Industry Credentials Turned a Career’s Worth of Experience Into College Credit
SACA certifications give learners a way to turn real-world expertise into college credit, saving time, reducing costs, and accelerating career growth.
For any parent, their child’s graduation is a moment of pride. For Jason Solberg, it’s also a personal milestone. This spring, he’ll don his cap and gown alongside his son, Tyler, as both become some of the first graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s new Bachelor of Automation Leadership program.
The degree is the first of its kind, offering students an opportunity to blend technical skills with industrial business leadership expertise. The program prepares learners to lead in areas such as Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and operations management.
What makes this program so unique is that 61 credits can be transferred through associated credentials from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), a national certification body that delivers industry-recognized certifications and microcredentials in advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0. SACA silver certifications are written exams that test knowledge, and gold certifications are hands-on assessments that measure technical skill.
Add general education credits, and students can transfer up to 88 total credits to UW-Stout from any technical or community college in the country that has a transfer agreement with UW-Stout.
In other words, students can complete 75% of a 120-credit bachelor’s degree without paying university tuition.
To finish their degree, students will build on their technical foundation with courses in IoT, lean manufacturing, project management, and digital strategy. Then, they’ll complete an automation leadership internship and final capstone project. These capstones showcase a student’s understanding of both the technical and business sides of a project, including scheduling, budgeting, team management, and communication.
Jason Solberg describes himself as a man who’s done a little bit of everything, with a career that has spanned roles, technologies, and learning environments. That versatility is exactly what accelerated his journey through the Automation Leadership degree.
Jason’s has had roles in operations, maintenance, automation, and instruction, with roles at Tecumseh Products, Waukesha Engines, and GE. Early on, he pursued technical education at Moraine Park Technical College and completed a journeyman apprenticeship at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC).
Having spent over two decades in industry, Jason moved to the world of education after discovering a job listing for an adjunct instructor position at WCTC. “I took the plunge and I went to the other side and became a teacher. It was terrifying because I never taught a day in my life.”
After nine years of teaching, Jason has now taught over 28 different courses and set up five apprenticeship programs. “I don’t teach for the money. I do it because I want to make a difference in people’s life.”
Always looking to grow, Jason had recently enrolled at Lakeland College for data analytics when WCTC Associate Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, Mike Shiels, mentioned a new program that might be of interest. The University of Wisconsin-Stout’s new bachelor of Automation Leadership was being rolled out and looking for students. With the SACA credential portion of the degree, Shiels explained how Jason could gain credit for his years of experience.
“I just took whatever [SACA assessments] just to see, test myself. I got 15 or 16 silvers from that,” Jason explains how he received his SACA credentials. He then spent 4 days at Lakeshore College in Cleveland, Wisconsin testing for his gold certifications. “I didn’t even study. I went in there and I walked away with 10 golds.” These credentials will translate into 28 credits towards Jason’s degree.
Unlike the traditional credit for prior learning model, which maps to courses, Stout’s model uses the earned SACA credentials to award credit. According to Program Director Dr. Xuedong (David) Ding, “SACA makes this program possible. Because if there is no national or internationally-recognized skill set competencies certificate, this program would not be available.”
Dr. Ding also explains how SACA’s industry-validated and standardized benchmarks, along with flexible delivery, enabled the University to format the program to support reshoring American manufacturing.
Jason is the perfect example of what makes the Automation Leadership degree so unique. By earning his 25 SACA certifications, he validated decades of hands-on experience and turned those credentials directly into college credit. This allowed him to reduce the time it will take to obtain the degree as well as reduce tuition costs, since converting certifications into credits meant fewer classes to pay for. Jason’s journey shows that when education aligns with experience, learners can move forward faster, with greater purpose and impact.
“I like to lead by example, and I want to pave the path for our apprentices because I’m an apprentice,” Jason shares.
Now that Jason has taken his own certifications and knows the variety of credentials SACA provides, he uses them as a planning tool to shape his courses at WCTC. SACA helps him align labs, lectures, and assessments with the exact skills students will need in the field. This approach gives students a clear path toward earning certifications while they learn, and it ensures that every lesson connects directly to real-world outcomes.
