Automation Is a Win-Win for Honeywell Customers and Employees

Honeywell has been using automation to make processes safer, smarter, easier and more consistent for customers and end users for decades. In the aerospace world, our products and software solutions handle routine tasks automatically so pilots can concentrate on the important stuff, like flying the airplane.

“It’s no surprise that a company with our extensive background in automation – in buildings, industrial plants and, of course, aircraft – would automate some carefully-selected processes in our own factories,” said Doug Bingham, Senior Director of Manufacturing for Honeywell Aerospace. “Automation helps us deliver quality products, on time and at a competitive price.”

Benefits of Automation

Just as importantly, automation improves process safety and gives employees the chance to take on more important tasks, added April Dircks, Senior Automation Engineering Manager. “Automation helps us build organizational and individual capabilities,” she said. “Rather than doing mundane or repetitive tasks hour after hour, we’re helping employees ‘upskill’ with internal and external training programs so they can qualify for more technical jobs and increase their value to the company.”  

How Honeywell is Leveraging Automation

Honeywell Aerospace has put more emphasis on automation in recent years, Bingham said. “We have launched a variety of projects at manufacturing facilities in nearly every region of the world. We look for opportunities to automate processes that are standard, scalable and sustainable.

“As an example, welding is an ideal process for automation,” he added. “It’s a precise task that impacts the quality of some of our most flight-critical components. It’s also very labor-intensive, tedious and repetitive for the people doing this work. In addition, skilled welders are getting harder and harder to find in this job market.

The Future of Automation for Honeywell

Factory automation also is part of Honeywell’s ongoing digital transformation. By capturing, processing and analyzing data from automated processes and machines, the employees can anticipate and avoid mechanical problems, improve productivity and ensure linearity across the supply chain.

“By selectively automating certain processes, we’re expanding our manufacturing flexibility and reducing cycle time so we can do a better job of meeting customer requirements,” Bingham said. “Looking ahead, we’re planning to expand our use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and other leading-edge tools to make our factories more efficient, productive and resilient.”

Dircks agrees. “To me, automation is a win-win for our customers and our teammates,” she said. “Our dedicated manufacturing teams are truly a competitive advantage for Honeywell Aerospace and they do a great job for our customers, every day. Automation gives them a new set of tools that will make their jobs safer, easier and more satisfying.”

Learn other ways Honeywell is reshaping the way the Aerospace industry works with the use of Additive Manufacturing.