Factory Automation Consultant
Early vs late adopter’s have been influenced by the cost of automation, the state of the technology, quality requirements, and the availability of the workforce.
An effective consultant has worked with the early adopters developing first-of and Leading-Edge-Automation. In some situations pushing the technology while avoiding Bleeding-Edge-Automation. This is valuable experience developing applications that have never been done before.
For example, experience with the Automotive Industry who were the early adopters of industrial robots developed proven application techniques and methods. When later adopters could justify the use of robots, the techniques and methods had already been done before. This shortens the learning curve and reduces the cost of implementing automation.