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V O L . X X V I I I N O. V M A R C H 7 , 2 0 2 2 16 WO R K P L A C E T R A N S F O R M AT I O N S everal years ago, Bristol Seafood began to automate operations to accommodate its growing wholesale and ready-to-cook retail lines. "It helps our team create more prod- uct with the same number of people," says President and CEO Peter Handy. For example, a water jet X-ray machine inspects and portions filets at speeds a human can't. "We get a level of product precision and specificity that can't be accom- plished by hand," Handy says. Another advantage? Automation eliminates tasks that just aren't satisfying. "One thing we do that's tricky is make boxes of fish weigh exactly 10 pounds," he says. "at sounds pretty straightforward in theory." But filets come in different weights. What's the right combination? Previously, Handy's team weighed filets individually. Now a batching system weighs and conveys every filet automati- cally to waiting boxes. "Before, we couldn't get exactly 10 pounds. Now we can," he says. Manual vs. automated More companies are looking to auto- mated systems to speed operations, grow capacity, and in some cases fill in for workers they can't find. "Companies have been implement- ing new technologies and new auto- mation into their plants over the past 15 to 20 years for many reasons," says Lisa Martin, executive director of the Manufacturers Association of Maine in Portland. "It's a result of, 'We can do this faster, cleaner and easier.' But also a result of the changing technologies of the modern world of manufacturing." How automated can automation be? "Automation is all in the eye of the user and/or company," says Bob Kuniega, president and CEO of Lanco Integrated in Westbrook. "It really is about a cost benefit analysis, weighing manual processes against more automated ones. Manual processes inherently have a higher labor content ver- sus automated ones, requiring more upfront capital investments to offset applied labor hours." Lanco makes robotic systems for clients to perform mass product assem- bly and tests. Kuniega notes the terms "robots" and "automation" are not equiv- alent. Robots are a component tool, like other items such as imaging, digitization of data and artificial intelligence. "Automation is the thoughtful inte- gration of various tools to improve a process outcome," he says. e result? Improved through- put, enhanced quality, scrap reduction, worker safety and reduced cost. Workforce retraining Kuniega notes the technology poses challenges. "e replacement of manual operations with more automated ones will require workforce retraining and in many cases additional schooling," he says. "ese new roles required to monitor and run various pieces of equipment will need enhanced analytic skills, structured program- ming familiarity, etc., to optimize and troubleshoot these machines." On the other hand, he continues, "e benefit to the employee is that dirty, dull, dangerous and difficult can be reduced or eliminated. Employees who are creating and running these machines are much more engaged leading to a more fulfilling work environment." "ere's definitely a learning curve," says Handy. From 'no way' to 'wow' Handy notes automation is an itera- tive process — one piece of equip- ment or process at a time. "Figuring out the right degree of automation to put into place is a con- stant thought process that's driven by the question, 'Will this help us make a better product, will it make jobs more interesting, will it support our growth?'" he says. Once the decision is made, he explains to the team what to expect. "First it shows up on the loading dock and everyone looks at it and says, 'is is way bigger than we thought and it's not going to fit,'" he describes. "en we move it in and it fits. en we set it up and it doesn't work right and we reach a point of frustration and everyone says, 'Maybe it fits, but there's no way it's going to work.' en we get it working and it works for a while, but then it breaks, and then people say, 'It's more trouble than it's worth.' en eventually we learn how to fix it, because machines break in a dozen ways and the best way to fix it is to learn how to fix it. en people go, 'Oh my gosh, how did we ever live without this?' And then when we love that piece of equipment, another piece of equipment shows up at the loading dock." He adds, "I thought we'd do that once or twice and then we'd develop faith in the process. But we go through the same thing every single time." Consistency Top reasons driving adoption of auto- mation include production consistency and better employee utilization, says John Belding, director of the University of Maine's Advanced Manufacturing Center, an outreach economic devel- opment arm assisting companies with advanced technology. "It's a great opportunity to take that employee and move them into a much more important role," Belding says. Investment in automation, he estimates, can range from $30,000 to $500,000, partly depending on the level of customization. Six-axis arms Starting in 2020, Compotech in Brewer has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into automated systems that F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Bristol Seafood's president and CEO, Peter Handy, says automation eliminates tasks that just aren't satisfying while providing efficiencies and product precision. Then people go, 'Oh my gosh, how did we ever live without this?' — Peter Handy Bristol Seafood RISE OF ROBOTS THE Automation is transforming the workplace — with occasional headscratching

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