relevant and actionable. This requires
data that can be processed and appropriately visualized for people.
It is very easy to overwhelm people with data and make things
too complicated. Understanding human factors is essential to avoid these
problems.
Human memory works differently than machine memory. While machines
are very good at capturing and storing data, humans are able to remember
perceptions, images and feelings. Thus, only people can draw on human
attributes to create a better understanding from things that have been
experienced or memorized from past experiences.
Reliability is another example. Machines are reliable only for
certain defined situations for which they’ve been programmed, i.e. repeating
the same set of actions on a production line.
People, however, through their powers of perception, improvisation,
detection, among other attributes, are reliable within and outside of the
defined operational domain because they can continually adapt. Thus, the
reliability of people and machines cannot be measured in the same way.
Technology can only do what we’ve
asked it to do while people are able to create new processes or situations when
the unexpected arises.
Perhaps the most relevant example of human adaptability has been
the response to the upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Business as usual
required creative workarounds to keep manufacturing processes in motion while
workers at almost all levels were working from home or managing processes with
skeleton crews. In many ways, these adaptations have been successful because of
the creativity and adaptability of people, not the machines.
As technology has evolved, particularly with automation in
process manufacturing plants, systems have become more complex. As the price of
storing data has declined and cloud-based systems have emerged, more and more information
is available for data mining, but in general, the process industry has not
invested the millions of dollars necessary to ensure that the data can be
utilized effectively.
Managing and
mining the data is a ‘people’ activity. Thus, the concept of replacing people
with machines should not be the focus. Instead, the emphasis should be on
implementing technology that can be used effectively by people on the shop
floor.
Complexities
and advantages of IoT
IoT and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) have delivered
even more complexities as well as great advantages to process manufacturing.
IIoT has brought together more components, delivered more data and connections,
created situations where fewer people are needed to manage processes, and has hastened
the speed to manage manufacturing processes. But with all these exponential –
and ever- growing – changes, the question still remains. How do we handle how
people will work and thrive in this fast-changing environment?
If we want technology to work, we need to design it for people.
Referring back to the Fitts list and the understanding of human factors, it is
important to recognize the true relevance of people in a process manufacturing
environment.
Processes are run by many people at different levels and
different sites within an organization. There is not one person who knows
everything. There are – at the operations level – for example, several teams.
Each of which has different goals and interests. The teams are active on
different shifts and reporting up the line to various supervisors who, in turn,
may be reporting into the corporate structure. All of these people and teams
are using technology in some way to do their jobs. Technology deployed that is
designed to help people and teams work together more collaboratively and thus,
effectively will be far more successful that technology that is difficult to
use and requires people to adapt their behaviors to use it.
Generally, people have a good memory when it comes to
experiences, perceptions and emotions, but they are not so reliable when
processing data when compared to a machine. Take, for example, a 12-hour shift.
How much data is retained or forgotten during that shift? On a good day, a high
proportion of data generated may be retained. On a stressful shift, it maybe
only half. Transfer of data to the next team will be directly affected by this,
especially when errors and omissions of communication are factored in.
People are always a bit imprecise. Relying on people to remember
all information and to communicate it reliably either verbally or via written
documents will always be problematic.. Inaccurate communication can result in
many different issues including safety issues.
Recognizing the issues caused by imprecise transfer of
information leads to a need to provide easy-to- use technology to support
people to overcome their natural limitations. However, there will be much
greater benefits if the technology does more than just handle data and enhances
the natural human capabilities by allowing insights created during the shift to
be transferred to the next shift so that they get a better understanding of
what is happening and can act on it more quickly and effectively.
Collaboration, via technology, among the shift teams creates a higher level of
efficiency, quality and safety.
Quality
digital shift handover process
Information shared during shift handovers represents a critical
foundation for continuity. It serves as a running protocol of relevant events
and conditions that together describe the state of manufacturing processes
within a specific period. To align all these sources, technology in the form of
a digital shift management solution, allows handovers and provides a formal
digital record of plant operations that can be delivered digitally to all
members of the manufacturing organization.
Embrace
technology and the human factor
Technology won’t replace people. Our aim should be to use
technology to enable people to use their natural capabilities and increase
their performance. Successful manufacturing enterprises will embrace an
approach that elevates the attributes of both people and technology to help the
human-machine network work together in a more collaborative way. This will
ensure more transparency, reliability and visibility across all plant functions
to help teams better communicate and optimize outcomes. People-centric
technology, in other words, technology that has been designed with people in
mind, enables organizational teams to improve productivity, cost efficiencies,
quality and safety.
Andreas Eschbach and Dr. Andy Brazier