How Automation Is Helping Industries Adapt

Across global manufacturing, one challenge currently shapes nearly every strategic decision: the shrinking pool of skilled production-floor labor. Experienced machine operators are aging out of the workforce and younger generations show limited interest in industrial roles. At the same time, production lines are evolving to embed more automation and intelligence directly into the equipment, shifting complexity away from individual operators and into the systems designed to support them.

Customer demands across industrial markets continue to rise, driven by greater product variation, evolving material requirements, shorter production runs, tighter lead times, and more exacting expectations around quality and performance. Whether the production floor is a printing pressroom, a textile mill, a pouch converting operation, or a gigafactory, the reality is the same: the work itself is becoming more complex, even as the workforce needed to manage it has become harder to hire and retain.

In Printed Packaging: Automation Bridges Experience and Expectations

Printed packaging, spanning pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves, flexible packaging, folding cartons, and corrugated, has experienced workforce pressure earlier and more acutely than most industries. Pressrooms historically relied on deep operator experience to manage variables such as ink laydown, registration, tension control, coating adhesion, and substrate performance. As that experience exits the workforce as increasing numbers of press operators retire, automation is stepping in to maintain job-to-job, and shift-to-shift, consistency levels.

Automated print inspection has become one of the most visible examples of this shift. Technology such as the Baldwin Guardian PQV 100% inspection system reduces dependence on operator vigilance by automating project setup, recognizing new jobs as they cue on press, detecting defects in real time, and feeding structured data into connected workflows. For converters running a mix of flexo, digital, and hybrid technologies, this is not simply about catching errors. It’s about enabling newer operators to deliver repeatable results and helping lean teams keep pace with increasing job counts and shorter runs.

In the expanding flexible packaging market, automation is becoming a critical component in downstream converting. Brand owners and contract packagers using Hudson-Sharp systems are operating in markets where SKU proliferation and micro-batch production demand more frequent changeovers and predictable sealing performance. Faster, more intuitive adjustments reduce the manual effort required to move between pouch formats and film structures, giving smaller teams the ability to handle higher product variation without creating bottlenecks.

In both printing and converting, the goal is the same: translate operator-dependent tasks into controlled, repeatable workflows. As workforce dynamics continue to shift, equipment is playing a larger role in supporting reliable production outcomes.

In Textiles: Processes That Reduce Manual Oversight

Textile finishing brings a different set of labor challenges. Mills operate continuous, high-volume processes where chemistry application, moisture management, and fabric variability demand constant attention. Traditionally, operators monitored pad baths, adjusted pick-up levels, and compensated for inconsistencies that accumulate over long runs.

The shift toward sustainable finishing has increased both complexity and pressure. Mills want to reduce chemical waste and water usage while improving product performance; however doing this manually adds to operator burden.

Automation in this space changes the equation. Precision spray systems such as the Baldwin TexCoat G4® apply finishing chemistry without pad baths, overspray, or contamination. Instead of managing an open bath or manually tuning chemical application, operators oversee a closed, predictable process that delivers uniformity automatically.

For mills facing staffing shortages, the benefits are twofold. First, consistency improves because finishing application no longer depends on nuanced operator adjustments. Second, the labor model shifts: operators supervise rather than intervene, which reduces training time and makes the work more accessible to newer employees.

As global textile markets prioritize sustainability and throughput, the ability to maintain stable finishing conditions with fewer operators becomes essential. Automation creates that stability.

In Advanced Battery Production: Reducing Operator Exposure and Eliminating Manual Maintenance

Battery manufacturing represents one of the most significant examples of labor strain. Gigafactories run around the clock, with calendering lines that must maintain tight tolerances to meet yield, safety, and consistency requirements. Yet one of the most labor-intensive tasks - manual calender roll cleaning - also introduces risk, downtime, and operator exposure to chemicals and heat.

Automated in-line roll cleaning transforms that dynamic. Instead of stopping the line, cooling rollers, and assigning skilled technicians to scrub residue from high-temperature surfaces, systems like Baldwin EPIC technology clean calender rolls at operating temperature in minutes. This not only improves uptime and electrode quality but also shifts operators away from hazardous, repetitive tasks and into higher-value oversight roles.

As battery lines scale, manual cleaning is no longer realistic. Automation becomes a workforce strategy - one that protects operators, stabilizes quality, and frees technical talent to focus on the broader process.

A Common Thread Across Industries: Stability in a Time of Workforce Volatility

Whether the environment is printed packaging, textiles, or battery production, the underlying forces at play are the same. Labor shortages are no longer a temporary disruption, they are a structural reality. And that reality is pushing manufacturers to design production floors that rely less on operator intuition and more on automated, repeatable systems that deliver:

●       Consistent quality across shifts

●       Faster changeovers and fewer manual adjustments

●       Reduced exposure to hazardous or ergonomic risks

●       Shorter training curves for new hires

●       Data-driven visibility that supports continuous improvement

BW Converting’s brands reflect this shift not in isolated products, but in a broader approach to automation. The common goal is to help industrial teams do more with the people they have, by making equipment smarter, processes more predictable, and workflows less dependent on historic institutional knowledge.

As industries evolve and the workforce continues to change, automation will remain one of the most important tools for sustaining productivity and strengthening the viability of manufacturing operations worldwide.