Corporate Information Management

Automation and Robotics

 

 
Project Group: Group 16, Batch: EPGP-11, SECTION: A
Members :
EPGP-11-016 Apurba Lal Baral

EPGP-11-033 Deepak Ravikumar

EPGP-11-040 Gayathri Mohan

EPGP-11-046 Indu K

EPGP-11-083 Priyabrata Das

 

 
 
 
 
 

Introduction
History
The term “Automation” refers to the creation and application of devices or processes that
operate automatically requiring minimal or no manual intervention. The International Society of
Automation defines it as "the creation and application of technology to monitor and control the
production and delivery of products and services.” It is aimed at boosting efficiency while
maintaining reliability. The key to automation is the replacement of manual labour by the use of
specially designed machines integrated into a self-governing system. Automated systems may
range from the fully mechanical to the fully virtual and from the very simple to the
mind-blowingly complex systems or any permutation therein. Robotics, a related branch of
engineering, involves the conception, design, manufacture and operation of robots that are
increasingly being used to do repetitive actions or jobs considered too dangerous for humans,
like detecting bombs.

Although the concept of automation may seem recently developed, it has been discovered
that researches have been conducted on the subject extending all the way back to 200 BC by the
Greeks and the Egyptians. The term “automation” was coined in the late 1940s by the then Vice
President of the Ford Motor Company, Delmer S. Harder, in the manufacturing context. The
earliest mention of automation, however, can be found in Homer's “The Iliad”, in the tale of
Hephaestus, the Greek God of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture,
who crafted automatons to aid him in fashioning the weapons of the gods.

Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian polymath of the Renaissance,

created in the late fifteenth century what is believed to be the first
design of a humanoid robot, in the shape of a mechanical knight to be
used for military purposes. He designed a system of pulleys, weights
and gears, to enable the robot to stand, sit, move his arms, neck and lift
the visor of the armour, although it is uncertain whether any prototype
of this robot was made at the time.

Manufacturing automation took root in the 11th century which saw the large scale
application of innovations in mining. But it was with the dawn of the Industrial Revolution that
the focus really shifted from skilled manpower to special-purpose machinery. Mechanization,
which was at the heart of the revolution, later evolved into what is now known as automation.
With the invention of each new machine, there was an increased requirement for control devices
and software to harness their power. This combined with man’s propensity for innovation led to
the rapid development of automated, self-governing systems.

 
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Current Scenario & Breakthrough

We are now in the midst of a digital revolution where automation, robotics, and artificial
intelligence is rapidly changing the society, the economy and the world at large. Automation
encompasses many vital elements, systems, and job functions, including, but not limited to
Healthcare, Logistics, Manufacturing, Information and Technology, and Aerospace research.
Automation aids in replacing the need for manual intervention in mundane, repetitive or
dangerous tasks, thereby reducing the chances of production errors due to human fatigue and
variability. This offers a significant advantage to the workforce and will likely lead to lower
production costs and more appealing products from a quality and price standpoint.

One of the most recent breakthroughs in the field of

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence came in the form of Sophia, a
social humanoid robot developed by the Hong Kong based
company Hanson Robotics. Sophia, the first robot to receive
citizenship of any country, is a true innovation of science,
engineering and artistry. She has set the benchmark for the future of
Artificial Intelligence and is “a framework for advanced AI and
robotics research, and an agent for exploring human-robot
experience in service and entertainment applications”, according to Hanson Robotics.

FutureScope
With rapid development in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics technology,
automation is at a tipping point. This is especially true in the field of healthcare, where recent
developments have fuelled an active discourse on whether AI
doctors will replace human physicians in the future. Ethicon, a
medical device company in the Johnson & Johnson family of
companies has, in the recent years, executed a definitive agreement
to enter into a strategic collaboration with Google, Inc., to work on
advancing surgical robotics to benefit surgeons, patients and health
care systems.

Another field where automation and robotics is making great strides is the
Aerospace industry. Our studies of the universe are mainly conducted
with two methods: manned and unmanned spaceflight. Where the
manned missions are limited in scope due to health and safety reasons
as well as the limited time frame, unmanned or robotic space missions
are only restricted by their ability to maintain power. With the vast
technological improvements and new ways to power and contact these
robots, the legacy of unmanned space exploration seems to be just getting started.

 
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Applications
Process automation has long been considered the panacea for all businesses efficiency issues.
Automation has provided with increased efficiency, reduced risks, compliance maintenance, and
enhanced profitability to businesses. With advances in robotics, machine learning and Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation has evolved as the latest model of process
automation, while replacing traditional automation. There are new business use cases emerging
in machine learning across sectors that depict high impact.

Agriculture- Precision Agriculture

In the age of population explosion, the agriculture sector has to equip itself to feed more people.
The inherent inefficiencies in fertilizer usage, irrigation, and soil health monitoring have to be
overcome to achieve the production efficiency it needs to feed the estimated 9.6 billion by 2050.

Precision agriculture is a technology-enabled approach to farming management that observes,

measures, and analyzes the needs of individual fields and crops. This methodology highly
customizes farming from the type of crop suitable for a plot to the use of pesticides in targeted

 
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regions. This is achieved by collecting and using data of plots for managing and optimizing the
production of crops. This methodology uses both analytical software and technical equipment.
Rigorous data collection is done on soil testing, plot measurement, weather pattern analysis and
crop analysis through sensor-equipped devices placed along the fields. The data is analyzed to
devise conclusions and based upon which a very detailed and precise set of practices are adopted.

Precision agriculture reduces the production cost and wastage, as the custom needs of each plot
are catered to at the optimum level.

