As manufacturing moves to more advanced methods of production that utilises technologies such as cobots, vocational education and training (VET) providers are under increasing pressure to develop and deliver training that meets the evolving needs of the advanced manufacturing sector. This article uses the notion of employability to present three themes emerging from my research to unpack how skills are perceived and understood by those involved in provision and delivery of vocational education for advanced manufacturing.

Readiness: Laying the Groundwork for Success

In courses like Electrotechnology, higher-level math and literacy are prerequisites for success. VET providers look to support students with a range of programs including in class support to help bridge literacy, numeracy and digital abilities gaps of new students, ensuring they are better equipped to handle complex technical training.

Teachers are critical to ensuring readiness. As industries increasingly shift in the use and application of technology, trainers and training providers need to also keep pace but may lack familiarity with modern technologies such as robotics and automation. Investment in teacher development is essential to ensure they can deliver training that meets the current demands of industry.

VET providers must also ensure that their training equipment and facilities reflect the new technological landscape. This can be a significant hurdle, as systemic factors related to capital expenditure for public providers often restrict the ability to invest in advanced tools and machinery, requiring support from industry partners.

Adaptation: Responding to Changing Skills Needs

Adaptation underscores the importance of providers’ ability to respond to the changing skills needs of the workforce. While VET institutions recognize the need to evolve, the process of revising training packages is often slowed by conflicting industry interests and other stakeholder agendas.

To counter this, VET providers have increasingly turned to alternative forms of training. Microcredentials have emerged as flexible solutions to upskill or reskill workers in emerging areas like autonomous technologies and robotics. These shorter, more targeted programs can be developed quickly and are designed to address specific industry needs, even if they fall outside the scope of formal qualifications. Institutions are also offering hybrid courses that combine in-person and online elements, allowing workers to access training more flexibly. This adaptability is crucial as industries face rapid technological advancements and a need for workers with specialized skills.

Collaboration: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Industry

Collaboration emphasises the importance of partnerships between educational institutions, industry, and government to effectively meet the workforce’s evolving needs, and ensure that training is relevant and up to industry standards.

New initiatives like higher apprenticeships, which combine trade qualifications with university degrees, are emerging. These programs require careful coordination between VET and university sectors to ensure that students receive the necessary support and meet the varying requirements of both systems.

Industry partnerships also extend beyond course design to include equipment sharing and resource pooling. Industry partners help to overcome capital investment limitations of VET institutions by providing the latest equipment such as cobots. This reciprocal arrangement helps both parties. Industry partners gain access to skilled workers trained on the latest equipment, while VET providers can offer students hands-on experience with tools and equipment used in workplaces.

Moving Forward

Through readiness, adaptation, and collaboration VET providers can better prepare learners for the future workforce. Ensuring that learners enter training with the right foundational skills, adapting training offerings to meet the rapidly changing technological landscape, and fostering strong collaborations with industry and higher education institutions are all key steps in skilling a workforce capable of thriving in technologically complex workplaces. Ongoing collaboration between education providers, industry, and policymakers will be key to ensuring workers have the skills necessary to succeed in the advanced manufacturing industry.

Automation has long been the domain of large enterprises with deep pockets and extensive resources. However, the landscape is undergoing a transformation, with collaborative robots, often referred to as cobots, leading the way in driving this change. Designed to work seamlessly alongside humans, cobots are making automation accessible, even for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). According to a recent report^[1], the global cobot market is projected to grow from $1.2 billion in 2023 to close to $3 billion by 2028, reflecting their rising adoption across industries.

For SMEs, staying competitive often requires overcoming unique challenges such as limited budgets, smaller teams, and the need for operational agility. According to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 2024 Small Business Condition Survey^[2], labour shortages and rising costs are among the most significant obstacles that small businesses face. While traditional automation systems can help address labour shortages, they are often rigid, complex, and prohibitively expensive, making them unsuitable for many SMEs. Enter cobots, a revolutionary solution that combines affordability, flexibility, and ease of deployment.

