While COVID dampened demand early on, the skills gap and labor shortage that has plagued the industry for more than a decade is still in full swing. As new NDT methods advance, quality professionals require new training, and technicians transitioning from film techniques to non-film techniques need hands-on experience.

Despite offering workers an average annual compensation of $84,832 in 2017, manufacturers struggle to fill positions. 

If you’re one of those companies still considering taking the first—or possibly next—step in their automation journey, start with the following steps to facilitate the process, and feel more comfortable doing it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented surge in demand for healthcare and consumer products. This crisis has demanded stockpiles of supplies and has shifted the supply chain to local production. 

Businesses worldwide are being tested in a crucible of quality. Companies in which quality was already fragile and inefficient have seen their processes go from lacking to completely broken during the COVID-19 crisis.

Tony Uphoff worked in Manhattan during 9/11. He ran a San Francisco Bay Area business during an earthquake in the 1990s. Despite these experiences, he says that the current pandemic is truly an unprecedented time.