Retail - Retail Robots

Robots used to be involved with assembling, packing or handling items before they reach retail
stores. Now, robots are starting to transform how employees work and shoppers purchase goods
in stores. Here are some of the functions in retail which robots have transformed.

Shelf monitoring: Retail robots can identify mistakes on shelf labels. This saves the frustration
the customers feel when the price on the tag does not match with price at the point of sales.
Robots use cameras to identify any mismatch on the shelf labels and promptly notify the human
authority to amend the errors. Eg. Walmart has deployed mobile robots from Bossa Nova
Robotics for monitoring shelf labels

Sales: Robots handling sales functionality is targeted at millennials. They prefer a faster-
automated experience and put a higher value on convenience. Eg. Nestlé has used a humanoid
robot called Pepper with a human-like face and a tablet on its chest in numerous Japanese
department stores to sell coffee makers.

Stock monitoring: Robots can police stock levels for better efficiency in sales. When Customers
see empty spaces on a shelf, they may assume products are sold out and may not take the time to
check with a store associate. This could result in lost sales. Robots that keep track of inventory
alerts the stockroom team members that items are high demand are running out faster than
expected, and people working on the sales floor can replenish the supply. Extraordinarily busy
periods, such as the holiday season demand such an approach. Eg. Amazon uses Kiva to retrieve
items for customers.

Locate items on a shelf: If customers are not able to locate items on a shelf, they will leave the
store disappointed. A robot that can identify items on a shelf can prevent instances of a customer
leaving the store disappointed. Eg. Lowe’s partnered with Fellow Robots to create an in-store
bot called the LoweBot to assist people with locating items.

Improve productivity: Robots can make work hours obsolete: In New York City “the city that
never sleeps,” a Best Buy location in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan used a robot

 
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called Chloe to retrieve merchandise for customers 24/7. People use automated kiosks
throughout the store to indicate what they want to buy, then Chloe uses a giant arm to get those
products from a vending machine and dispense them for customers. Chloe makes use of work
hours which would have otherwise gone unused. The retail robots, which can distribute 15,000
items, also have built-in security that allows purchasing those in-demand items without
increasing the likelihood of theft.

Pharmaceuticals - Lab Automation

There is a five-step process the pharmaceutical drugs must go through to be certified for public
consumption. During the stages of discovery and development, researchers gain new insights
into the disease they are focusing on and what chemicals would be best to utilize. Next is the
preclinical research phase where the toxicity of the drug is tested to ensure that it is safe for
human consumption. Subpar preclinical data at this phase results in clinical test failures. The lack
of reproducibility of results at this stage of the drug development process is resulting in
variability and unpredictability in the data produced, making it untrustable. Preclinical data
unproven through reproducing can be flawed.

Though data is flawed due to a deficiency of reproducibility, drugs can feature in the scientific
literature and thus progress to clinical trials. At this phase, it will finally become apparent that the
preliminary test data was incorrect, and the drug to be scrapped. It can cost the drug developers a
huge sum up to $1.4 billion depending on the phase the flaws are recognized.

The process of getting a new drug to market can be significantly improved by introducing robots
in the process. A robot doing the work can ensure accuracy and repeatability across multiple
trials. Replacing the human hand with robots can ensure the reproducibility of results and ensure
accuracy, thereby reducing the go to market time. Hence robots find a place in precision
medicine.

Manufacturing- Smart Manufacturing

Smart manufacturing (SM) is an implementation of technology integration creating a
collaborative manufacturing system that responds in real time to variation in demands and
scenarios at the factory, in the supply chain and in customer demands assists the management in
taking adaptive measures to improve efficiency. Prior to industry 4.0, manufacturers relied on
manual methods to collect machine data and perform root-cause analysis. But as the
manufacturing industry became a more competitive landscape, and consumer demand increased,
it reached a point where manual processes cost manufacturers time and money in the form of loss
in productivity, suboptimal machine output and product quality.

 
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Smart manufacturing creates a connected enterprise where sensors collect data from the plant
floor and bring together data that exists in business systems and tie these together with the supply
chain to optimize the production and overall supply network. Pfizer is using smart manufacturing
to develop remotely controlled processes and virtual laboratories to ensure a consistent supply of
products globally. Pfizer has also created portable manufacturing platforms using similar
concepts, allowing them to efficiently produce vaccines for children in the countries where they
are needed most.

Managerial Implications
Automation is the talk of the town today and it will be the talk of the town for years to come.
Whenever or wherever it gets discussed, it comes with both hope and despair. Hope is for new
inventions, new ways of making logistic and travel an easier process, making near perfect
medical interventions a reality, etc, but along with this it also brings a lot of anxiety of
joblessness, less work-life balance, negative emotions, etc. Here we are going to focus
specifically on “Managerial implications of Robotics and Automation”. We are sharing a few
bright sides and not so bright sides of Robotics and Automation on managerial implications.

The positive impact of Automation and Robotics in managing people:

A) Improved safety and security

In a factory setting, robots can replace human and take up dangerous jobs involving blades,
exposure to chemicals, dealing with sharp objects, etc which in other way lead to less wear and
tear, less physical damage to a human in workplace. The factory setting is not the only example
where the managers are getting benefited in managing workforce due to automation. Each
industry whether it is pharmaceutical, aviation, service or any other industry has been positively
impacted by automation.

B) Better Product Quality

Automation gives freedom from fatigue. Robots like humans do not need bio breaks or sick
leaves. They can produce the same product multiple times without no or zero variations in the
quality. Even in the service sector, automation plays a bigger role in maintaining the
product/service quality staring for fixing a meeting with the client to a dinner table in a
restaurant.