And because WCTC has a transfer agreement with UW-Stout, Jason’s students also have a clear pathway to an Automation Leadership degree if they want to continue their education.
Tyler Solberg, Jason’s son, had also started the Automation Leadership program at the same time as Jason and was able to transfer 19 credits into the program from his dual enrollment at Oconomowoc High School.
For his capstone project, Jason worked with Tyler and another classmate, Wesley Lidwin, to complete a multi-year project to develop a coil winding training station for Eaton. Jason often conducts training bootcamps for Eaton employees, and Eaton offered $350,000 to fund Jason’s leadership of the new training program.
[A look at the coil training line at Eaton coordinated by Jason and his team.]
Dr. Ding oversees Jason’s capstone project and predicts the training Jason coordinated will have a continued impact on Eaton beyond this first project. “[The coil training line] impacted the whole culture of that facility. It transferred from a semi-automated or manual operation to a fully automated production. So, they have a more competitive edge compared to competitors nationally and internationally.”
Jason and Tyler’s journeys show how SACA certifications create real opportunities for learners at every stage, from high school students just starting out to seasoned professionals with years of experience. While Tyler used dual-enrollment credits to begin his degree early, Jason converted decades of hands-on expertise into college credit through performance-based certifications. Each took a different path, but both will end up in the same destination as they walk the graduation stage together this spring.
Whether students are just starting out or bringing years of experience to the table, SACA helps them build meaningful skills that connect directly to the workplace. It turns learning into progress, and progress into possibility.
Learn more about Jason’s capstone project here.
Find the current offerings of SACA certifications here.
Learn more about the Automation Leadership degree here.
- Published in News
Manufacturing Advice: Trust No One
What’s the key to long-term sustainability and success as a manufacturer? Some would argue that it’s trust. If a manufacturer gains the trust of the users of its products—and keeps that trust over time—it can go a long way to weathering nearly any storm that might come its way.
But is trust a two-way street? At least when it comes to cybersecurity and the protection of valuable intellectual property and technological assets, experts agree that the answer is a resounding “No!” In fact, cybersecurity experts have three words of advice for modern manufacturers: “Trust no one.”
As author Ramsés Gallego notes in a recent Smart Industry article, “[d]igital transformation has brought us AI, digital twins, and IoT—all built for productivity—but when trust is misplaced or unverified, the consequences can be severe and expensive.”
In the past, information technology staff have set up security measures as if a manufacturer’s internal network is a castle to be defended. In this type of model, “anyone or anything inside the perimeter was assumed safe,” points out Gallego.
Unfortunately, such a model is now outdated, because “but today’s factories are no longer isolated silos of machines.” Instead, “[m]anufacturing has become a hyperconnected ecosystem where IT and OT systems share data, AI automates decisions, digital twins simulate entire operations, and third-party devices plug directly into production lines. Every connection is a potential entry point, and attackers know it.”
That’s why “[m]anufacturing is now the most targeted industry for ransomware, accounting for up to 29% of reported attacks, according to CheckPoint Research. And this isn’t just about data loss—when OT systems are compromised, the impact is often physical and immediate. Think shutdowns, broken supply chains, or even nationwide disruption,” notes Gallego.
What approach should manufacturers take to protect themselves? Experts now recommend a zero trust cybersecurity framework. And it’s based upon a simple principle: “never trust, always verify.” The assumption underlying this framework is that “everything—human or machine—can be compromised.”
Does this seem cynical? Perhaps, but Gallego concludes that it’s “the only safe assumption…in an environment where uptime and safety are paramount.” Moreover, it’s important to remember that, when it comes to manufacturing systems, “the consequences [of a cybersecurity breach] can be severe, threatening worker well-being, product quality and even public safety.”
So, what does a zero trust framework look like for a modern manufacturer’s IT team? “Remember learning the question words at school: who, what, when, where, why, which? In a zero-trust environment, every user, device and application must answer those questions, every time, before they’re granted access.”