• What Are Cobots, and How Do They Differ from Traditional Robots?

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are a new generation of robotic systems designed to work directly with humans in shared workspaces. Unlike traditional industrial robots, which often require physical barriers for safety, cobots are equipped with advanced sensors and programming that allow them to detect and adapt to human presence. This makes them inherently safer and more versatile in environments where people and machines need to work side by side.

• Why Cobots Are the Perfect Growth Hack for SMEs?

Cobots have the potential to transform SMEs by providing solutions that deliver a wide range of benefits. These include:

• Cost-Effectiveness

Cobots are significantly more affordable than traditional industrial robots. Unlike industrial robots, which require heavy structures and safety cages, cobots can often be mounted with simple tools like a G-clamp, saving on installation costs and space. In contrast, industrial robots demand extensive safety measures and infrastructure, which not only consume space but also incur additional expenses. This cost difference is critical for SMEs operating on tight budgets.

• Flexibility and Adaptability

Unlike traditional robots, which are designed to fully automate a task or leave it to manual labour, cobots offer a middle ground, semi-automation. This capability is invaluable for SMEs, where automating the complete workflows are complex or expensive.

For example, a furniture manufacturing SME can program a cobot to assist with sanding tasks. While the cobot performs the repetitive sanding, workers can focus on more intricate assembly tasks, significantly boosting overall productivity. This shared workspace model eliminates the rigidity of traditional automation, allowing SMEs to adapt quickly to changing demands.

• Ease of Use

Cobots are designed with user-friendliness in mind, often featuring intuitive interfaces that require minimal training. Employees without technical expertise can quickly learn to program and operate these robots, reducing downtime. Blocky programming uses a drag-and-drop interface where users create workflows by connecting pre-designed blocks that represent commands or actions. This visual approach eliminates the need for complex coding knowledge, making it ideal for SMEs that may not have dedicated robotics experts on staff. For instance, programming a cobot to pick and place items can be as simple as dragging blocks for “move,” “grip,” and “release,” and arranging them in sequence.

• Real-World Examples

Cobots have demonstrated significant value in real-world SME environments, offering practical solutions to common operational challenges. KUKA, a leading cobot manufacturer, has highlighted numerous cases^[3] where SMEs have successfully implemented their collaborative robots. These include applications in quality inspection in plastics manufacturing, machine loading in metal industries, and assembly tasks in the automotive sector. Similarly, Universal Robots (UR), another leading cobot manufacturer, has documented a wide range of SME applications^[4], such as palletizing in food production, welding in small-scale metal fabrication, and material handling in manufacturing environments. For example, the SME Bob’s Red Mill utilized UR cobots to automate palletizing tasks, effectively addressing labour shortages and boosting productivity. These examples illustrate how cobots are enabling SMEs to enhance their operations through flexible and scalable automation solutions tailored to their specific needs.

• Start small, Scale smart !

By embracing cobots today, SMEs can secure the future of their operations and position themselves for sustained success in a world that is becoming more competitive. The key to successfully integrating cobots is to start with a focused approach by introducing them into one or two specific processes. As businesses gain confidence and expertise, they can gradually expand their use. This method helps organisations reduce risks, control costs, and tailor the technology to fit their specific requirements.