C) Higher Product Output

Automation has a higher chance of replacing humans for a particular job, but it also has the
potential to generate higher profits and help the business to expand. Afterall it is always easy to
manage a machine than a man.
 
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D) Higher Employee Value

There is a very thin line between productivity and profit. We can understand from the long
working hours in many places/companies. In fact, it is estimated that more than 80 % of the
workforce spend more than 45 hours /week. Automation takes care of these consequences with
ease and hence lead to more enjoyable jobs.

E) Freedom from the Mundane

Automation helps employees to focus on jobs that require critical thinking and will lessen the
burden on human and will open new windows for a higher variety of tasks, work in
multidisciplinary teams and worker’s autonomy. This will make the worker not get bored with
the daily routine work easily.

​The negative impact of automation and robotics in managing people:

A) Less Versatility

A machine/robot can do a task for which it is configured and are not considered to different kinds
of work depending on the needs as like that of an employee can do. This leaves with a manager
with fewer options when it comes to doing different work with the same resource available.

B) Increase in unemployment

The blue-collar jobs will be affected by automation which as a result will breed anxiety among
the coworkers, it will lead to additional stress and may cause employee unrest, income
inequality, etc.

In many industries like automobile, robots are considering as the perfect workers because they
are very good at repetitive works and can work up to twelve hours a day where a human fall prey
to the competition with robots. As the companies are investing heavily on automation and robots,
the expectation for ROI also increases which in other way put a huge pressure on the managers to
align the human workforce to work as much as the robots.

C) Mechanical Failures

There are times when the machine will have technical difficulties and having a replacement is a
costly affair when it comes to robots. This will again put additional pressure on the manager to
meet the deadlines or halt the production in between.

D) Tighter specification and cost of supply failure

In an unautomated factory, if there is a slight deviation in the specification, it can be managed by

minor adjustments but the case is different in an automated premise. The changes can not be
 
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done because machines cannot get adjusted like humans. This will put additional pressure on the
supervisor or the manager to constantly monitor the supplier’s adherence to the specifications.
This can lead to a maximum number of unproductive days and as all the machines are
depreciating in nature, can widen the gap between return and investment.

E) Manager’s role

More automation leads to fewer people management. This will adversely affect the job of the
manager itself. It is quite evident that more automation will be responsible for the disappearance
of middle management roles.

Social, Economical and Environmental Implications

Technology plays an important role to change society, environment and economic structure.
Even in history, there are pieces of evidence that tell how the industrial revolution changed the
world economy, social structure, and environment. Over the period, these impacts are more
radical and influential. In the era of information technology where information and technology
are easily available, are playing a vital role to change and impact the structure of society or
economy or environment. Now industries moving towards Automation and Robotics. Which is
changing the dynamics of the industry. Due to Automation & Robotics, industries are able to
improve control, production, quality, and cost. The human intervention also reduced. That
indicates a human error or risk-prone areas have better solutions.
But there are some serious social, economic and environmental implication have been noticed. It
looks like there is a correlation between these. We are trying to present these implications one by
one i.e. (1) Social Implications (2) Economical Implications (3) Environmental Implications

1) ​Social Implications: The effect of automation and robotics on society is huge and can be
studied as follows:
i) Social Behavior:​ Social behavior has changed, now people want
quick responses with high expectations. Want quick results and short waiting times. Now
interaction has increased with machines rather than people. Now society is getting emotionless.
ii) Business Relationships: Relationship between people and business are tightly coupled due to
new business models with the help of technology i.e. automation and robotics. Now automated
systems are on place to response customers based on their needs and query.
iii) Change In Lifestyle: Lifestyle and living of standards are changed. Automated systems and
robotics are part of the lifestyle and involved bed in the kitchen. They become status symbols
and becoming one of the essential needs of society.

 
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iv) Social Complexities: Due to automated systems social structures are getting complex by the
day. Less human interaction increases isolation in society. Society may get psychological
complications over a period of time.
v) Social Ethics Issues: ​Due to technology upgrades and automation, personal data is easily
available, which can be used unethical way or cyber fraud. Companies collect data related to
customers’ purchase patterns, likes, dislikes, personal information, medical information, etc.
vi) Health Issues: ​e-devices and automated devices emit radiation which causes health issues
and impacts social health. Health issues occur due to pollution caused by e-waste.
vii) Social Awareness: ​The public should be aware of the side effects of automation and
robotics. There should be some monitoring system, which should control the company’s
monopoly and their dominance on society.

2) Economic Implications: Industrial Evolution is evidence of how technology changed the

world economy. Now era has changed and we can see how the latest technologies are impacting
the economy of country, organization, and individuals. But there are some significant
implications. The economic implications due to automation and robotics can observe and study
as follows:
i) Resource Utilization: Due to automation and robotics resource utilization has been increased
and improved. Especially human resources can be moved out from some risky areas.
ii) On Productivity: ​Productivity has increased, due to the efficient utilization of resources.
Technology is tightly coupled with production which impacts the company’s financial state. If
any reasoning system goes down production will go down.
iii) Risk Factors: ​Risks due to human intervention has reduced such as human error, risky
workplaces where humans cannot work, etc, the economy gets improve due to uninterrupted
production and quality. But it also involved another risk this is if there is any system failure
happens then production gets impact.
iv) Complicated Systems and Processes: Due to automation systems and processes involved
are getting complicated. Sometimes these complications become a major cost to the economy.
v) New Skill Set Required: ​Complicated systems & processes need
a specific skill set which needs training for the workforce. Without upgraded
skillset, it is not possible to provide employment which impacts the economy.
vi) Research & Development: Research and developments are required for automation and
robotics so that it can be more cost-effective. Machine cost or implementation costs are high.
Through R&D this can be cheaper and risk-free.
vii) Maintenance Cost: ​System associated with automation and robotics have high
maintenance. This should be controlled and companies monopoly should not be there, else it will
impact the economy badly.

