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Automation will lead NOT to a decrease but an increase in jobs: Milind Padole, MD, ARAPL

Milind Padole, managing director, Affordable Robotic and Automation Ltd. (ARAPL) says that automation will lead to an increase in jobs

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Supriya Rai
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Automation undoubtedly makes life easier for everyone. While machines take care of repetitive and mundane tasks, employees get more time to focus on assignments that need human intervention. However, on the flip side, there is a widespread fear of automation taking away jobs. Nevertheless, Milind Padole, managing director, Affordable Robotic and Automation Ltd. (ARAPL) is of the view that automation will lead to an increase and not decrease in jobs as production output can be increased in optimised cost. Read the full interview here.

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DQ: India is a country that is heavily dependent on manpower. Is there scope for automated solutions such as yours?

Milind Padole: Automation is the key to a refined future with efficient turnarounds to deliverables. Economies are growing and are striving to adapt to new technology and India is not far behind. India is in a heightened state of technological innovation. There seems to be a cumulative desire, global push, policies, and consumer demands that are propelling the country towards growth and development. The growing economy is creating an aspiration amongst all people to want to climb the value chain, in turn better their standards of living. To keep up with a world that is getting more and more automated, one has to keep increasing the skills and high value jobs; higher productivity. Automation is helping in the increase in productivity for high demands; cyclic demands; consistent quantity and quality supplies. 

DQ: What do you have to say on the issue of automation taking away jobs?

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Milind Padole: By 2030, as per a PwC report, robotics, AI and other forms of automation will help countries to bring countless economic benefits, contributing to about $15 trillion to global GDP. There is a lot of myth revolving around automation though, one of the prime ones being that people will lose their jobs because of automation. It is contrary. Automation creates value in jobs and makes it more optimised. Usually, when economy grows the repeated and low paid jobs labour migrates to higher skill jobs which give them higher salary. Automation will help an organisation to achieve higher productivity; which in-turn increases more jobs as production output can be increased in optimised cost. Usually when economy grows the repeated and low paid jobs labour migrates to higher skill jobs which give them higher salary. With automation helps to achieve higher productivity; which in-turn increase more jobs as production output can be increased in optimised cost. 

DQ: Are there enough skilled employees in India to take on the job roles being unleashed by automation?

Milind Padole: The only concern as far as automation is concerned is the lack of enough skilled employees that are available in the market. India has a strong English-speaking workforce. That enables them to get highly skilled very quickly. That in turn causes brain drain. All the skilled workforce gets employed in technical support or back-end offices for European or US companies. We need to start skilling people at college levels. To refurbish the workforce so that they are ready to meet the requirements of a growing demand. 

DQ: What are some of the trends we can look forward to when automation in concerned?

Milind Padole: Automation has made inroads in almost sectors of our country, especially manufacturing. Automation is improving quality and saving costs. Sectors with monotony and fatigue-oriented jobs that could be hazardous too are all the places that are best Consumer goods, automotive, manufacturing, logistics and supply chain are all looking into IoT and moving into automation very quickly. 

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