One of the most recurring problems in the automation sector is how to recruit new resources, especially qualified and up-to-date PLC programmers.
One of the most recurring problems for many companies is how to recruit new resources in industrial automation. Production and industrial facilities must keep up with technology, for this they need good PLC and Robot programmers who know how to write PLC codes and related modern and updated automation systems.
In fact, PLCs are essential for efficient production, a poorly made PLC code can lead to problems ranging from small inconveniences to even serious accidents, instead a well-made PLC code can greatly improve productivity, profitability and safety.
What are the most recurring problems in the industrial automation sector?
In the industrial automation sector we can therefore encounter some typical problems related to having efficient PLC codes and automation systems such as:
- recruit new resources: in particular, it is difficult to select qualified personnel for PLC and robot programming. PLC and Robot programmers, especially qualified professionals, are rare and companies often have to deal with complex and expensive recruitment processes that also involve long production stops
- hardware and software obsolescence: hardware components age over time and become difficult to replace because they are out of production, as well as poorly written codes by unqualified or poorly updated professionals. Obsolescence can lead to cybersecurity problems, little flexibility with respect to innovations such as IIoT, machine learning and digital twins and difficulties in integrating with new technologies.
How to Recruit New Resources in Industrial Automation Helps Solve the Most Common Problems in the Industrial Automation Industry
Find the right PLC or Robot programmer, qualified and updated therefore it is essential to avoid a whole other series of problems linked to the difficulty of recruiting new resources in the automation sector such as:
- hardware and software update difficulties: they are used to maintain efficient machinery, ensure optimal production performance and carry out truthful and up-to-date production and consumption quality analyses
- ever-increasing costs: without a good PLC programmer you risk having non-optimal codes, which lead to an increase in operating, maintenance and hardware and software problem solving costs over time
- unplanned downtime: a study by Aberdeen Research for the American market estimates that the cost of downtime can reach up to $260.000 per hour and stopping production for a day to fix a faulty code can cost even more than $2 million in revenue and productivity. In Italy, however, downtime lasts an average of 52 minutes with an hourly cost that can reach 90.000 euros and the annual cost, depending on the company, can reach up to 15,8 million euros.
- accidents: poorly written code can lead to accidents due to low safety levels or malfunctions not reported in time that can also cause serious injuries resulting in fines and production stoppages. Every year, approximately 2,3 million accidents occur at work and most of them occur in companies in the industrial automation sector
Improving Business Performance: The Role of the PLC Programmer
Selecting qualified personnel is therefore crucial to improve company performance, a qualified PLC or Robot programmer can help to:
- maximize uptime: By writing robust, bug-free code with proper error handling, the PLC programmer minimizes downtime caused by malfunctions, helping to ensure near 100% operational performance.
- promote flexibility: A skilled professional can write well-documented, modular code that is easy to modify to implement new sensors, analytics, line configurations, and control schemes. This agility increases operational capabilities.
- optimize processes: A good PLC programmer writes PLC code that ensures proper operation and process control logic that optimizes throughput, quality, consistency, and cost efficiency, through strategies such as automation, dynamic setpoints, and predictive analytics.
- extract more precise data: Well-written PLC code helps generate more accurate production data, more efficient KPI dashboards, and extracts more precise key metrics through optimized human-machine interfaces (HMIs), enabling continuous improvement
- prioritize safety: An experienced PLC programmer knows how to create optimal code that is also safe, preventing serious injuries and accidents. This protects your workforce and profitability and avoids regulatory penalties and fines.
- facilitate maintenance: Well-structured code with extensive comments makes it easier for technicians to troubleshoot problems, reducing maintenance workload.
- prepare for the future: A skilled programmer can carefully plan I/O, bandwidth, and scope to allow for easy expansion. The flexibility of the code makes it easy to integrate new modules to accommodate future changes or additions.
What characteristics to evaluate when recruiting new resources in industrial automation
Finding talent in automation is not easy and as we have seen selecting new competent resources and finding qualified personnel among PLC and Robot programmers is particularly important to ensure the success of the entire production. Some characteristics to look for in a PLC programmer are:
- Technical experience in PLC: Knowledge of the most common PLC programming languages is essential, e.g. contact logic, structured text, etc.
- industry experience: enables better understanding of industry-specific standardized workflows, machines, and automation
- problem solving skills: A methodical type of thinking is needed to solve problems with PLC codes e.g. how to optimize conveyor logic or find faults in the network
- communication skills: It is very important for a good programmer to be able to communicate effectively, explain technical details and provide progress updates to other technicians, managers and non-technical staff.
- understanding the modification process: A good programmer is able to handle change requests, e.g. changes to the code, HMI screens, interfaces without creating unwanted side effects.
The advantages of Autom8deal.com in recruiting resources for industrial automation
Autom8deal.com is the turning point for the search for talents in automation, because it allows you to select qualified programmers quickly and easily, also reducing costs. In fact, on Autom8deal.com you can find numerous profiles of qualified PLC and Robot programmers and when you are sure you have found the right programmer you can contact him quickly, without intermediaries and wasting time. Using Autom8deal.com you will have many advantages:
- you will drastically reduce costs of research and selection of programmers, without the need for expensive advertising on non-online recruitment platforms.
- you will save precious time, thanks to an automated system that facilitates matching between companies and potential programmers.
- you will respond quickly to urgent needs, improving responsiveness and operational efficiency
Simply sign up and you will have access to a constantly updated database of PLC and Robot programmers to conveniently search for automation talents that may be right for you.
If you have any doubts you can follow our guide: “Expand Your Professional Network with Autom8: A Complete Guide”
Or you can consult the tutorials on the platform, which will explain step by step how to upload a job offer
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