 
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3) Environmental Implications: ​whenever we use any new technology there will be some
implications on the environment. Mostly adverse effects noticed. There are some environmental
implications can study as follows:
i) Air Pollution: ​Automation & Robotics consumes power and power generation in India based
on fossil fuels like coal, gasoline, etc. Due to fossil, fuel consumption air pollution increased
drastically. We should seek for better solutions like low power consumption and alternative
power generation. It also impacts air quality.
ii) Water Pollution: e-Waste contains lead, which is heavy metal. These heavy metals dissolve
in water and effects water resources such as underground water, rivers, lakes, etc. Other toxic
materials also affect like acids, which are used while recycling e-waste.
iii) Effect On Soil: ​Due to e-waste soils are getting affected. Soil productivity reduced due to
polluted water and from e-waste residue. To make the soil fertile it needs more investment,
which is not possible for farmers.
iv) Global Warming: Carbon emission and heat produced by the automated machines are more,
which causes global warming.
v) Radiations: The increase in automated devices radiation level is also increasing. Which
impacts animals and birds. That affects the ecosystem too.

Case Studies

Case Study 1: Automation Strategies in Volkswagen

(By: Deepak Ravikumar) 

Introduction

Volkswagen a German automaker founded on 28th May 1937 is one

of the largest automakers worldwide. In the current age, the
automotive industry is the epitome of mass production and
marketing. With an increase in the globalization, the competition
among the producing companies also grew, which resulted in an urge
for progressive automation.

The level of automation has been continuously increasing in

automobile manufacturing which leads to less flexible automation
systems and the total cost also shoots high with the increase in the level of automation. So
currently study is going on for de-automating especially in the final assembly of car for
flexibility and economy.

 
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Problem Statement and Analysis

Day by Day the competition in the automotive market is increasing which forces the corporations
to select a plant location for the production of a particular vehicle model. The plant location is
linked to the level of automation as it is directly
related to the quality and the cost of the product.

However, the company is also aware of the issues

of both extremes of the level of automation. With a
high level of automation, the systems will become
less flexible and products can’t be customized
which are expensive. Whereas in the case of a low
level of automation it leads to poor product quality
and low productivity. The diagram shows the VW
procedure for introducing the new vehicle, which
clearly indicates the plant locations plays an
important role in planning and preparations. Due to
which the selection of a level of automation is a major management decision.

Analysis:

T​he main aim is to find out the optimal level of automation which helps to determine what is the
best suitable strategy, whether to go with the automation or de-automation. The management
decided to analyze the assembly lines of three production sites.

● Golf A5 assembly line in Wolfsburg (Fully Automated).

● Golf A5 assembly line in Uitenhage, South Africa (Complete Manual assembly).
● Touran assembly line in Auto5000 GmbH in Wolfsburg.

Analyzed against the four aspects of manufacturing systems Cost, Quality, Productivity, and
Flexibility. The final assembly consists of three main assembly parts (1,2,3). By de-automating,
each stations the level of automation decreases.

Cost Based Analysis

The Unit cost for the assembly stations for each productions sites has been calculated :

 
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● The assembly stations of Golf A5 in Germany shows the assembly part 1 is maintaining
the optimum level of automation whereas the assembly part 2 & 3 need to be
de-automated to reach the optimum level. Which indicates the sections of high-cost
expenditures.
● The assembly stations of Touran in Germany shows the assembly part 2 is maintaining
the optimum level of automation whereas the assembly part 1& 3 level of automation
needs to be increased to achieve the optimum level.
● The assembly stations of Golf A5 in South Africa shows most of the manual level of
automation reach the optimum level.

Quality Based Analysis

● The analysis on the quality indices is performed using the data like Field data, Audit data,
Vehicle preparation center (VPC) and direct runner rates (DRR).
● As per the analysis of the results the Auto5000 GmbH Wolfsburg are best according to
all quality indices.

Productivity & Flexibility Based Analysis

For analysis variation of ±20% production quantities are used. The productivity figures are
examined in relation to the number of workers. The analysis leads to two assumptions

● The highly automated systems are highly productive i.e. the systems with less number of
workers produces more.
● Also, the second assumption is that the highly automated systems lead to faulty products
due to its complexity.

 
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So as per the second assumption, the higher number of faultless products can be achieved with a
lower level of automation, which means integration of skilled labors.

Impact Analysis

The level of automation for the four main aspects cost, quality, productivity, and flexibility has
been compared to obtain the optimum level of
automation for the three production sites.

We could see that the assembly station for Golf

A5 in South Africa is perfectly maintaining the
manual level automation as optimum levels.
Whereas the assembly parts 2 & 3 of Golf A5 in
Germany needs to be de-automated and the level
automation needs to be increased for the
assembly parts of 1 & 3 to achieve the optimum levels of automation. This helped the
management to implement a perfect strategy to de-automate as well as to automate.

Conclusion

The case study perfectly shows the pros and cons of highly automated systems as well as the low
automated systems also completely removes the expectation that a highly automated system is a
perfect system. This case study was an eye opener which shows that by de-automating the
production output can be improved and unwanted expenditure cost can be reduced.