References

[1] T. Haworth, “Global cobot market exceeds $1bn in 2023, with strong growth forecast 2024-28,” Interact Analysis. Accessed: Nov. 21, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://interactanalysis.com/global-cobot-market-exceeds-1bn-in-2023-with-strong-growth-forecast-2024-28/

 [2] Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Small Business Conditions Survey 2024, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Canberra, ACT, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.australianchamber.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ACCI-Small-Business-Conditions-Survey-2024.pdf

[3] “Successful automation in small and medium-sized enterprises,” KUKA AG. Accessed: Nov. 21, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.kuka.com/en-de/company/iimagazine/2023/05/kmu-erfolgsgeschichten

[4] “Customer Success Stories – collaborative robots.” Accessed: Nov. 21, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.universal-robots.com/case-stories

 

 

 

TL;DR

• Industry 5.0 highlights environmental sustainability, human centricity, and resilience, pushing corporate responsibility to the social and planetary boundaries.
• Cobots play an essential role in achieving human centricity and resilience.
• Developing a holistic understanding of the technology is essential before adoption.
• Allocating time for innovation is the key to sustainable growth.

Introduction

Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and smart factories with cyber-physical systems bring unprecedented capabilities for a seamlessly connected industry and improve production and business efficiency. As technology continues to advance, the vision of Industry 5.0 is within reach. Is Industry 5.0 all about cobots? This article discusses the concept of Industry 5.0 and the role of cobots and provides tips for technology adoption.

The Industry 5.0 vision

Industry 5.0 is a vision proposed by the European Commission in 2021. It envisions the industry’s next step toward becoming more environmentally sustainable, human-centric, and resilient. How can achieving success in these three aspects benefit companies and the industry?

• Understanding planetary boundaries is essential for manufacturing as they provide guidelines for balancing industrial growth with environmental sustainability. Adopting circular processes, such as reducing waste, reusing materials, and improving energy efficiency, contributes to both environmental and operational benefits.
• A human-centric approach prioritises workers’ needs, cultivating a thriving and innovative manufacturing environment. In Industry 5.0, technology goes beyond being a mere tool for improving production efficiency. “How can technology best support the workforce?” is the key question to ask. This vision paves the way for a future where technology enhances employee guidance and training, boosting productivity, job satisfaction, retention, and worker sustainability.
• Geopolitical changes, natural disasters, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the vulnerabilities within current globalised production systems. Industry0 addresses these challenges by enhancing the resilience of industrial production through the establishment of resilient strategic value chains, adaptable production capacities, and flexible business processes.

The role of cobots in Industry 5.0

Cobots, or collaborative robots, are special robots equipped with advanced safety sensors and designed specifically for a secure human-robot co-working environment. With a reduced payload, speed, and force, using cobots does not require fencing and laser screening as required for traditional industrial robots. Therefore, cobots can provide promising solutions for achieving human centricity and resilience.

The key design principle of cobot application is for cobots to handle repetitive and hazardous work while workers can focus on complex and intelligent work. Some of the use cases are as follows:

• Product assembly, where a cobot lifts and holds an item while workers perform jobs on the item.
• Material transportation, where a cobot picks and places or delivers materials to the worker while the worker focuses on complex manufacturing tasks.
• Machine tending, where a cobot loads and unloads items onto and from heavy machinery while the worker focuses on machine programming and finished goods inspection.

The characteristics of cobots also make them more flexible to deploy than traditional industrial robots. In case supply chain disruptions occur and production reconfiguration is required, cobots can be adapted quickly to fit the needs of the new production line, making the production line flexible and resilient.

Towards successful cobot adoption

Successful adoption of cobot is much more than acquisition and integration. Like any other technology, adopting cobots requires a holistic understanding of the technology, which goes beyond understanding the use cases and evaluating the fitness to the manufacturer’s context.

To support Australian manufacturing companies, especially small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in successfully adopting new technologies, current adoption practices were investigated as a part of my PhD research. Based on academic literature and expert discussions, the following action items are recommended for building a holistic understanding of cobot before adoption:

• Operational capabilities. Understand what cobots can do and which are relevant to the current and future applications. E.g. pick-and-place and welding.
• Key areas and processes. Understand where cobots can be applied and which are relevant to the current and future applications. E.g. assembly and warehousing.
• Key performance indicators. Clarify how adopting cobots aligns with the company’s strategy and how the outcome can be measured. These can range from production speed to job satisfaction.
• Stakeholders. Investigate who might be affected by adopting cobots. E.g. customers and current workers.
• Implementation capabilities. Understand what skills are required for adopting cobots, e.g. installation and programming. Clarify if the in-house engineering team has these skills, if the technology provider has the skills or provides training, or if new hires are necessary.
• Technology dependencies. Consider prerequisite technologies, technologies that complement cobots, potential technologies that can be adopted afterwards, and their compatibility. E.g. conveyor belts, welders, and 3D printers.

