UiPath said it has joined The Smart Factory @ Wichita to showcase the role of RPA in the future of manufacturing. The Smart Factory @ Wichita is an “immersive experience center” developed by consultancy Deloitte that aims to demonstrate how digital transformation will enable innovation in manufacturing. According to the participants, automation will be a vital technology for the manufacturing sector as it could be dealing with more than two million unfilled jobs by 2030.
“There are endless possibilities to evolve the way in which solutions and products are developed within smart factories to make an impact on the world,” said Sebastian Seutter, global manufacturing Lead at UiPath. “When automation, artificial intelligence, and the IoT are seamlessly connected, smart factories can dramatically reduce throughput time and increase factory output, while enabling reduced lot sizes, ensuring sustainable operations, and lower operating costs.”
The Smart Factory @ Wichita is a 60,000 square foot sustainable space located at Wichita State University. It includes a fully operational production line and experiential labs for developing and exploring smart factory innovative capabilities. Under the partnership, UiPath said it will use the developmental environment to explore the automation of processes including order intake management, ERP alignment, factory asset intelligence and performance management, plant consumption, factory synchronization and scheduling, and energy management.
“Robotic Process Automation is a key component in the new age of manufacturing excellence,” said Stephen Laaper, principal at Deloitte Consulting. “It will enable smart factories to scale processes from the factory floor to C-level decision making. RPA removes the burden of mundane, repetitive work from people so that they can focus on dynamic, creative endeavors.”