241Production and Service Processes
videoconferencing and global positioning systems (GPS) began as novelties but are rapidly
evolving into important applications of automated systems.
One of the major effects of automation is the effect on the employees required. Automation
reduces the need for the number of employees; however, it increases the skill levels required of
employees. There is a shortage of skilled workers to ll the openings, and workers displaced
by outsourcing do not have the skills required. Who should do the retraining and who should
pay for it are just two of the many questions confronting the manufacturing industry in indus-
trialized countries. To confound the problem, today’s millennials are not attracted to manufac-
tur ...