Managing such an approach is no simple task. Modern manufacturing facilities can include “thousands of interconnected systems controlling machinery—from factory robots, to power grids, to all the hardware and software that monitors and controls devices, processes and infrastructure.”
Finding the right people to properly secure manufacturing networks is paramount. Effective cybersecurity implementation may require manufacturers to add more technology experts to their teams. Personnel with hands-on experience with advanced automation technologies used in manufacturing will play a key role.
It’s critical for manufacturers to hire highly skilled workers that can manage cybersecurity risks, in addition to operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing the advanced automation systems that are being implemented. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing “skills gap” issue in the manufacturing sector, finding highly skilled workers remains a significant challenge.
How can manufacturers find the workers they need? And how can they be sure that workers have the hands-on skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace? Today, more and more manufacturers are looking for workers with industry-standard certifications that prove they have the skills employers need.
For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Automation Essential for Reshoring Manufacturing
Made in USA: those three words bring forth a swell of pride in hundreds of thousands of manufacturing workers across the nation. Over time, though, those words have appeared on fewer products as the United States has become an integral part of a truly global marketplace.
Long gone are the days when American factories produced the majority of goods consumed within its borders. As international trade grew, industries learned that other countries could sometimes offer cheaper labor and sometimes even better technology.
The very nature of the capitalism Americans love rewards industries for maximizing profits by outsourcing production around the world. Indeed, many economists see free and open international trade as the ideal. However, offshoring manufacturing can have consequences.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages and long wait times became problematic as supply chains were strained to their breaking point. Auto manufacturers, in particular, became acutely aware of the problem of having no domestic source of the advanced semiconductors they needed to power the electronics that fill modern vehicles.
In the wake of the pandemic, renewed calls for reshoring manufacturing were heard loud and clear across the country. Have those calls been answered? Where does the reshoring movement stand currently? Will the Trump administration’s on-again, off-again trade policies centered on tariffs spark increased reshoring? Or is there another key to making it happen?
In a recent Manufacturing Dive article , author Søren Peters argues that, while the impact of tariffs is uncertain, “sustainable manufacturing success depends on the competitive advantage that automation delivers.” In fact, he notes that “the reshoring movement has been underway for years — even before the recent tariff announcements.”
He cites recent statistics that show reshoring began years ago and has been spurred on by increasing use of advanced automation technologies. Peters writes, “Look at the numbers: In 2023, more than 287,000 US manufacturing jobs were announced from reshoring and foreign direct investments — a 26-fold increase from 2010, according to the Reshoring Initiative’s annual report. This growth parallels an 88% increase in industrial robots operating in the U.S. between 2013-2023, as reported by the International Federation of Robotics.”
Regarding tariffs, Peters questions their efficacy: “While tariffs could accelerate the reshoring trend, manufacturers are generally cautious. Companies are reluctant to base major reshoring decisions on potentially fluctuating tariffs. Production relocations require years of planning and substantial investment. Companies need permanent competitive advantages, not temporary policy shifts.”
Peters concludes that “[t]his is precisely why automation must be central to any serious reshoring strategy… While trade policies shift, it is the industry’s own ability to compete that makes reshoring sustainable — and for that, automation is the foundation.”
Why is automation so critical to the reshoring effort? Peters notes that “[t]he most immediate obstacle to rapid reshoring is workforce capacity.” There simply aren’t enough manufacturing workers to fill available positions right now, let alone to staff numerous new facilities resulting from reshoring.
Fortunately, new automation technologies have taken some of the pressure off, allowing the U.S. manufacturing sector to continue increasing production capacity even with fewer workers. That might not last long, though, because those new automation technologies also contribute to an ongoing problem: the automation skills gap.
New automation technologies can take up some of the slack of having too few workers, but manufacturers now need more workers with more advanced skills who can operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair these new technologies. So where will they find the workers?
As companies embrace new technologies, they will often need to either upskill current workers or hire new workers with the advanced automation technology skills they require. If hiring new workers ends up being part of their automation implementation plan, manufacturers should look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the advanced automation skills needed to thrive.
For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies.
SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Creating a Digital Roadmap for U.S. Manufacturing
In today’s technology-driven world, how you think about the task of navigating from Point A to Point B can reveal a lot about your age and the time in which you grew up. If you can read a paper map or ever used printed Mapquest directions to find your way to a destination, then it may be time for your annual colonoscopy.
Nowadays getting somewhere you’ve never been is as easy as asking Siri for directions and following the step-by-step instructions in your map app. While the technology in your smartphone might guide you to an address, it unfortunately won’t be much help if your destination isn’t quite as tangible as a physical location.
For example, a small- to medium-sized manufacturer (SMM) hoping to transform its operations with advanced automation technologies will need more than Siri and an iPhone. The digital manufacturing landscape is evolving rapidly and navigating it can be daunting, leaving many leaders of SMMs asking “Anybody have a map?”
Fortunately, the answer to that question is “yes” and the organization with the map(s) is known as MxD or The Digital Manufacturing and Cybersecurity Institute. According to a recent 3D Printing Industry article by Ada Shaikhnag, MxD “has released its Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) for 2025-2027, presenting a detailed roadmap to bolster the competitiveness, resilience, and cybersecurity of U.S. manufacturing.”
MxD’s SIP, “[s]haped by insights from manufacturers, technology providers, academic institutions, and government partners,…lays out a targeted investment strategy in digital engineering, factory modernization, supply chain resilience, and workforce development.”
By focusing on things like “digital engineering and design, future factory systems, supply chain visibility, and cybersecurity integration,” MxD intends to “address persistent challenges within the industrial base, particularly among…SMMs…that often lack the resources needed to adopt and scale digital manufacturing solutions.”
So, what should SMMs be keeping in mind as they look to incorporate advanced automation technologies? Here are a few key areas of focus according to MxD:
- Data Lifecycle
MxD developed “a technical framework called the data lifecycle…[that] maps the flow of data across the various stages of a product’s lifecycle, from development and manufacturing to deployment and support.” MxD believes “seamless data movement and high-fidelity data collection…are vital for unlocking capabilities such as predictive maintenance, quality control, and secure information sharing throughout supply chains.” - Interoperability and Data Standards
According to Shaikhnag, “MxD is working on a…[p]laybook to consolidate and harmonize data standards used by manufacturers. This effort addresses the challenge of fragmented data formats and standards across different systems, which can hinder consistent data flows and semantic interoperability. - Future Factory Development
MxD has its eyes on the factories of the future and its “projects in this area aim to build digital environments that support real-time process optimization, data-driven decision-making, and production lines that can adapt quickly to disruptions and new customer demands. Initiatives around digital twins, 5G/6G integration, and cybersecurity best practices will help shape these future factories.” - Cybersecurity
In addition to its other digital focuses, MxD serves as “the National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing. With manufacturing identified as the most targeted sector for cyberattacks in recent years, MxD’s cybersecurity projects aim to enhance protections for both operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments.”
As manufacturers prepare for an increasingly digital future, MxD also believes that “workforce initiatives [are] critical, noting that 1.9 million manufacturing jobs could remain unfilled by 2033 without targeted upskilling efforts.” To that end, MxD offers “advanced role-based training programs in data analytics, cybersecurity, and extended reality applications” as part of its Virtual Training Center.
In addition to upskilling current workers, it’s critical for manufacturers to hire highly skilled workers that can manage cybersecurity risks, in addition to operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing the advanced automation systems that are being implemented. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing “skills gap” issue in the manufacturing sector, finding highly skilled workers remains a significant challenge.
How can manufacturers find the workers they need? And how can they be sure that workers have the hands-on skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace? Today, more and more manufacturers are looking for workers with industry-standard certifications that prove they have the skills employers need.
For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies.
SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Robots and Cobots Finding Niche in Food Manufacturing
Manufacturers across the country and around the world share many of the same challenges in today’s fast-paced technological workplace. There’s always pressure to increase productivity and efficiency while struggling to manage labor shortages and a lack of enough skilled workers.
In the food and beverage industry, manufacturers must also stay on top of myriad regulations covering food safety. Like other manufacturers in adjacent industries, food and beverage manufacturers are increasingly turning to advanced automation technologies, like robots and cobots, to tackle the issues they face.
