TECHNOLOGY
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The business case for increasing automation is obvious , but anxieties persist about the impact such technologies will have . Research by Oxford Economics has suggested that , by 2030 , 20 million manufacturing jobs will have been lost to robots , with those losses disproportionately affecting lower-skilled workers and those in poorer countries . Such an outlook is tempered , however , by the expected creation of as yet unknown industries made possible by robots .
A 30 % rise in robot installations worldwide , for instance , was estimated to create an additional $ 5tn in global GDP . The world is well on its way to meeting such targets , with the number of robots used in manufacturing tripling in the last 20 years . A totally automated or ‘ lights out ’ factory has the attendant benefit of not requiring systems necessary for human workers , such as lighting and heating , thus reducing energy consumption .
“ IT IS CLEAR THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY AT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA OF AUTOMATION ”
SEPTEMBER 2019