17 June 2025 – one to ONE Holdings (o2Oh) released insights on successful automation adoption in U.S. manufacturing. Their new article, "Lessons from Asia for Successfully Scaling Automation," in engineering.com, highlights that combining technology with workforce development and local understanding is crucial.
The U.S. manufacturing sector aims for advanced manufacturing leadership but faces challenges: a gap between innovation and production, inadequate workforce training, and difficulty retaining skilled talent. Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) manufacturers also lag, potentially hindering broader industry progress compared to their Asian counterparts.
"Successful automation scaling requires focusing on the human element," said Shin Nakamura, President of o2Oh. He noted that Asian manufacturers offer valuable lessons in a human-centric approach, valuing know-how and continuous skill refinement as much as technology itself. This strategy fosters deep knowledge transfer and talent retention, centering technology around human roles.
The insights stress that despite autonomous tools, human involvement remains essential for best practices and strategic decisions. Integrated AI and ML streamline data capture, empowering teams. AI tools like computer vision and robotics also enhance factory safety by monitoring spaces and alerting to risks.
To compete with Asian manufacturers, the U.S. industry must embrace the human role, revitalizing training and reskilling with technology. The goal is not to replace people entirely, but to achieve synergy between humans and technology for accelerated, responsible, and scalable innovation.
Read the full article here.
A screenshot from Industrial Automation
o2OG/o2Oh is a local company group led by o2Oh, which originated in Japan and is based in Singapore.