References

● http://www.iaeng.org/publication/WCE2007/WCE2007_pp1062-1067.pdf

Case 2 ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION IN INDIAN HEALTHCARE

INDUSTRY
(By: Priyabrata Das)

CONTENTS:

1. Overview

2. Use of robotics and automation in medical decision making.

3. Conclusion

 
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OVERVIEW:

When it comes to automation, AI or robotics, each

field and sector has been impacted. How the
healthcare and pharmaceutical sector will stay
untouched? In the recent past, there are lots of
development which had happened in the field of
healthcare. It can be a COBOT which is assisting
the doctor during complicated surgeries, helping the
lab operator in operating large diagnosis machines,
assisting the nurses in patient’s care, taking care of
patients in hospice and lots more.

Along with all their achievements, robots also play a major role in healthcare decision making
with the help of the analytic hierarchy process. AHP works based on seven categories: diagnosis,
patient participation, therapy/treatment, organ transplantation, project, and technology evaluation
and selection, human resource planning, and health care evaluation and policy play a major role
in evaluating various healthcare tools and policies.

USE OF ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION IN HEALTHCARE DECISION MAKING:

Robots in disease diagnosis:

Robots have remarkable abilities to diagnosing various conditions and has outperformed in many
cases. Doctors do radiographic and scanning to concluded when doing a diagnosis if the same
data we can put in an automated system will give many accurate results.

IBM had already tested a robot which successfully diagnosed lung cancer successfully in a
patient.

Robots in improving patient’s participation:

In many cases, it is difficult to get exact information from the patient about the symptoms and
sometimes it is tiresome for the attendant to get the wholesome information. This issue is getting
resolved by the robots accessing the past health records of the patient along with asking the
patients maximum questions without getting tired.

Robots contributing to therapy and treatment:

Robots had played a successful role in various disease treatment like treating the psychological
and behavioral symptoms of dementia, treatment of joint disease, rehabilitation treatment of a
patient suffering from a stroke.

 
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The major highlight of robotics and automation is robotic

surgery. It is one of the major benefits of robotics in
healthcare. With the economy strengthening and increased
presence of corporate hospitals like Apollo, Max hospital,
etc., robotic arm surgeries will be the future.

The most widely used clinical robotic surgical system

includes a camera arm and mechanical arms with surgical
instruments attached to them. The arm can be controlled
by the surgeon while seated at a console attached to a computer near the operating table. The
console gives the surgeon a high-definition, magnified, 3D view of the surgical site.

Surgeons use the robotic system to find that for many procedures it enhances precision,
flexibility, and control during the operation and allows them to better see the site, compared with
the followed traditional techniques. Using robotic surgery, surgeons can perform delicate and
complex procedures which are otherwise difficult to perform.

Robots in improving Quality and consistency:

Automation tools are not subject to human error or fatigue so they can help provide a consistent
basis of care activities. A study found that greater automation in the areas of medical records,
order entry, and decision support appeared to result in a reduction in deaths, complications, and
cost.

Increase predictability of outcomes:

A standardized care path which is supported by automation will lead to better compliance and
any deviation to this will get noticed easily so that the caretaking team can intervene on time.

A nurse with better support of automation tools can handle a bigger population size of patients at
one time. Instead of scaling up and down your headcount as patient volumes grow and shrink, an
automated platform can bring flexibly to address groups of all sizes.

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS IN HEALTHCARE:

Like everything, even though automation comes with a lot of benefits, it has a darker side also.
In healthcare other than treatment, a human touch also matters a lot. Dehumanizing healthcare
will also have an adverse effect. After all, robots are machines and like any other machines,
robots also breakdown and if it happens during a complicated surgery, it will cause serious
implication. An inaccuracy in the programming of the robot can lead to disastrous treatment
outcome.

 
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Patients in hospice or those who are bedridden need more personal care along with better
treatment. This can only happen if a nurse or attendant is taking care of the patient which is not
possible with the robot.

CONCLUSION:

Automation has been an indispensable part of the Indian healthcare industry and seen remarkable
improvements in the treatment efficacy and patient satisfaction.

According to IBEF, the Indian healthcare industry is currently pegged at around $158 billion and
is expected to hit $280 billion by 2020. The use of automated machinery in the healthcare
industry will be a timely expansion as healthcare services would be taken to the next level.
Automation and incorporation of robots will be the future of the Indian Healthcare Industry.
With a lot of focus by the government on the healthcare sector and coming off more corporate
hospitals and research centers, the future is much brighter for the Indian healthcare industry, but
we must admit that we have to go a long way.

Automation of healthcare sector has the potential to do great: to bring medical care to regions
where even today there is no basic healthcare facility; to reduce the load of medical
professionals; to help people get better medical attention. To reap the benefits and avoid the
potential dangers of such a technological revolution we need to keep informed about the strides
that science makes so that we can better prepare and adapt to the not-so-distant future where
robots play a crucial role and work closely with us.

REFERENCE

https://indianpharma.in/industryTrendsdetails/Cobots+%E2%80%93+A+Helping+Hand+to+the+
Healthcare+Industry

Case 3 Automation in IT Industry

(By: Apurba Lal Baral)

Content:

1. About Company

2. Introduction

3. Issues & Solution Analysis

4. Conclusion

 
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About Company:

Case Take From Congruent Solution Pvt. Ltd. An Indian origin company, providing software
services and owning their own product. They have multinational clients and they are very strong
in their business domain. They are technology-oriented and keep themselves upgraded.

Introduction​:

Indian economy based on agriculture. Past few decades’ Indian economy is getting support from
service industries. In which IT companies are playing a major role. Due to the IT sector, India is
leading in IT services. IT sector provided a new era, which fascinated the young generation and
provides them new opportunities and growth.

