“Technology enhances the production process by replacing human labour with

automated equipment.”

Discuss the above statement.

What are the ethical issues one should Consider?

Introduction:-
Technology has played a very important role in the development of human beings. From the
beginning of industrial revolution, technology has rapidly developed itself. The more
technology developed the more advanced human being became. As human being became
more advanced, their wants also increased and for fulfilling that want human being started
researching new technology. For fulfilling needs, they started manufacturing and producing.
The want of human being is never satisfied so they developed new technologies to fulfilling
wants in less time and making production at faster pace. Today they have developed such
technology that human being itself is replaced with automated equipments.

By developing automated equipment, they made their lifestyle easier and flexible. Today they
have created equipments that can replace humans in many industries. Technology has
expanded so much that today robots can move and sort goods in manufacturing industries.
More specialized robots like Honda Asimo are created that can do task more like human.
Technology has not only changed the way production process work but in all the major fields.
Automatic equipments have replaced human beings in industries such as manufacturing,
Retail, services etc...

Now let us understand what Automation and Automated manufacturing is and its overall
effects on human.

Automated manufacturing:-
“Automated manufacturing refers to the application of automation to produce things in the
factory way. Most of the advantages of the automation technology have its influence in the
manufacture processes.” [1]

Automation:-
“The technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic
means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum.” [2]
Technology has increased production process by using automatic equipments. The use of
automatic equipment increases process of manufacturing. Automatic equipments complete
task in short time compared to human labours. The basic think behind using automatic
equipments in production process is to complete difficult task with less time and effort. In
simple words automatic equipments are used where the task of production becomes difficult
and time consumed by human labour is more.

Today due to use automation technology, day to day task done by human have become easier.
Most of the new upcoming plants of major industries use full or partial automation of
production process. Today due to automation we have stopped going to bank for regular
transaction and started using automated teller machines (ATM). Today the need for telephone
operators is replaced with answering machines. In general we can tell that automation has
changed the world from small scale industries of 19th century to fully automated production
units of 20th century.

Use of automatic equipment in industries has caused social issues in terms of employment.
The concern started in 1800 when English textile machine operators known as Luddities
protested against Jacquard’s induction of automatic weaving looms in the plant. They
protected their jobs by destroying textile machines that they thought could threatened their
jobs [3]. When newly automation was introduced it caused fear among employees. It was
thought that replacement of human operators by computer systems world result into severe
loss of jobs.

The use of automated equipments in industries has wide effects in them of unemployment.
One must not forget that though automation has created unemployment of labours but it has
also created jobs in other sectors like automated equipment manufacturing companies,
hardware and software making companies etc. Automatic equipments are the need of fast
moving competitive world. Increasing competition among companies and completing targets
on time has forced companies to introduce automated equipments by replacing human
labours. By using automatic equipments, human labours will get chance to do work of high
orders. They can do more optimistic and creative work. After years of industrialization wants
of human being remains because only small part of the world has basic wants met. The use of
automated equipments will increase manufacturing and satisfy the human needs rather than
creating unemployment.

Automated equipments in manufacturing:-

Automation refers to use of computers and other automated machinery for the execution of
tasks that a human labour would otherwise perform. There are many reasons for which
company automate. By increasing production and improving quality it can gain competitive
advantage over its competitors. This is one of the primary reasons for using automation.
Automation reduces human error and thus improves quality. The other major reason for
adoption of automation is working condition. Human labour cannot work longer in hazardous
environment. Working of labour in such environment will cost more. The decision whether to
adopt automation or not must be based on social and economic considerations. Mostly all
major industries like manufacturing, service, retail etc have benefits of automation.

People are not always replaced by automation. Automation helps in doing production at
lower cost. If we see other side of view than we find that automation even saves the jobs.
Like for e.g. If automatic equipments are introduced in food processing company for
processing better quality of food at lower cost, to gain competitive advantage in the market.
Thus, replacing human labour with automatic equipments will save food processing plant
from fully eliminating and therefore it helps to save jobs of other employees of the plant.
Management should not replace all the labours. They should keep few labours in order to
help maintaining new equipment and to introduce more automation in future. Automation
helps to manufacture product with good quality and at low cost. So that company can have
competitive edge over its competitors in the market.

Let us take few points under consideration about how introduction of automatic equipments
in production process helps in creating more work force and even reducing unemployment:-

 By introducing automatic equipments in production process creates jobs of line man,

supervisors, hardware and software engineers etc.
 Sophisticated use of automatic equipments give opportunities in developing
employment for maintenance and service engineers
 Helps in doing heavy tasks and prevents human labour from becoming injured on
their work.

In the competitive market, every company wants to win market share and offers its
consumers the best product. If any company does not introduce such technology to improve
their product and gain market share than there are chances of more people being unemployed
due to business failure.

