Control Systems

I have noticed that operators had to become more learned over the last couple generations. There was a time in the US when you could process steel or paper without knowing how to read. Today in the US the controls require operators to read their terminals. In other processes where controls automate the system the operators give way to technicians, required to maintain the sophisticated controls.

A very good question, Neo.

I have always been of the opinion that you have to constantly keep abrest of whatever technical position you are involved in; in order to keep yourself employed. The world of all jobs since the second world war has been in constant flux and required one to constantly upgrade ones education if you expected to be employed.

An appropriate comparison must first recognise that performance of normal, single-core ("good") microprocessors has increased almost without limit over many generations. At the same time, die sizes have shrunk remarkably to nanometre process levels, while incorporating nearly 2 billion transistors on one silicon chip! Ever faster processor frquencies (clock speeds) were key to obtaining these performance gains, but heat generation and power leakage became new limitations.

Go to some tech seminars and train-up because you are the best person to trouble shoot "control systems" because you know what it took to run the place "by hand". You will probably like what the new system are capable of.

what ever Hi tech advanced control systems are implemented still human interface is required because humans have brain and can think.Control systems cannot think.example modern jet aircrafts for take off and landing a pilot& airman ship is essential in spite of autopilot and satellite navigation system with out which the flight would be doomed.second example is star shooting by navigators on board ships in spite of GPS system course correction is based on star shooting using a sextant.

crm

Spoken words were never truer. Knowing the process is first and foremost. Another thing that is often not taken into consideration is that if all an operator has to do is operate a control panel, then their work ethic is even more vital. I once saw a young Jamacian girl assigned to a run a very complex process. She could barely read and write. She did it well. She could be trusted to closely monitor everything.

RE: Topic question. There will be fewer of them.

More " Coffee " Breaks!

The ultimate goal of automation is to have only one guy and a dog in the entire plant.

The dog's job is to keep the guy from touching anything.

I thought the dog was to fetch the one man the mechanic to fix it if it broke down.

hope that they are offered proper training and not replaced by IROBOT