Impact on industry
Technology continues to be developed for manufacturing processes in order to improve quality and speed of making, while maintaining customer satisfaction.
Automation
Using automatic equipment in production. has been developing in factories since the The process that transformed manufacturing from handmade to machine-made, mass-produced goods using water, steam and coal power transported by canal, rail and steamship. Britain was the first country to have an Industrial Revolution., with machinery being used to complete tasks previously done by humans. Automated machines are programmed to carry out a procedure multiple times, eg repeatedly creating the shape of a car door using a press, to improve production time. The cost of setting up machinery is high but, when they are operating, less waste is produced and running costs are lower.
Robotics
The use of robots is just one part of automation. The difference between robotics and automation is that robots use Use of computer systems to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. to collect information and improve the performance of a particular procedure. Robotics has proven popular because of their ability to increase efficiency and handle harmful materials that humans can't, but they are very expensive.
Specialist buildings
Technology that uses a chip to store information. has improved the efficiency of buildings, with many factories using Power that is generated using natural resources that will not run out, eg wind and wave power. sources to try to minimise environmental impact. A building made of smaller, prebuilt parts put together. can be erected quickly and at a low cost, and improvements in stock control mean less storage space is needed.