According to a recent Food Engineering article by Grant Gerke, “[c]obot and robot applications and overall automation investments in food plants have been vital to stemming ubiquitous workforce retention issues, overcoming limited space in food plants and increasing throughput.”
Gerke predicts “the next five years will see more innovation and expansion with cobot and robot applications, including delta pick-and-place product stations, mobile work cells and even autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology at larger plants.”
For example, the author points out a new Tyson food production facility in Virgina that “features high-speed automated case packing lines and high-speed robotic case palletizing units.” Gerke insists “the robust trend of food companies eliminating plants, reorganizing and investing in automation and smart manufacturing plants isn’t going away.”
What’s driving the automation push? In many cases, it’s the ongoing skills gap problem that has left many manufacturers with a persistent labor shortage. According to Universal Robots’ Chris Savoia, “[e]mployee retention is one of the most significant factors driving the adoption of cobots in secondary packaging. The high turnover rates and difficulty recruiting and training staff for repetitive, labor-intensive jobs have forced many companies to reconsider their approach.”
Of course, humans are still an integral piece of the food and beverage manufacturing puzzle. As more and more advanced automation technologies are implemented, even more highly skilled workers are needed to install, operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair these systems.
Unfortunately, finding highly skilled workers remains a significant challenge. How can employers find the workers they need? And how can they be sure that workers have the hands-on skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace? Today, more and more employers are looking for workers with industry-standard certifications that prove they have the skills needed.
For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Transforming Manufacturing Operations with IoT
How can you get students interested in jobs in manufacturing? That’s the perennial question that manufacturers have been struggling with for years as they continue to face a critical shortage of skilled workers to fill hundreds of thousands of open positions.
One hurdle to getting students to consider a manufacturing career is the negative impression that many people continue to have about manufacturing in general. Factories are dirty, uncomfortable places to work, right? Manufacturing careers are for people who don’t have the skills to find a better job, correct?
These are the views that manufacturers must battle, and it’s incredibly frustrating because modern manufacturing facilities don’t resemble the buildings full of low-skill assembly line jobs that existed when modern stereotypes were developed.
Instead, today’s manufacturing facilities are marvels of modern technology that need highly skilled workers who want to work with and alongside some of the most advanced technologies available. As manufacturers seek to stay competitive on the global stage, they’ve enthusiastically embraced advanced automation technologies as the means to maximize efficiency and productivity.
In fact, to stay competitive in the modern manufacturing sector, most manufacturers have adopted at least one technology that takes advantage of connecting systems via the Internet of Things (IoT). According to an IoT For All article by Micah Statler, “[b]y leveraging advancements in…IoT…manufacturers are revolutionizing their approach to maintenance and service delivery, particularly through predictive maintenance services.”
Statler highlights three technologies that “are helping manufacturers reduce downtime, optimize resources, and maintain peak operational performance”: “real-time analytics, AI-driven predictive maintenance, and smart sensors.”
For example, smart sensors “which can be integrated into manufacturing machinery – are key to transitioning from reactive to predictive maintenance strategies.” This allows manufacturers to reduce equipment downtime that “can translate to significant production delays and revenue loss.”
Likewise, “IoT-connected devices in manufacturing facilities generate vast amounts of operational data. By leveraging cloud-based real-time analytics platforms, manufacturers can centralize this data for deeper insights…[that] allow operators to prioritize maintenance tasks and adjust workflows, resulting in minimized disruption and improved throughput.”
Building upon analysis of actual data from smart sensors, “[p]redictive maintenance – powered by artificial intelligence (AI) – takes IoT applications to the next level. Machine learning algorithms process sensor data to predict when a component is likely to fail.”
How is that helpful? “Imagine a manufacturer relying on…AI…[to] flag[] potential failure points weeks in advance. Maintenance teams or external service providers can schedule interventions during planned downtime, preventing costly production halts. This proactive approach reduces maintenance costs and extends the lifespan of equipment.”
