Dynamic Group, a Minnesota-based contract manufacturer, reached a similar conclusion. “We needed to make better use of the labor we had on hand,” said CEO Joe McGillivray, who is training employees to operate, install, and program UR robots. “Instead of using our employees as labor, we needed to use their brains. That’s what Universal Robots has helped us be able to do. We lowered our labor content per part, and gave people better jobs,”
The biggest threat to jobs today is companies’ inability to remain competitive, and automation offers companies competitive advantages through higher and more consistent product quality, greater output, and lower overall costs. As automation improves competitiveness, companies are able to grow their own businesses and support other jobs in the community, including suppliers, stores, hospitals, schools, and other services that support local workers. And as these companies position themselves for higher volume—and in some cases, new product lines—they are able to expand their workforce and promote workers from repetitive and potentially dangerous jobs into positions with higher job satisfaction and compensation.