Robotic Process Automation as an enabler of Industry 4.0 to eliminate the eighth waste: a study on better usage of human talent
Bruna Gradim, Leonor Teixeira
Abstract
Nowadays, with increasing globalization, companies have to be prepared to adapt and respond to the challenges raised by the 4th Industrial Revolution. The adoption of new technologies has been the most used solution, creating new challenges concerning worker-machine interaction. The required skills of workers tend to change, as do their tasks, which, many times, do not add value, contribute to talent waste, the eighth waste of Lean, and generate dissatisfaction. This paper reviews how this problem can be eliminated, by implementing Robotic Process Automation in a company that provides residential hot water solutions. This technology automates repetitive processes. The results obtained show that, through Robotic Process Automation, it is possible to automate the tasks that do not add value and contribute to eighth lean waste.