AI IN ENERGY
The fourth industrial revolution is among us in the form of robotic process automation . So , what is the energy sector set to gain from this ?
WRITTEN BY : MARIAM AHMAD
At the FANUC robotics factory in Japan , automated machinery forms orderly columns across the work floor , intermittently completing monotonous duties that were once tasked to human workers . The factory can , reportedly , operate unsupervised for up to 30 days .
Examples of smart manufacturing do not stop there . The Siemens plant in Germany enables online monitoring of globally distributed machine tools , and , over at Hirotec Manufacturing , there ’ s a mix of IoT , cloud-based technologies , and small servers on factory floors . The result was a 100 % reduction in manual inspection time .
The ‘ lights out ’ production concept – one in which Robotic Process Automation ( RPA ) handles manufacturing and tasks almost entirely – is growing exponentially . Energy experts are increasingly aware of the benefits of RPA , and how technology can save organisations both time and money . Navigant Research estimates that the energy and utility industry ’ s RPA investments alone are expected to reach approximately $ 470mn by 2027 .
Increased agility in the energy sector Embracing digital transformation , including the adoption of RPA tools , can improve the skill of energy companies . In the utility industry , RPA involves the utilisation of software bots to automate labour-intensive tasks , enabling these companies to adapt to changes in operations quickly .
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