While these advanced automation technologies offer benefits only imagined a few years ago, they’re not without hurdles to widespread adoption by manufacturers. For starters, many manufacturers already can’t find enough workers to fill open positions. Where are they going to find the highly skilled workers to take advantage of these new technologies?
The solution, of course, is to either upskill current workers or hire new workers with the advanced automation technology skills they require. How can manufacturers be certain prospective workers have the skills they need?
Manufacturers should look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the skills they need to thrive. For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Is U.S. Manufacturing Suffering a Productivity Crisis?
“Made in America”—those words have long stood for the pride that millions take in the U.S. manufacturing industry. Ever since the end of World War II, generation after generation of American workers has pushed U.S. manufacturing to new heights.
With the invention of computers and then the Internet, manufacturing—both here in the U.S. and around the world—has been transformed by a variety of advanced automation technologies. This new wave of automation has had a positive impact on manufacturing efficiency and productivity, right?
“Not so fast…” is actually the answer that some researchers are now giving in light of new data. In a recent Information Technology & Innovation Foundation article, author Robert D. Atkinson notes that “labor productivity in U.S. manufacturing, which grew steadily throughout the post-war era until 2010…has slid” and become stagnant over the last decade and a half.
So what gives? It’s clear that modern automation technologies are revolutionizing manufacturing in many areas. Likewise, no one would dispute that these technologies can and do make manufacturing more efficient and productive. So why do statistics show “U.S. manufacturing is becoming less productive?”
Atkinson argues that it’s likely that U.S. manufacturing productivity stagnation could be due to insufficient technological investment, especially from the federal government. That’s right. It’s very possible that governmental leaders have slept on manufacturing productivity for too long, allowing other countries to become more competitive than the U.S.
For example, Atkinson believes that many new technologies, such as “IoT, 3D printing, robotics, and AI,” “seem to have produced more excitement than output” to date. Why would this be the case? According to Atkinson, “one reason for the stagnation in manufacturing productivity is that, according to the National Science Foundation, just 23 percent of U.S. manufacturers were engaged in process innovation, which improves how things are manufactured.”
Moreover, other countries are outpacing U.S. investment in new technologies. For example, “China leaves the United States in the dust when it comes to robot adoption…China installs 12 times more manufacturing robots than would be expected given its wage levels, while the United installs only 73 percent as many as we would expect.”
Atkinson lays a lot of the blame at the feet of the federal government: “frankly, the level of support that the U.S. government provides to incentivize manufacturing technology adoption is pitiful. Japan invests 55 times more in manufacturing support for small and medium-sized enterprises than does the United States, while Germany invests 6 times more.”
What could be done to improve things? Atkinson would like to see “a temporary 25 percent investment tax credit lasting six years to spur a surge of investment in new machinery, equipment, and software” paired with the creation of “a network of five or six automation institutes across the nation that focus on helping U.S. manufacturers automate work and boost productivity.”
The author urges the Department of Commerce to take U.S. manufacturing productivity stagnation seriously “for two main reasons. First, real wages cannot grow faster than productivity growth. Second, without productivity growth (or a serious decline in the value of the dollar), U.S. manufacturing will increasingly find itself at a competitive disadvantage.”
If the federal government heeds Atkinson’s advice, it will also need to dedicate increased resources to training current and future workers to ensure skilled personnel are available to operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair advanced automation technologies as they are implemented.
As companies embrace new technologies, they will often need to either upskill current workers or hire new workers with the advanced automation technology skills they require. If hiring new workers ends up being part of their automation implementation plan, manufacturers should look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the advanced automation skills needed to thrive.
For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies.
SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Mapping a Route to Successful Automation Implementation
Have you noticed how the solution to most problems these days seems to be technology? Our lives are intertwined and interconnected in ways that few could have imagined several decades ago. From smart phones and televisions to smart cars and thermostats, advanced technologies that communicate and share information via the Internet have changed our lives forever.
They’ve also changed our workplaces. You’d expect this working in a technology field, but even industrial factory jobs have been impacted greatly by today’s advanced automation technologies. Just like in every other area of our lives, technology has changed the modern industrial workplace forever.
