Robotic Systems Blog

Rick Zabel, vice president of Automation.com believes the "salaries of automation professionals are low when compared to the value automation brings to a manufacturing company." As he says, "engineers are problem solvers." So the question is: As an automation engineer, how do you show your value to the manufacturing world so your salary reflects your contribution?

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More than 80% of automation engineers are satisfied with their jobs despite no recent increases in pay. The nearly 5,000 respondents in a recent survey identified feelings of accomplishment, job security, and benefits as several of the factors contributing to their happiness. The survey points to an upcoming workforce skills shortage as 30% of respondents predict they will retire in 10 years or less. See the Automation.com article to compare average salaries world-wide or by job function.

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Robotic Systems, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Robotic Systems today.

From choosing graphics to selecting wording, companies are inviting consumers to participate in new packaging development. What do you think of using social media to gather customer input for packaging? Do you think it will make more consumers happy with packaging decisions?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Robotic Systems, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Robotic Systems today.

The advent of mechanized equipment greatly reduced the number of farmers. But these out-of-work farmers found new jobs; they are not still unemployed. Will the automation boom create a similar effect? There are many who believe that automation increases productivity and, ultimately, jobs. What do you think—does automation create jobs? Or does it contribute to unemployment?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Robotic Systems, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Robotic Systems today.

In working with automation, what one thing would make your task easier? More flexible cables? Single controllers? Built-in safety features? Out of all your automation, if you could change one thing, what would it be?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Robotic Systems, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Robotic Systems today.

How safe is your data in the cloud? Multi-factor authentication locks can provide security, but don't help with accessibility if the servers are down. Expert Jeremy Pollard concludes it's best to keep your company secrets close to home and use the cloud for public documents.

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Robotic Systems, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Robotic Systems today.