1 - New and Emerging Technologies

• Automation enables repetitive tasks to be performed by mechanised assembly lines rather than by a human. Can be done using software to automate computer-based tasks, or industrial automation when performing physical tasks.
• Pros of automation:

  • Increased efficiency
  • Accurate and consistent output
  • Reduced labour costs
  • Can work in a variety of environments
• Cons of automation:

  • Replaces workforce - job losses
  • Expensive to set up
  • No human input
  • Upskilled workforce to maintain machinery
• Typical workflow

  • Delivery depot: Raw materials/components delivered
  • Production line: Raw materials are processed, components assembled to make new products
  • Packaging and distribution: Product wrapped then boxed before being shipped to customers
• In automation, robots can be used since they are able to work in a range of conditions and automatically perform complex movements, they are commonly used on assembly lines of vehicles, in labs, and in aerospace.
• At the point of conception, buildings should be designed so that the workflow is efficient so a product can swiftly be manufactured and sold to a market.
• Crowd funding is the use of small amounts of capital from many individuals in order to finance a new business venture.
• Crowd funding:

  • Uses website and social media to get investors to invest in an idea, usually in returns for shares
  • If a company doesn't reach its funding goal, the finance pledged is usually returned to investors
  • If it fails it can damage a company's reputation
• Virtual marketing and retail involves the use of websites, social media, marketing and email to reach a wider audience to promote a product, service or idea.
• Virtual Marketing:

  • Relies on clicks or likes
  • Virtual marketing is typically easier to measure than printed ads
  • Includes paid-for ads in search results
• A cooperative is an enterprise which is commonly owned and ran by its members who may comprise its workforce or its customers.
• Cooperatives are formed to enable a group of people with the same business interests to have greater protection and a stronger democratic voice
• Fair trade:

  • Better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers or workers in less economically developed countries
  • Requires companies to pay a fair and sustainable price for their produce so farmers can improve their quality of life
  • Focuses on products from developing countries (fruit, coffee, wine, chocolate, cotton)
• Finite resources are resources which are in limited supply due to being used faster than they can be replenished (e.g. metal ores, fossil fuels)
• Infinite/non-finite resources are in abundant supply and are unlikely to ever run out due to them being replenished faster than they are used. (e.g. solar and wind energy, cotton, timbers)
• A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a way for companies to assess the environmental impact of a product through the different stages of its life.
• Life Cycle Assessment:

  • EXTRACTION AND PROCESSING: Amount of energy used to extract raw material and to process it to be ready for manufacture
  • MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION: Energy required to manipulate raw materials into a product ready for sale
  • DISTRIBUTION: Packaging and transportation of the product to the end user
  • USE: Using the product
  • END OF LIFE: The product's disposal
• Careful planning of waste disposal can lead to many positive effects particularly in places like large scale manufacturing plants:

  • Waste materials can be reused internally for spare parts and products
  • Waste material like biomass can be used to generate energy