The seismic effect advanced automation technologies have had on manufacturing and other industrial sectors has many monikers, many of which you’ve probably heard of: the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and Smart Factory are just a few.
Especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s industries know that they need to invest in advanced automation technologies to take them to the next level of efficiency and productivity. Yet, these investments should not be made lightly, especially by small and medium-sized manufacturers that don’t have the kind of money to spend that huge multinational corporations do.
How should small and medium-sized manufacturers approach investing in new automation technologies? In a recent IndustryWeek article, author Robert Scipione provides some guidance, including this important starting point: “The most important aspect of your first automation project is to be clear about what problem you are trying to solve.”
Failure to address a specific goal is a recipe for disaster. Scipione notes that some manufacturers buy technology impulsively, but “if they haven’t considered all the related impacts on their people and processes, their chances of a successful automation implementation are diminished.”
Once a problem is identified, Scipione recommends tying “the initiative to financial performance” and then “build[ing] a system around the technology.” In this way, you can ensure smooth implementation while also tracking how your chosen automation solution saves money and provides a good return on investment.
While many might be tempted to focus on the technology options available as potential solutions, Scipione warns that current personnel must also be a big part of the equation: “you will want to factor your people and their skill sets into the automation implementation, operation, and support.”
Technology doesn’t exist in a vacuum, so it’s important to ensure skilled personnel are available to operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair these new technologies as implemented. In many cases, that will mean either upskilling current workers or hiring new workers with the advanced automation technology skills you require.
If hiring new workers ends up being part of your automation implementation plan, look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the advanced automation skills needed to thrive. For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Scottish Candy Maker Using Automation to Find the Sweet Spot
When the holidays roll around, do you find yourself yearning for homemade treats your mother, grandmother, or favorite aunt made when you were a kid? There’s simply nothing like cookies or fudge made from a recipe that’s been handed down for years from one generation to another.
Of course, most people won’t turn away sweet treats from the store either. In fact, many of your favorites might come from confectioners who have been making signature candies for decades using handmade recipes created by their founders long ago.
That’s certainly the case with Aldomak, a family-run Scottish confectioner with a factory in Glasgow. A recent article in The Manufacturer notes that “[t]he confectioner prides itself on its handmade recipes.” However, like most other factories in this modern age, Aldomak is “gradually integrating a degree of automation into production processes.”
While priding itself on its traditions, the family that runs Aldomak realized that incorporating some new advanced automation technologies could help them “streamline manufacturing processes and increase capacity.” That’s why they created “a digital simulation of Aldomak’s fudge production line” with the help of “the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) – operated by the University of Strathclyde and part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult.”
Using this digital twin of a production line, “Aldomak and the Design Engineering team at NMIS identified potential bottlenecks and explored various ‘what-if’ scenarios, such as adding new equipment or modifying workflows.” For example, “[b]y examining the capacity of boiling equipment and the movement of both personnel and products within the factory, Aldomak established how best to focus its efforts to boost efficiency.”
Like all advanced automation technologies, the digital twin used by Aldomak relies heavily on a wide range of data, including “the capacity of the machinery, the duration of different cycles, inventory levels and work schedules.” Analyzing this data has “encouraged the manufacturer to think differently, focus on bottlenecks, and explore various ways to increase throughput before considering major investments.”
Gwenole Henry, Research & Development Engineer at NMIS, points out that “[d]igital simulations of this kind can be an incredibly useful tool for manufacturers in any sector, helping them to meet goals and ambitions in terms of productivity, sales and even energy efficiency.”
However, advanced automation technologies like digital twins don’t exist in a vacuum. It’s important to ensure skilled personnel are available to operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair these new technologies as implemented. In many cases, that will mean either upskilling current workers or hiring new workers with the advanced automation technology skills you require.
If hiring new workers ends up being part of your automation implementation plan, look for candidates with industry-standard credentials that prove they already possess the advanced automation skills needed to thrive. For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
- Published in News
Cybersecurity a Top Concern for Auto Manufacturers
If you were an automotive executive today, what do you think your primary concern might be? Improving safety is always an important concern. Given rising inflation, making vehicles more affordable might also be high on the list. Of course, many of you might also identify navigating the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) as a likely contender.
