Manufacturing Digitalization: RPA a Key Enabler of Industry 4.0 Lanner

According to a study conducted by Information Services Group back, 72% of the companies by the year 2019 will be relying on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to increase operational efficiency, productivity and increase compliance. Manufacturing companies that traditionally heavily rely on robotics and automation for production are now looking into RPA to transform other departments that may have a number of error-prone, slow or costly processes. The changing landscape within industries such as manufacturing is due to the vast digital transformation brought about by the increasing integration of cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence and machine learning as well as advanced automation. Within manufacturing in particular, the use of automated robotic machines on assembly lines has been common practices for many years now, however transferring this kind of automation to other key areas within manufacturing such as accounts receivable, invoice processing and purchase order management has been somewhat difficult up until fairly recently. In this article, we'll be looking at what robotic process automation is, the role it has within manufacturing and the benefits it brings as well as how it could affect the future of automation within the manufacturing industry.