Manual, no automation please!

Automation is great, it is fast, efficient, accurate, less error prone, does not need a break, does not fall sick and in the long run is less expansive too.  But let’s not forget, it takes away jobs too.  Pakistan’s current government came with an election promise to create 10 million new jobs.  Consideration of automation may be detrimental to fulfill such tall promises.

All solutions do not work for all countries and automation may be very suitable for several countries.  This article discusses suitability of automation for Pakistan’s people and economy and may not be applicable in a different scenario.

The writer is not against all automation but only the type of automation that reduces number of jobs.   If the automation only adds value by improving quality and/or quantity of production/services without reducing the number of jobs, it may be acceptable but even that is a burden on foreign exchange as most of automation equipment and resources need to be imported.  Considering the high unemployment rate, the high crime rate and high degree of restlessness among youth Pakistani government should give highest priority to finding jobs for unemployed and in such a situation automation, as much attractive it may look, does not suit us.  At least not for now.  Further, it saves foreign exchange too, that’s another added benefit.  Till such time that unemployment in Pakistan is within acceptable level, in true sense, we should try to priorities labour intensive, rather than capital or automation intensive projects.  There can be some exceptions e.g. export oriented projects where quality is of primer importance and promised quality cannot be delivered without automation or in few other similar or sensitive situations.  But in general, and for domestic consumption automation should be avoided for now.

The writer had to recently visit a 60-story office building in downtown Toronto almost after midnight on a Saturday.  Building has offices of a large corporation that employs thousands of employees and serves millions of clients worldwide.  The writer was surprised to know that the security of the whole building was managed by a team of only 3 security guards from a security station on the ground floor.   The security counter/station had several monitor screens showing different floors and various positions on each floor periodically.  It was also amazing to know that between this team of three guards and another team of 3 guards (in total 6) security of 5 similar buildings in the complex was managed.  They were very well trained and well equipped to do the job and were able to effectively manage the security of these 5 high rises buildings for their 8-hour shift.

To define the level of automation

• Entrances and exits to each building is controlled by automated locks
• Entrances and exits to each floor in each building is controlled by automated locks
• Enabling or disabling to any building, floor or even rooms is controlled electronically
• Operations and access of elevators in each building was controlled electronically
• Entrances/exits to each building is monitored by security cameras
• Entrances/exits to each floor in each building is monitored by security camera
• Enabling or disabling of display by any one or group of security cameras is controlled electronically
• All above can be operated and/or monitored from either one of the security desks/counters for any of the 5 buildings or for anything within or on any floor of either of the building

So effectively one well trained, and of course well paid, person sitting at either of these security counters/desks can:

• Watch and monitor within and outside the buildings
• Let or stop anyone from entering or exiting from a particular room, a particular floor or a particular building or from the underground parking lot
• Let or stop anyone from entering or exiting the elevators or to get out on any particular floor(s)

The other two team members are just for backup and occasional physical inspections.

To help understanding the size of the security job being delivered by these 6 security personnel, this complex of 5 multi story buildings mean, 5 buildings, 50 building entrances/exits, over 200 floors, over 40 elevators, over 1000 entrances/exits to floors, over 1000 meeting rooms, over 1200 executive rooms, 10 data rooms, 8 entrances/exist to underground parking lots.

Let’s now consider how our economy will benefit if we try to do a similar job in Pakistan and try to avoid automation, as much as we can:

• Above job would require at least 40 employees (more employment, less crime, less restlessness, more tax)
• No import of approx. 10,000 security cameras, approx. 50 monitors, approx. 5,000 electronic locks, approx. 100 automated doors (saving of foreign exchange)
• Over 5000 door locks and keys (locally made so local production and down steam jobs)
• Low initial capital investment needed

It is very much possible that the huge initial capital investment and lost jobs to automation may be justified thru cost savings achieved thru automation in the long run but it is also a fact that in the short run lots of other benefits as identified above cannot be materialized and those are more important to the nation, at least for now.

The example above may be an extreme case and may not reflect all business or industrial situations, however, the point being made is that the current need of Pakistan and its economy is more job creation, more local production and less imports and automation is not aligned in achieving these objectives.

So the message to the decision makers at the top is “manual, no automation please”.

Babar Saeed

bsaeed@yahoo.com

November 29, 2019