Automation
● Equities
June 2021
Growth areas and questions in Automation
Overall growth in automation is likely to continue as companies strive
to improve efficiency, reduce cost and capital intensity by automating
both horizontally and vertically. The impact may be visible in capex,
opex, and capital intensity as well as M&A
What impact is automation having on the world? Where is it having
the most impact? Do the benefits outweigh the risks? What are the
biggest risks associated with automation? What are the future
opportunities? Where could we be five or ten years from now? How
does automation affect the security of supply chains? Is automation
likely to be affected by shortages of semi-conductors?
Automation can produce large amounts of additional data which
needs to be collected, stored, and analysed. Growth comes from
utilisation of this data resource in the form of connected services,
predictive maintenance and monitoring and optimisation software.
This may generate the potential for benefits from recurring revenue
and higher margins.
Automation produces a lot of data, but what infrastructure and
ecosystems are required for data and services in a digital world. Is all
this data worth the effort – does there come a point at which the
volume of data and the cost of storing it outweigh the benefits?
AI development isn’t new, however, with the uptake of a range of new
technologies within industries and greater social acceptance of such,
AI has the potential to bring significant value across sectors. With the
health and environmental benefits explored further, societal
challenges can be tackled, and the overall economic benefit of the
technology realised. Challenges of uptake include training and
security, and these are being addressed with more advanced data
protection laws, such as Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation
(GDPR) and investments in AI technology and training.
Will it make us more productive or less? Where can AI be used
effectively – is it limited to offices and software or can it be used on
the factory floor for quality control, health and safety and other forms
of monitoring? Does AI have more potential in manufacturing than in
other industries such as healthcare or financial services? How does AI
fit with Industry 5.0?
Machine vision has been an area of increasing interest as companies
strive to produce consistently high quality products as efficiently as
possible, Machine vision is used across the production chain from
large products like cars, to capturing structures measured in
nanometres.
How has machine vision grown in recent years and what is the scale
of the future opportunity? What are the penetration rates today and
what could they be in future? What new verticals can it be deployed
in? How much overlap is there with AI?
Combining AI and robotic technologies further enhances efficiency
and productivity gains. The development of robotics for functions
across industries and the increased use of flexible automation allow
workers to focus and train for tasks that require expertise, increasing
the overall skill base of the workforce.
What impact has COVID-19 had on automation and robotics? Are
companies accelerating investment in these areas? What is
happening in the realm of robots and how quickly can advances be
applied in the real world?
Automation is not exempt from the scrutiny of ESG, which ranges
from social issues such as health and safety, worker displacement,
reskilling to climate and energy usage, as well as governance in the
form of technology strategy and oversight.
How might automation affect our climate? What are the social issues
of robotics and automation? Will we see greater unemployment or re-
skilling? Will blue collar workers become white collar workers? How
might the impact be felt by country and region? Do Emerging Markets
have more to lose or gain. What is the outlook for manufacturing in
Europe?
Recent growth in e-commerce has been fuelled by the pandemic but
this aside, trends such as warehouse automation, logistical
improvements, supply chain management and cheaper last mile
delivery still have plenty of runway.
Will drones and self-driving cars become a reality? What are the latest
developments in these areas in retail and automotive? What kind of
impact could these developments have on the labour force?
People working alongside intelligent machines and with robots, as
well as shifting the focus from shareholder value to stakeholder value
with wider consideration given to the role of industry in society.
How quickly can we move from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 where
people work alongside robots and smart machines? What does
Industry 5.0 mean for shareholders?
These are gradually being rolled out publicly but can also be installed
privately in warehouses, factories and on industrial sites to enhance
the speed and volume of data collection, in particular in mobile
environments, allowing greater production flexibility and efficiency,
predictive maintenance, and ever greater digitalisation of industry
from the factory floor to the boardroom. 5G enables and improves the
scaling and connecting of multiple assets.
What role can 5G play in automation and how might this vary by
region?