As technology advances, the holistic view should expand, incorporating new capabilities as they emerge. Therefore, it is important to retain knowledge about cobots and the relevant technologies within the company while continuously seeking improvement needs and refining strategies. Despite manufacturers, especially SMEs, being found to be extremely overwhelmed by their daily activities, allocating minimal time to identify improvement needs, obtain new knowledge, and scan new opportunities is crucial to sustainable business development.

Our research will continue to develop a practical procedure model to support successful technology adoption, incorporating relevant methods and tools to guide companies from strategic planning through to identifying technology and adoption planning.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is appearing in many aspects of our life and work, and advancements are rapid and continuous. For most of us, it has been hard to keep up. Regulations designed to protect our way of life and conditions of work, have also struggled to keep pace with the development of AI in ways that can reduce harm arising from the use of AI, while ensuring Australia can capitalise on the possibilities that AI offers.

Recognising that Australia’s current regulatory environment has not kept pace with AI capability, and following extensive consultations, the Australian Government recently released proposed guardrails for the safe and responsible development and deployment of AI. Outlining ‘high-risk AI’ these guardrails are put forward in the proposals paper  titled: Introducing mandatory guardrails for AI in high-risk settings, which can be found here.

The guardrails complement the previously released Voluntary AI Safety Standards and provide some guidance to developers, organisations and individuals, on how to build and use AI responsibly and safely. Unfortunately, like many technologies, even when created with the best of intentions, AI can be used in ways that are deliberately or inadvertently harmful with negative consequences for individuals or society. For example, case examples and much academic research has already demonstrated that AI can not only replicate existing biases but embed them in automated decisions that result in individuals being excluded or otherwise discriminated against on the basis of race or gender. This can have significant implications especially when AI is used to automate decisions that impact on the lives or livelihoods of individuals.

One situation that has been explored in academic studies is when AI is used to automate recruitment shortlisting or hiring decisions. In these cases, research has shown that without human oversight, AI training data can contain pre-existing biases that may exclude under-represented groups from the AI-compiled shortlist for a job. This has obvious implications for access to employment and an income for individuals or particular groups, and it also has implications for diversity and the associated benefits of innovation, creativity and idea generation within organisations. Organisations may also experience more direct effects arising from the malicious use of AI to expose enterprise vulnerabilities or as they are subjected to more sophisticated scams, fraud and cyber-security attacks.

Taking a risk-based approach to regulation similar to that adopted by the several States in the USA and the European Union in the EU AI Act 2024, the guardrails proposed in Australia focus on the development and deployment of AI in high-risk settings. While the Australian guardrails are still in development, the proposals paper provides a useful summary of high-risk settings identified in other countries. These include (among others):

• biometrics used to assess behaviour, mental state or emotions;
• AI systems used to determine access to education or employment (as in some automated recruitment systems);
• AI systems used to determine access to public assistance or benefits; and
• AI systems used as safety components in critical infrastructure.

Research currently being undertaken by Australian Cobotics Centre researchers, suggests that some organisations in Australia are using AI for biometric identification or for recruitment or in other ways that may be considered ‘high-risk’ under the use cases applied in other country contexts. It is therefore critical for Australian organisations to monitor the Australian Government’s Consultation Hub and ongoing work on Artificial Intelligence to keep abreast of proposed regulatory changes, and consider how any current or planned use of AI within their organisation aligns with principles for promoting safe and responsible use of AI in Australia.