5 Interesting Facts About Automation Technology

Automation Technologies

Automation technology comprises all processes and work equipment that enable plants and systems to run automatically.

These include machines, apparatus, equipment, and other devices. Human intervention is minimal.

Interesting Automation Facts

Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce and businesses are being forced to adapt their antiquated processes to accommodate this tech-savvy, educated group of individuals.

As a result, businesses now more than ever are investing in automation technology to streamline manual, cumbersome tasks - allowing their staff more time to focus on strategic operations.

Automation Technology is Nothing New

As it turns out, many people don’t know a lot about the history of automation.

From when it started and why, to who has leveraged it - there are many surprising facts spanning the topic.

Whether you are reading this for fun or to find a fact to help enforce a business initiative, here are five interesting facts about automation technology that you may not know.

5 Interesting Facts About Automation Technology

1. The Greeks used it: Although it may seem like a new technology, automation dates back to ancient Greece. The Latinization of the Greek automaton, or “acting of one’s own will”, was first used by Homer. In fact, complex mechanical devices are known to have existed in Hellenistic Greece, including the only surviving example of the earliest known analog computer - the Antikythera mechanism.
2. There was a Golden Age: The period from 1860 to 1910 is known as “The Golden Age of Automata”. In Paris, many small family-based companies of automata makers flourished. These rare and expensive French automata continue to attract collectors from around the world.
3. There are lots, and I mean lots, of technologies to choose from: From 2016 to 2017, marketing automation alone saw a 36% rise in vendors (source: MarTech). Automation has been adopted in every industry, each using it to solve problems unique to their sector. Information Technology (IT), Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM), Numerically Controlled (NC) equipment, robots, and Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) are just a fraction of the different technologies currently available.
4. There’s a type of automation named after Detroit: “Detroit automation” consists of moving parts from one machine to another while automatic adjustments are made to the positioning of the tools that shape them. For example, when a block of wood goes into the end of one machine, and a finished wooden doll comes out of another machine.
5. Esker on Demand, a document process automation technology, has automated the number of pages equivalent to the weight of nearly 10,000 sumo wrestlers: The amount of paper we use today is excessive - it’s been estimated that in the U.S. we use 65,395,000,000 sheets of paper each day. Document process automation lends a helping hand by reducing unnecessary paper consumption while optimizing business processes.

What Areas of Business do Esker’s Solutions Automate?

Esker is the only cloud platform that can handle automating processes across the procure-to-pay (P2P) and order-to-cash (O2C) spectrum.

This means you have the freedom to pursue digital transformation in virtually any area of your business - automating as much or as little as you want, with the ability to expand to different processes or departments beyond your starting point.

On the P2P side, Esker’s solutions span critical processes across; supplier management, procurement, and accounts payable.

For O2C leaders, Esker offers intuitive solutions for optimizing order management and accounts receivable processes, including; credit management, invoice delivery, payment, cash application, deductions, and collections management.

Why Choose Esker's Procure-to-Pay (P2P) Process?

With a 360° view of supplier information, Esker’s automated platform spans the entire P2P process - equipping finance departments with AI and RPA technology and helping them effectively manage compliance, gain full process visibility, reduce staff workload and achieve true positive-sum growth for their company.

Today, the P2P process is fundamental to being a competitive, financially agile enterprise. That’s why Esker has the P2P tools and technologies you need to make meaningful business transformations;

• UNITE YOUR PEOPLE & PROCESSES: With universal access from a single platform and interface, Esker is the ideal digital foundation to unite your people and processes and deliver a superior supplier experience - from purchasing to payment and beyond.
• SIMPLIFY CASH MANAGEMENT: Esker's P2P platform helps you take control of financial and procurement processes by streamlining each step of the P2P cycle. Esker provides a truly end-to-end P2P solution for improving cash management and business strategy.
• CREATE NEW REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES: Simply put, Esker’s P2P solutions make it easier for suppliers to conduct business with you. This type of end-to-end efficiency opens the door to new revenue opportunities that would have otherwise been missed.

Procure-to-Pay (P2P) Process Suite for the Fully Networked Enterprise P2P Process

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