Automated equipments work like human labours performing useful transformation of things.
In the past human labours were only capable of creating surplus value but now machines are
also able to transform raw materials into finished goods and create surplus value. The
introduction of large number of automated equipments in production process has decreased
cost of production. Today cost of production by using automation is less than human labour.
Though the rate of profit falls when using machines, machines on the whole produce more
value than the value of their cost. So profit is made from their use in production. [4]

Types of Automation:-
Automation technologies are of two main categories:

1. Physical process automation

2. Information system Processing
Physical Process Automation:-
Physical automation systems are basically used by companies which deal with products like
manufacturing and mining. Automated machinery range from simple sensing device at one
stage of production process to robots and other equipments that control entire production
process.

Some of the main categories of physical automation are

 Computer- aided manufacturing

 Numerical Control equipment
 Robotics
 Flexible manufacturing systems
 Computer Integrated manufacturing

Information System processing

Major industries automate their information handling in some way or the other. The basic
example of using information system processing is word process software which
automatically does daily tasks such as memo writing, making drafts and checking spelling
errors. Information management is automated in very powerful way, such as

 Electronic identification
 Automated record keeping and tracking of inventory
 Information sharing across the organization
 Data analysis and manipulation [5]

Advantages and disadvantages of Automation:-

The main advantages of using automated equipments in manufacturing process are:-

 Human labours can be replaced when the task is heavy and lot of hard work is needed.
 Human workers can also be replaced where hazardous working environment is there
(E.g. under the water, in nuclear workshop where chances of hazardous radiation are
involved, in space research which is beyond human capability)
 Performing works which are beyond human capability. Like working in extreme
conditions, lifting too heavy loads etc.
 Completing task in short time by using fewer workers.

The disadvantages of using automated equipments in manufacturing process are:-

 Automatic equipments work in their own limits. They cannot perform the tasks which
are not under their program.
 Cost of purchasing automatic equipment is too high. It needs large scale investment.[6]
Technology and its impact on employment:-
Technological unemployment cannot be stopped. Technology is expanding at a very rapid
speed and one day it will eliminate most of our manufacturing jobs. We have robots playing
games or singing. Most of the people might not know the level of technology developed
around us. Information is expanding internet and even people’s mind. As we adopt any new
technology, it changes more. But the question is what will happen when everyone is replaced
due to technology?

Inexpensive machines are replacing labour force but still overall effects remain unclear. We
are advancing in technology from decades but still we do not face any large scale
unemployment due to it. The main motive of majority of companies of using automatic
machines is to increase production and reducing the cost. In next few years they will use it for
increasing quality and elasticity in production process.

Using automatic equipments might lead to higher employment. When computerised systems
were introduced there was widespread fear about replacement of human labour by computers
would let to unemployment. But the fact was that freeing of labour force allowed more
people to enter IT jobs and were offered higher salaries. In developed nation, there is a gap
between demand and supply of human labour and due this situation very few people were
available to fill the jobs. The increase in gap between demand and supply of human labour
(especially in developed countries) was also one reason for adoption of automated
equipments in production process.

Some experts also say that automation has just started and short run condition might look
good but in long term impact might not be appealing. Automation does decrease the value of
human labour by replacing him. Globally the effect of labour force is not clear. In western
countries automation of workforce is advanced and the general development of its citizens is
also advanced.

Almost daily there are reports of production workers being displaced by robots and machines.
How does automation affect the political struggle between bourgeoisie and proletariat and the
basic contradiction of capitalism: the contradiction between the private appropriation and
socialized production? Does this decline in the output of workers relative to that of machines,
with the distinct possibility that the output of workers will eventually drop to nearly zero,
undermine the need or the possibility for revolution?

It does not make important matter that few handful countries have achieved complete
automation because there are still large numbers of human labours in developing countries.
But now a day’s automation is also finding its way in developing countries. Production in
developing countries is increasing with time. In developing and underdeveloped countries
replacement of automatic equipments with human labour would create serious problem.
Especially for uneducated and semi educated workers who are employed in manufacturing
industries. In few underdeveloped countries the main source of income arises from cottage
and small scale industries. Replacing cottage and small scale industries with hi-tech
automated manufacturing will create large scale unemployment. Automatic equipments
should be used where actual need arises. Countries with large population do not require fully
automated manufacturing due to large availability of human labours. On ethical grounds
policy should be made to re-train replaced labours. Those human labours who are replaced
can get higher training so that they can do job of higher order. If such policies are made by
the government than losses of job due to automation can be minimized.

At last technology changes continuously and society must change with it. One cannot stop
automation of production process but can reduce its effects on human labour by creating jobs
in other sectors and by giving advanced training to human labour. So that in coming years
they can do more specialised jobs with higher wages.

Citations:-

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_engineering

2. Automation- definition from dictionary.com

3. The Luddities: - http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRluddites.htm

4. Automation won’t save capitalism: - http://risparty.org/Automation.htm

5. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Assem-Braz/Automation.html

6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation