“Apple’s 13thAnnual Supplier Responsibility Report reveals a huge amount of interesting insights into how the company works, but perhaps some of the most revealing hints are those suggesting the fast-growing importance of robotics across its supply chain,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld.
“744 supplier employees earned a certification in assembly line robotics in 2018,” Evans writes. “203 Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) program participants now hold advanced robotics positions at supplier facilities.”
“That this has become significant enough to get a mention in the company’s report tells us that if you want your future to be in manufacturing, you probably need to get similar training yourself,” Evans writes. “Designed in California, Made by Robots. Get used to it.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Yup.
Learn to Code. It’s much more lucrative than flipping burgers and frying fries.
They don’t sleep, they don’t strike or make demands, they don’t jump off buildings or die in dust fires, most of them don’t even need the lights on. They just make what you program them to make, the same way every time, with quality control that no human line can ever match. — MacDailyNews, June 9, 2016
SEE ALSO:
Robots will eradicate teen jobs – April 11, 2018
As more and more of the labor force is replaced with automation, keep in mind that robots will not buy your products and services.
And, that’s a fair honest point.
This is a very serious issue that unfortunately does not get enough attention or coverage, or as far as i can tell, enough serious thought as to its consequences upon society, or how to deal with the issue.
But it fits in nicely with the grand American tradition of ignoring, then denying warning signs of impending problems, until they become a crisis, requiring solutions that end up being much more expensive than had they been tackled earlier on.
Perhaps it is just human nature to behave like this, or it could also be traced back to vested interests favoring the status quo i.e not doing anything because it costs extra money to make changes or implement solutions.
It runs from the local level – like how many people must die at a previously recognized hazardous traffic intersection before a traffic light gets installed as a result of multiple deaths – to the national or international level – like, say global warming.
Like it or not the growth of robotization is going to have serious impacts upon society and we better start giving some serious thought and discussion on how to deal with it early on rather than waiting until it is a serious societal problem.
Or as grandma used to say “a stitch in time saves nine”
and……
“And”, I believe what he’s trying to say is the same thing will occur (re: robots) when Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing; the world almost came to an end and the sky nearly fell.
I guess this new class of unemployed can get one of those coal jobs trump promised.
But I digress.
My and begs the question what do we now do with more and more unemployed when these changes come about.
We make sure they can get an education, and put a tax on automation so we can help them get to their next assignment.
Or let them starve, I suppose.
I’m broadly into the first answer.
How did that work out for those coal miners that didn’t take advantage of job retraining. Waiting for those jobs to return.
“New class of unemployed”
What a stupid comment to make. Unemployed? The unemployment rate in the US is at its lowest since the late ‘60s when it was about 3%. Job growth has been very strong for about 6 years. Employers are scraping the bottom of the barrel for workers. Good workers are starting to cost more (incentive to leave current employer).
“New class of unemployed” is the kind of mindless statement that one would expect from the uninformed.
Your lack of critical thinking skills aren’t my problem. Ask all those coal miners. Ask all those that have been and will be replaced by robots.
Then… get a life.
Every advancement in manufacturing efficiencies has resulted in the creation of other, higher paying, jobs in categories not previously foreseen.
The jobs being replaced, as always, are repetitious requiring little in the way skills or education, and as a consequence exist at the low end of the pay scale.
Jon’s created by automation require more education and skills and are higher paying, enabling those workers to live better (buying more) than their predecessors.
Automation has been going on for about 3,000 years. Each automation advancement has increased the standard of living when introduced.
To argue that robots don’t buy products and services is, at best, a lazy, misinformed interpretation of the benefits automation brings to civilization.
The problem is not everyone has the skill set to code or be an engineer and there are only so many positions for Executives and other unskilled labour.
Just like not everyone has the sill set to be a brain surgeon or
Dentist,
Auto mechanic,
Backhoe operator,
Airline pilot,
Electrician,
Train engineer,
Financial planner,
Bookkeeper,
Law enforcement officer,
Business manager,
Trade stock options,
Ad nauseum.
Not having a skill set is not a reason to move forward.
So you think everyone has the skill set to be doctors, engineers, Pilot, etc and ad nauseam?
That when a robot replaces 3 workers on the line they can just go to community college and be an airline pilot?
A few years ago, Bill Gates discussed this and that eventually its effects could be so far reaching that we need to study this and the possibility that robots would need to be taxed adequately to allow for income redistribution to account for the jobs they were replacing. Please know, I don’t have this link handy and my comments are to the best of my recollection but the wording is mine and not a quote. Nevertheless, I find his pontifications usually compelling and often spot on but am not a fan of MS or their past history with Apple, etc., but think it is wise to listen when Gates speaks.
You won’t get much rational discussion on here. Especially if it tickles the rights socialism fetish.
I agree with you.
@TS. Yes. Robots need to pay income tax.