Step outside 'labor replacement' box

摘要

Every food-processing plant today is looking for new ways to automate their process. It seems the most common method of justifying any robotic or automation project (including inspection) is labor replacement. You cannot start any conversation with a system integrator or a representative of a plant without someone bringing up the question, "How many people will this system replace?"rnThe question is not intrinsically wrong, but it does bring with it a fair number of assumptions, and it constrains the problem-solving ability of everyone on the team.