Blog

June 28,2019,Philippines—With the digitization of the industry, more and more global manufacturing companies have started utilizing the latest technologies, data, and, most recently, automation in their manufacturing solutions to gain a competitive edge against their competitors. However, this growth of computer-controlled manufacturing systems and robotics in today’s global manufacturing has workers fearing that their jobs will disappear or be taken away from them. In fact, McKinsey & Company’s report Human + Machine: A new era of automation in manufacturing from 2018 shows that the manufacturing industry has the ability to automate 60% of its processes.

Although this may be true, automation and other changes in global manufacturing are actually not supposed to be feared of. It may seem like robots are being made to replace humans. However, the truth is they are made to complement the human worker by doing the tasks that would be considered unsafe or impossible for them.

The real worry here, however, is that manufacturing is no longer just a simple assembly line of employees focused on doing a single skill. In the world of digitized global manufacturing, workers are now required to have higher knowledge and skills in order to work alongside robots and operate other advanced manufacturing solutions. 

Quite different from on-demand manufacturing jobs of the past, here are seven manufacturing careers that the future needs.

Chief Digital Officer 

One of the key manufacturing careers in Industry 4.0 is the chief digital officer. Responsible for the digital vision roadmap, strategies, and investments of the company, the main role of a chief digital officer is to facilitate and accelerate the digital transformation within the company, and ensure that it will reach its customers as well. 

Automation Engineer

Without automation engineers, the global manufacturing industry might not have moved onto Industry 4.0. Responsible for all things automation, automation engineers design, develop, simulate, and test automated machinery and processes before global manufacturing companies get to use them.

Systems Integrator

System integration or the process of connecting several subsystems into one system has allowed a seamless flow of information within global manufacturing companies, making it easier for several computer systems and software applications to act as a coordinated whole. Of course, a systems integrator is necessary to control and monitor this process.

Test Engineer

Test engineers have long been included in the list of traditional manufacturing careers. However, the scope and skills required for their job have expanded along with the changes in the industry. Tasked to determine the best processes to test a product, test engineers need to become more acquainted to new technologies such as vision systems, 3D scanning, tomography, and more.

Manufacturing Cybersecurity Strategist

The role of a manufacturing cybersecurity strategist is simple; to protect the customer and corporate data from hackers and other cybercriminals. However, there is a lot of work involved in it. A cybersecurity strategist must manage the overall risk assessment, set goals, determine strategies, and implement them. They must also proactively maintain defenses and be ready for any cyber attack.

Predictive Maintenance System Specialist

The competition in global manufacturing is making every second in production count. To reduce machine downtimes and other interruptions, it is the job of a predictive maintenance system specialist to work with analytic and diagnostic systems to monitor and predict the performance of every manufacturing equipment. 

Collaborative Robots Specialist

Last but definitely not the least, the global manufacturing industry is the need of more collaborative robot specialists. They are responsible for designing and implementing collaborative robotics platforms, as well as training new operators about the use of robots in their work. It is their role to continuously improve worker safety, enhance precision, and make production more efficient.

EMS Manufacturing in the Philippines and other parts of the world are moving towards the future at a rapid rate. Still, workers have plenty of time to improve on their skills and knowledge to move onto manufacturing careers that will help shape the future.