How automation is transforming manufacturing

Manufacturers have their share of concerns when it comes to adopting automation and preventing cyberattacks.

But it’s not something they should avoid. That was the message from panelists at a recent Buffalo Niagara Partnership panel on the topic.

• Manufacturers should not assume they are safe from a cyberattack that could reveal customer information or company research, said Elizabeth Callahan, director of external relations and special programs at EWI, which operates Buffalo Manufacturing Works.

“It takes a lot of layers of protection and thinking about all these things, but we have to be one or two steps ahead,” Callahan said.

Federal agencies like the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy often have cybersecurity-related requirements to be part of their supply chains, she said. If manufacturers do not meet these standards, they risk missing out on business opportunities.

• Manufacturers should consider taking small steps toward automation, rather than embarking on a big, costly move up front, said Scott Pallotta, CEO of Zehnder Rittling, a heating and cooling products company in Buffalo.

“There’s no need to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to automate this production line,’ or ‘We’re going to replace 10 people with robots,'” Pallotta said. “It’s not that. It can be very, very small. You have to put a scanner in here. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but all of a sudden it’s like, ‘We have all this information, that’ do we do it?’ ?'”

• When manufacturers introduce automation into the workplace, explain to employees what it means for them, said Dave Kegler, director of manufacturing at Sealing Devices in Lancaster.

“They hear the word ‘automation,’ they hear the word ‘change,’ they immediately go into defensive mode: am I going to lose my job, am I going to be put somewhere else, is my job going to become more difficult ?” » said Kegler. “We put a lot of emphasis on letting them know, it’s about how can we make your job easier?”

• The semiconductor industry will need people with four-year degrees, such as engineers, but there will be many other jobs that don’t require that level of formal education, said Stephen Tucker, President and CEO of the Northland Workforce Training Center.

“You’re going to need people to make the actual components,” he said.

Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse are trying to create a “semiconductor corridor,” with manufacturers and other employers serving this high-tech industry. This strategy is at the heart of their $54 million federal funding offer as part of the technology cluster competition.

The region needs to raise awareness of upcoming job opportunities, Tucker said. “As a region, we need to do a better job of telling our story when it comes to manufacturing. We have great companies and products.”

• Technology will be essential for manufacturers because there aren’t enough new workers to replace all the retiring employees, said Alan Rae, director of the University’s Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics from Buffalo.

“We’re going to have to use every tool we have — whether it’s cobots or AI — to take advantage of the people we can bring into manufacturing,” Rae said.

The New York Power Authority will collaborate with Say Yes Buffalo on an initiative to support clean energy workforce development.

The Power Authority will provide $600,000 to the Say Yes Buffalo youth apprenticeship program. The program places recent high school graduates in structured, one- to three-year work-based apprenticeships with industry partners in high-demand sectors.

“The number of students served will depend on variables, including the number of businesses that agree to participate in the program,” said Paul DeMichele, a spokesman for Power Authority.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said the program is expected to grow to serve up to 200 high school students as it expands.

Want to know more? Three stories to catch you up:

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