Now, IT sector can split into two parts: Software/IT Services and Software Product

1) ​Software/IT Services: Using platform or software providing services like knowledge base
process, business base processing, platform, etc. in domestic and abroad.

2)​ S
​ oftware Product: Selling or providing Software as a product.

As we know technology is changing very fast which results quick upgradation in software and
need quick deployment, which is one of the key part for delivery too.

IT services and products based on the value additions, quality and on time shipment. Many IT
firms still facing issues related quick deployment and quality control.

Congruent Solutions also facing the similar kind of issues. They have many clients and follow
agile process, which results daily development and daily deployment. Once deployment happens
then QC pitch in and do testing, but it is a very time consuming when it comes to regression
testing.

Issues & Solution Analysis:

Congruent Solution was facing two major issues :

1) ​Deployment: Manual deployment is a time consuming process, which actually includes

process like Code Merge, Solution Build, Solution Publish, etc. Team follows two weeks sprint
and almost every day there will be some stories/development for deployment. Deployment
process takes 3 to 4 hours and release managers may or may not available which affects QC
release and ultimate it results a risk to delivery.

To overcome this issue Congruent Team decided to automate entire process. Deployment
process includes as mentioned below :

 
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After implementing automation deployment time reduced to 1 hour, which is 75% of

improvement and able to medicate the risk.

2) ​Regression Testing Time: Regression testing is required before any release, which is

another time taking process. It takes six resources effort for six working days. Sometime it
become bottleneck for Client Release.

To reduce time and effort team decided to implement automated testing after deployment. After
implementing automation, testing Congruent able to reduce execution time to three days and
only one resource required to monitor the test case execution. This process help to deliver on
time.

Conclusion:

After implementing automation in process Congruent able to improve its process, delivery,
quality and​ ​reduce ​their cost.

It also helped them to medicate their risk of delivery failure due to quality and deployment.

Improvement in process with the help of technology helps company to grow. Companies to
improve their process have accepted automation and keep on upgrade.

​References:

This is internal case study. Taken from Congruent Solution Pvt. Ltd​.

 
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Case 4 Automating Point of Sales Promotion in Scotmid Co-operative

( By: Indu K)

Background

The Scottish Midland Co-operative Society (Scotmid Co-operative), is an independent retail

consumers' co-operative that originated in the Central Belt, particularly Edinburgh and the
Lothians. It has been famous with the Scottish communities since 1859. It employs around 5,000
people in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North of England in 350 retail outlets.

Shelf-edge Point of Sale (POS) promotions was created by Scotmid using a manual and outdated
method. Shelf-edge Point of Sale (POS) promotion is a simple and effective price marking and
promotional collaterals displayed on the shelf edge at a store. These shelf collaterals work
silently wherever they are assigned, to promote business and boost retail sales. They are a crucial
tool in helping customers decide on in-store purchases. Existing method of producing shelf-edge
POS promotions was

● Laborious
● Demoralizing
● Unproductive.

Thousands of Shelf-edge Point of Sale (POS) promotion tickets were manually designed,
produced and sent out to each store. From this bulk of collaterals, the store managers had select
only those which were suited for their particular store. Thus every branch received the same
promotions irrespective of the product on display. To quote Richard Marsh, Print Production
Manager, Scotmid:
"The old system didn't cut the mustard. Store Managers would take the tickets home and play
games with their kids to pick out the relevant ones for their store! We needed to find a new
system that could cope with the demands of the modern retail world yet wasn't too cost
prohibitive."

Challenge

The promotional collateral at the shelf shelf-edge is a retailers' most valuable real estate because
it triggers sales at the point of decision. Scotmid was spending huge money and time making
price changes and updating the shelf-edge. Immediate requirement was to redesign and automate
this core labour-intensive business process. The revamped retail ticketing solution had to
include:

● Dynamic pricing for each branch

● Fast ticketing production process from order to the shelf edge
 
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● Barcode integration
● Error-free ticket printing to retailer standards
● Ticket printing directly in store

Because Scotmid were already using Adobe InDesign within their creative process, they wanted
a solution that would allow them to InDesign's capabilities and not alter their current workflow.
The new platform had to simplify their creative process, improve their capabilities and
streamline their workflow.

Solution

An automating tool PersonalEffect Print Pro was introduced, which included all the features
Scotmid needed to produce custom made content-rich shelf-edge tickets with real-time pricing
and promotional messages. The tool came with uCreate Print, an integrated tool for connecting
with Adobe InDesign and generating data-driven collaterals. This allowed Scotmid to build
templates for versioning. PersonalEffect Print Pro also includes uPlan, for interfacing with the
database, selecting the data elements to use, and for appending logic rules required to propel the
project. It also includes PersonalEffect's uProduce Document Composition Engine (with Adobe
InDesign Server). This is the core foundation where the data, logic, document, fonts, and assets
are transformed into the output format of the desirable format (such as PPML, PDF, PDF/VT and
more).

Scotmid started by consolidating their marketing and product messages with their stock system
to get a listing of all the data required to create the tickets. The resulted in a single source of data
that contained store relevant promotional offers based on the products on display.

Using PersonalEffect to Generate a custom "ready to print" file for each store: ​The Print room
staff made use of a web-based environment to choose the ticket template for the store they
required to create the tickets for. They used APIs to link the production requests and deliver
them directly into PersonalEffect Server and create print ready files in an automated process.

The uPlan logic dictates the contents of the ticket to be printed, by pulling relevant product and
promotional messaging and dynamically adding barcodes. The PersonalEffect server, using the
data, controls the name and destination of the output file, as well as the number of prints for each
ticket.

