Automation Progress Interests Britons

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27699, 1 July 1955, Page 11

Automation Progress Interests Britons

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, June 29. Headlines mentioning “automation,” “the robot factory,” and “the new industrial revolution” have attracted the interest of the British public after the recent conference of the Institution of Production Engineers at Margate. More than 1000 persons attended, including scientists, businessmen, and trade unionists, as well as production engineers. The purpose of the conference, the first of its kind, was to learn more about and discuss the automatic factory, and the automatic handling of materials and parts in and out of machines. Such factories already exist in Britain, the United States and Russia, and they are regarded as “probably the logical extension of the industrial revolution.” At the moment there are some mixed feelings about their future.

Among the facts given to the conference were: In Britain today, electronic computers are planning and machining complex aeroplane parts 100 times faster than a skilled operator, checking control data for an oil refinery plant, controlling the weight of dough in bakeries. They are being used to control the size of the plastic sheathing for cables and to speed up the calculation and increase the accuracy of factory costing- , Electronic, pneumatic and mechanical devices are being used to analyse and weigh the raw materials entering factories, to check the quality of the finished product, and to manufacture an increased number of products without having to expand the factory floor space used. One automatic factory has increased its output from 3500 vehicles per week to 5000 vehicles per week without having to expand the factory space used, mainly by installing specially designed transfer machines (each one of which is capable of automatically performing from 20 to 30 separate machining operations), together with an additional number of rotary auto-

matic machines of a different type. One computor-controlled machine tool can plan, compute and machine a three-dimensional cam for an aircraft turbine blade in four hours. This job would normally take three weeks to do by present-day methods. The com-puter-controlled machine also eliminates the need for inspection of the final results and no subsequent hand finishing is required. This machine has also produced another complex device, a wave guide, in one hour. This would occupy a skilled operator fpr two weeks. The machine is operated simply by feeding the basic data from the planning sheet into the computer, which then translates this data into detailed design instructions and records its final operating instructions on magnetic tape. . One of these computors can control up to 50 machines, but even when it is used to control only two machines, the estimated cost of the computor-con-trolled system over a period of seven years, allowing for depreciation and overhaul and including the initial cost of the computer, the machine control units and machines, and the planning staff, clerical work and the single machine operator required, is estimated to be £56.000, as against an expenditure of £106,000 if conventional methods were used. Trade Union Misgivings Trade unionists had misgivings about some of the things. Mr Ted Fletcher, of the Trade Unions Council, said: “I am virtually sure that there is going to be trouble irrespective of full employment, partly because it involves change, and change hurts. The fear of change is even more active than change itself . . . Management has to make up its mind whether it wants a negative attitude or participation from unions.” Mr R. McLennan, of the Electrical Trades Union, mentioned four points which the union would demand from any management which introduced automation. They were: (1) The maintenance at previous wage levels of those who could not be absorbed. (2) Retraining and redeployment of workers. (3) A shorter working week.

(4) Lower labour unit costs should not mean lower costs a man-hour. “We believe that there is bound to be an indiscriminate introduction of automation and that it will undermine the standard of living of the workers,” he said. Mr Frank Wollard, recognised as one of the pioneers of automation, said however, that it was not a device with which to outlaw, displace, or dispense with man. “Automation is already showing great economies in manpower, floor space, inventory and machine utilisation. It promises by automatic inspection to give an ever closer control over the accuracy of the product. “It is obvious that we are entering a new phase of development which will profoundly affect our lives. The automatic factory-ultimate automation is not likely to emerge in a complete form in the metal-working industries for some time.” he said. Mr Woollard had no fears that automation would lead to unemployment or, although the pace of its development was accelerating, that there was prospect of any immediate revolution. Its development was subject to salutary checks and balance. First there was the -cost of installation. Much of the new productive power would be needed to redress the unbalance caused by Britain’s ageing population and the rising school age. he said. Automation would reduce costs and open up new markets. There would be a great deal more work in distribution. “Above all the great demand for a continued improvement in the standard of living will be the most important stabilising factor,” said Mr Woollard. Sir Walter Puckey, president of the Institution, discussing the results of the conference, said: “The most impressive feature for me has been the balanced approach of these traditionally tough production engineers. Technologically the prospect is exciting. “I deprecate talk of a second industrial revolution, but’ there is no doubt that great developments are under way and the pace is accelerating. Among all -he papers and discussions there has been the clearest evidence of the pre-occupation of all with the human factors involved and the strong sense of social responsibility,” he said. Whatever the varying opinions on automation, few persons doubt in Britain that it is one of the main topics of the immediate future.