While those are all good guesses, there’s one issue that Rockwell Automation’s latest State of Smart Manufacturing: Automotive Edition report identified as the primary barrier for growth according to auto manufacturers: cybersecurity. If you think about it, it just makes sense.
Manufacturers everywhere—including auto manufacturers—have embraced new automation technologies because they improve productivity, efficiency, and ultimately profitability. However, as manufacturers add more and more smart devices to their networks, the risk of cyberattacks on those devices increases accordingly.
The bad actors behind the cyberattacks that have made the news in the last few years know that manufacturers often implement new technologies before adding the highly skilled workers they need to keep those advanced systems safe. Auto executives must ask themselves: how safe are our plants from cyberattacks?
Moreover, automobiles themselves have become marvels of the latest modern technologies. From Wi-Fi-enabled vehicles to dashboards that sport screens the size of small televisions, the cars and trucks we drive are “smarter” than ever. And let’s not forget about the next frontier: self-driving vehicles. The earliest models are already on our roads. What happens when they become the norm?
We have a high-tech system of air traffic control that keeps track of all the airplanes in the sky to make sure none of them cross paths. Will we see the same type of system for self-driving automobiles? Can you imagine the technology that will take to keep track of millions of vehicles to ensure they all stay in their lanes? More importantly, can you imagine what would happen if a hacker gained control of such a system, let alone individual vehicles?
These are just a few of the factors that led auto manufacturers to put the spotlight on cybersecurity as the main barrier to continued growth. In a recent Industry Week article, author Dennis Scimeca points out that “[t]he manufacturing sector…presents one of cybercriminals’ most attractive and lucrative targets.”
This is certainly true for auto manufacturers who tend to have a “lack of tolerance for pauses in production and therefore increased willingness compared to other economic sectors to pay ransom demands.” Cyberattacks on Nissan, Ferrari, and Hyundai in the last year have boosted cybersecurity to the top of the pile when it comes to future worries.
Scimeca believes “[t]he increasing connectivity between vehicles provides the largest concern for auto manufacturers.” For example, Brian Denken, Rockwell Automation’s commercial manager for networks and cybersecurity services, North America, notes that “[w]e’re looking at multiple types of connectivity—vehicle-to-cloud for services like navigation, vehicle-to-infrastructure for traffic management and vehicle-to-vehicle for safety communications. Each connection point expands the attack surface and presents unique security challenges that we must address to ensure safe and reliable vehicle operations.”
Cybercriminals also like the automotive industry as a target for the huge amount of data available. Denken points out “[t]his includes personal data from drivers, operational data from vehicle systems, communication data exchanged with external entities and charging data for electric vehicles.”
Denken argues that “[e]nsuring the security of this information is vital to prevent fraud, maintain vehicle performance and safeguard user privacy. This requires advanced encryption, secure communication protocols, and continuous monitoring.”
Scimeca reminds readers that “[f]ocusing too much on the specifics of vehicle connectivity risks losing track of the degree to which automotive plants, some of the most networked plants in heavy industry, also face increasing cybersecurity risks.”
So what’s a vulnerable auto manufacturer to do? Experts agree that it’s critical for manufacturers to hire highly skilled workers that can manage cybersecurity risks, in addition to operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing the advanced automation systems that are being implemented. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing “skills gap” issue in the manufacturing sector, finding highly skilled workers remains a significant challenge.
How can manufacturers find the workers they need? And how can they be sure that workers have the hands-on skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace? Today, more and more manufacturers are looking for workers with industry-standard certifications that prove they have the skills employers need.
For example, if workers possess a certification from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), employers can feel confident they’ve already proven they have the knowledge and hands-on skills needed for working with advanced smart automation technologies. SACA has been hard at work collaborating with industry leaders to develop a wide variety of industry-standard certifications that will help employers find workers who possess the advanced connected-systems skills they need to take their businesses to the next level. Be sure to check out SACA and all it has to offer!
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