Robot Operations Framework
Robot Operations Framework
The roles
To master the change and adapt to the future of work some roles within the facility have to change. Here we explicitly say roles not positions or job titles because some of the described roles can also be fulfilled by more than one person.
Of course every company has its own types of positions or roles. If this is the case then try to approximate the roles presented here with the ones in the organisation.
The table below shows which current roles should be included into a proof of concept (PoC) and how the roles will change with the robotization and automation of the facility.
| Current Role | PoC Role | Future Role / Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouse Management Responsible for all warehouse activities |
- Change & expectation management, talking to the employees about the process | - Continuous change management |
| EHS Management Environment, health, and safety management |
- Making sure the robot infrastructure can be applied to the warehouse (e.g. reflectors, QR codes, etc.) | - Adjustments of rules and regulations in regard of robot operations - Observe health and safety of employees in collaboration with robots - Teach and nurtur employees |
| Operations Management Responsible for all activities that happen on the shop floor |
- Define KPIs for PoC | - Added responsibility: for all robots on the shop floor - Observe KPIs of robots - Suggest new KPIs for robots if needed |
| Quality Management Responsible for implementation of standards and quality guidelines |
- Making sure that robot integration is in accordance to all guidelines and standards | - Making sure that robot operations are in accordance to all guidelines and standards - Create and manage maintenance schedules for robots |
| Project Management Planning and executing different kind of projects |
- Robot integration and learning to operate the robot - Knowledge transfer to logistics planning - Supplier management - Robot procurement - Organize PoC weekly to enable knowledge transfer and share learnings - Present KPIs in PoC weekly |
- Suggestions for new robotic projects and PoCs / as well as technologies - Knowledge sharing to different roles of the team |
| Procurement Responsible for procurement of equipment and consumables |
Role not included | - Procurement of new robots or capacity shifting of robots to other facilities - Asset management of robots |
| Logistics Planning Planning of all processes and infrastructure |
- Robot integration and learning to operate the robot - Creating the mission of the robot - Business case evaluation |
- Additional skill: Innovation management, observing new technologies - Define & plan processes and needed infrastructure for (new) robots |
| Shift Leader Responsible for worker related topics on the shop floor |
- Be informed about the process to educate people - Teach everyday collaborative operations between human workforce and the robot |
- Continuously teaching human workforce in terms of robot operations - Knowledge sharing |
| Team Leader Responsible for a specific part of the shop floor process |
- React if the robot has an incident (together with the In-House Technician) - Coordinate work load for the robotic system |
- React if the robot has an incident (together with the In-House Technician) - Suggest new use cases for deploying mobile robots - Making sure that there are no obstacles for robot operations on the shop floor |
| Resource Planning Responsible for optimal allocation of workforce |
Role not included | - Observing KPI dashboards (e.g. utilization) of the robots and adapt resource allocation |
| Robot Operator Responsible for the technical aspects of the robot (software, hardware) |
Role not existing yet It is recommended to nominate a person to learn this role from the beginning in cooperation with robot manufacturers and the core team of the PoC. |
- Responsible for creating and updating missions as well as maps - Well-informed about hardware and softwareInstall updates - In contact with the manufacturer, if need |
| In-House Technician Responsible for maintenance of infrastructure and technical equipment |
- React if the robot has an incident (together with the Team Lead) - Install the physical infrastructure for the robot on the shop floor (e.g. reflectors, QR codes, etc.) |
- Continuously maintenance of robot workforce - React if the robot has an incident (together with the Team Lead) |
| System Administration / IT Responsible for all topics regarding network, software, and hardware devices |
- Provide technical infrastructure like wifi, network access, VPN (if needed) | - Monitoring of network access, information traffic and software updates of the robot |
As you can see in the table, change and adaptation is needed everywhere. All roles are subject to change and learning during the years to come. Some roles will just change slightly, others will be created and offer an opportunity for new employees.
For instance the role of the Robot Operator. This position will deal with robot related technical things. Understand hardware and software as well as keep track of the robots. In the beginning this will not be a full-time job, but with robot fleets growing in your facilities, it makes sense to have someone working on this topic full-time or even create a team that gathers knowledge and expertise in-house.
WAKU Robotics supports you in choosing the right robot for your application. We take care of the procurement of the robots as well as the on-site test. Our WAKU Platform software helps you to operate the robots across manufacturers and to analyze the processes.
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