The ready-to-print file is transferred to the digital press, through an imposition workflow to
ensure maximum efficiency. Each store receives a custom package of tickets where the sequence
of tickets even matches the store planogram, such that the store assistant can easily place them
on shelves, to be consumed.

 
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With the innovative workflow, the Data, Logic or Design could be manipulated without forcing a
change in the other two. This facilitated alterations, such as seasonal layouts or branding changes
to be implemented quickly and pushed to production.

Printing on an ad hoc basis​: Apart from the above, there is provision for each store manager to
order special tickets on an ad hoc basis. They could log-in to their back-office system and create
a shopping basket of collaterals. When the order is placed, the system sends a request to the
server and the store receives the PDF of tickets instantly for printing.

Results

● Print costs were diminished to half, worth an estimated saving of £20k. The print room
was freed up for other activities such as community-based charity efforts.
● Store productivity increased. Time taken to implement collateral package went down
from one work-day to two hours (every three weeks).
● Productivity enhanced - the store staff could now focus on more productive tasks like
customer service.

Reference:

https://www.xmpie.com/large-scottish-convenience-store-retailer-chain-saves-time-and-money-
with-xmpie-marketing-automation/

Case 5 3D PRINTING: A LIFE CHANGING PERSPECTIVE

(By: Gayathri Mohan)

3D printing is essentially a form of additive manufacturing technique .It is process by which

material are joined together under computer aided designing(CAD) to create a three dimensional
object layer by layer. Though the technology has been here for around thirty years , its use on a
large scale is still not popularized. The technology was initially used for creating prototypes and
yet to replace bulk manufacturing. However the objects created out of the technology shows its
wide application and finest form of intelligent systems and automation at work. It has been used
to create body organs like kidney, blood vessels, skin, machinery parts, clothing, jewelry, gun,
and even eatables.

The upsides of 3D printing technology are

● Complexity of design and detail

● More precision measurements
● Use of alternative material like plastic ,nanocomposites ,powdered metals which could be
cheaper
● Highly customizable
 
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The not so brighter side of the technology is still debatable like

● The technology can be disruptive- Eg: manufacture of guns and drones which if go
unregulated can create mini domestic production units and pose new kind of security
challenge.
● The cost Vs benefits it offers over conventional methods has been still not well accepted
as value addition over traditional methods is hard to prove.
● Newer innovative designs and more automation can lead to chaos in normal life as even
human body organs are manufactured

The first step in organ/Bioprinting was made in 2010 when Organovo, a company based in San
Diego printed blood vessels. Later, Swiss researchers at ETH Zurich created an artificial heart
made of silicon which is soft and with internal chamber which could replicate the pumping
action of heart in However the integration of this with human body wasn’t possible due to
incompatibility of materials used and human tissues and also the heart wouldn’t stand the
pressure of pumping for a long time. This however was a huge step in regenerative medicine.

3D PRINTING REVOLUTIONISE SURGERY

The Amrita Institute of Medical sciences in Cochin, Kerala was drawn into the spotlight when
they performed a complex surgery on a 11 year old Amritha, daughter of a poor couple who was
suffering from multiple deformities of heart using a 3D printed model of her heart. She was
diagnosed with a rare condition of the heart called Dextrocardia in 2017 ,a condition where her
left and right ventricles were on top of each other. Also she had holes in her heart and
oxygenated blood from her aorta was mixing with impure blood leading to bluish color of her
body. Congenital disorders are very common in India and is also a major cause of infant
mortality.

The 3 D printing lab was setup at Amrita Institute even when the technology was not so wide
spread. It was a bold step by the team of doctors at Cardiology department who encountered
complex cases everyday. This was not easy as they had to set aside a separate space for the lab,
develop a new workflow and integrate it with the existing procedures at the hospital. Acquiring
technology and equipment was another part. The hospital partnered with a company called
‘Materialise’ which developed a software named ‘Mimics in print’ developed in 2016 which
creates 3D anatomical models of organs using medical imaging data from X-rays and scans taken
at the hospital. The model helps doctors perform complex surgeries which can afford nil margin
for errors. The hospital also bagged two healthcare excellence awards from FICCI for the 3D
printing model under the categories of patient safety and innovation in medical technology
Mahesh Kappanayil at pediatric cardiology department has been pioneering these efforts. It has

 
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been effectively used in other departments like orthopedics since and to print other organs like
liver also.

BRINGING BACK SMILES,THE FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING

The technology of computerized design and intelligent engineering has helped change the way of
living of many like Amritha allowing them to return to normal lives. However more institutions
and hospitals need to invest in this technology in India where expenditure on health is abysmally
low. Also people need to be more scientifically educated to remove any doubts on the
technology. The technology will also offer affordable solution to otherwise expensive treatment
for which people go abroad.

The very idea of creating a human organ or tissue artificially using technology is revolutionary
and this is exactly what has been achieved through 3D printing. In times when healthy and
willing donors for organ transplantation are not easily available and patients have to wait for
months together, the prospect of getting an organ made is welcoming. Moreover transplanted
organs have high risk of being rejected by the body during any point of time. The 3D printed
organ would be much more compatible with the receivers body as his own stem cells and tissues
have been used to create it and it would match his body ,thanks to highly developed software
designing and automation which can replicate the shape and structure of the organ. In a recent
development ,researchers at Tel Aviv university in Israel has created a fully vascularized heart
replete with blood vessels albeit small in size. The real challenge is now teaching the artificial
heart to mimic the normal functions of human heart like pumping, that too for a continuous
period. This is possible with use of Artificial Intelligence or intelligent systems. In the times
when sensors can detect your heart rate, abnormalities in blood pressure, signal onset of heart
attacks, detect insulin levels etc.., the use of a fully transplanted artificial heart is not far away.

REFERENCE

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://mymodernmet.com/3d-printed-heart

Implications​ for India

India is the third largest economy in the world. The Indian economy is growing and has a
lot of potentials to grow. Indian economy is agriculturally based. But now the economy is also
doing good in the service industry and in the product as well. We need the latest technology and
techniques so that all the sectors get enough support to grow and contribute more to the
economy.
Automation & Robotics may contribute a lot in these areas.

 
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Implication on Agriculture:

In India, 58% of the population is surviving on agriculture. The largest producer of milk,
jute, and pulses. Agriculture is not well equipped with automation and robotics. Still, there are
many areas where we can implement and achieve good production from agriculture.
Automation and robotics can help to get more yield. But it needs good investment to
implement that farmers may or may not afford. In India, resources are biased due to different
regions. Agricultural lands are distributed due to which the effectiveness of automation and
robotics may reduce. Farmers need training and skill set to utilize and operate automated
equipment. Still, farmers aren't literate well. ​But it is very clear that Automation and Robotics
will help to agriculture as an industry.

Implication On Service & Production:

Service and production are two different sectors but there is the same the impact of
automation and robotics. Fast moving technology has given a lot of scope to these areas. Indian
companies started implementing automated machines and equipment to improve their production
and reduce their costs. There are small and midsize companies, those may not afford its
implementation and maintenance cost and we have cheap labor.
Labour skill set may not match with re required skill set, which means mass labour need
training. That leads to additional cost for the companies.small and midsize Industries need more
support from the government and authorities so that they can adhere to automated machines and
equipment. Introducing the latest technologies may generate new employment areas and
opportunities.

Implication on Indian Society:

Still, we are not very familiar with automation and robotics. we want to implement but
also afraid of losing our jobs and opportunities. Society needs more awareness in these areas. We
should able to connect with the latest trends and technologies with the human touch. else life will
become colourless. ​These are really helpful for us when we understand the use and influence of these in our life.

Some Serious Issues:

Automation and Robotics consume power, produces waste and pollution. All type of
pollutions is increasing that is air, water, soil, light, thermal and noise pollutions. e-Waste and
carbon emissions are becoming major concerns. Global warming and pollutions are a major
concern. In India, recycle e-waste and recycling of other waste materials not planned very well,
which needs very serious attention.

 
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Conclusion
As we move through a technology dependent era making rapid strides in advanced technologies
automation is no more seen as a unachievable milestone in any field though the economies of
scale have not been achieved to employ the technology widely and ensure more penetration.
Despite this Automation & Robotics have been making their presence in both direct and subtle
ways in various sectors ranging from agriculture,manufacturing to pharma & healthcare and
more importantly in retail marketing.The technology opens up a pandoras box of unlimited
opportunities for innovation and new challenges which have social,economical and
environmental implications.

It can cater to better lifestyle, sustainable use of resources, precision delivery of goods &
services,lowering of cost, less dependency on manpower,time saving making lives better by
reducing margin for error or discrepancies.However as the technology tests unchartered waters
exploring new ways to deliver results ,human intervention increasingly reduces causing loss of
employment, minor technical glitches can cause profound implications. In face of unlikely
events happening, the fixation of liabilities could also turn out to be a new problem,whether its
the machine, the design or the very creators have to be held responsible for the flaws. The
absence of a proper legal framework and laws governing these aspects , the use of automation
and robots have to handled with caution.The benefits to be reaped are plenty but the risks
associated are still unknown.
 
References
● https://www.isa.org/about-isa/what-is-automation/
● https://www.phcfirst.com/words-in-motion/2016/9/7/a-brief-history-of-automation
● https://www.hansonrobotics.com/sophia/
● https://www.brighthub.com/science/space/articles/122475.aspx
● https://www.jnj.com/media-center/press-releases/johnson-johnson-announces-defini
tive-agreement-to-collaborate-with-google-to-advance-surgical-robotics
● https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/digital-disruption/whats-now-and-next
-in-analytics-ai-and-automation
● https://www.cropin.com/precision-farming/
● https://www.roboticsbusinessreview.com/retail-hospitality/retail-robots-disrupt-ind
ustry/

 
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● https://www.roboticstomorrow.com/article/2018/12/automation-advancing-the-phar
maceutical-industry/12919
● https://www.forbes.com/sites/willemsundbladeurope/2019/02/05/the-four-levels-of-a-
smart-factory-evolution/#2ec07d3756f6
● https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/03/19/the-anatomy-of-smart-m
anufacturing/#33f5d99f6a6c
● https://www.xmpie.com/large-scottish-convenience-store-retailer-chain-saves-time-a
nd-money-with-xmpie-marketing-automation/

Contribution

Members Contributions

Apurba Lal Baral Social, Economical and Environmental Implications,

EPGP-11-016 Implications for India &
Case Study : Automation in IT Industry & Implications for India

Deepak Ravikumar Introduction & Case Study : Automations Strategies in Volkswagen

EPGP-11-033

Gayathri Mohan Conclusion & Case Study : 3D PRINTING: A LIFE CHANGING

EPGP-11-040 PERSPECTIVE

Indu K Applications & Case Study: Automating Point of Sales Promotion in

EPGP-11-046 Scotmid Co-operative

Priyabrata Das Managerial Implications, Case Study : Use of robotics and automation
EPGP-11-083 in medical decision making.

 
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