Lowes replacing (some) workers with robots

[BoberFett]

Not surprised by the responses in this thread. The same people who love this kind of stuff are the same people that would rather be shot than to support all of those people losing jobs because of stuff like this. Oh well, let all of them go to college and become.....er....let them eat cake.

I'm sure they can all go out and find other jobs. No problems.

/thread

For a smart guy, you sure can be dumb sometimes.

You're an engineer. How many people have you personally put out of work?

 

[ivwshane]

For a smart guy, you sure can be dumb sometimes.

You're an engineer. How many people have you personally put out of work?

Your comments are getting dumber and dumber. Puts some effort in to it, post some pics and links to meaningless crap like the rest of the trolls that follow you.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Robots have been replacing skilled production workers in major industries for a couple of decades now. We're talking high hourly wage, good benefit, pension plan union jobs. By the tens of thousands.

Now somebody is worried that a few minimum wage workers in a discount hardware store may be replaced?

Unbelievable.

 

[pcgeek11]

If you really think that Robots do not take off sick days..... You have never worked on automation before. I work in automated assembly and robots and other machines frequently take days off. ( Broken ) When they do they are expensive to repair. Lowes will be opening up more expensive jobs maintaining and repairing these robots.

 

[michal1980]

It's certainly going to take effort to get it into society, though to be clear it's not my idea, it has been suggested by much more informed and relevant minds than mine, such as Milton Friedman, and the original patriot Thomas Paine. The advantage I see as far as acceptability is that it is given to everyone. It's not money for not working, or for getting knocked up and squeezing out a kid with no dad, or faking a disability to sit around watching soap operas. Everyone gets it.

As for increasing unrest and struggle - I don't see any way around that. The lessons of the industrial revolution show that changing the fundamental way society works (going from agriculturally focused to manufacturing focused) is not easy. However, I think that dragging things out will just mean that much more suffering in the future when things reach an unbearable point.

As for the Star Trek, yea, I'm probably optimistic, but as a fellow engineer I would like to believe that the work we do pushing new technology boundaries will have a positive effect on future generations.

what idiotic babble.

Congrats, you were born heres some cash.

where does that cash come from?

Working people. So now I work some pot head slacker doesn't? or that crack head mom? or just the drunk?

Wow that's just a beautiful utopia you created. Taking from the producers to the leaches of society. stupid.

 

[realibrad]

Automation is evil and kills American jobs. Think of all those poor horse stable workers who lost there jobs to the evil automobile. The worst one of all... Farming.

Did you know that there was a time when 38% of the labor force were in farm labor?!?! Evil automation stripped all those jobs from hard working class Americans. So what is the percentage that now works in farming... under 2%!!!!!

Engineer is right. Automation will kill jobs. Never mind the fact that the automation in farming reduced prices and allowed people to eat food and not starve. Those people could then spend timing working on other things that were more productive. We need to hold back society and keep them farming, and stop making shit that increases efficiency.

 

[Orignal Earl]

As long as the robots are spending their money in the local community, and are not making my burgers, I'm fine

 

[xBiffx]

If you really think that Robots do not take off sick days..... You have never worked on automation before. I work in automated assembly and robots and other machines frequently take days off. ( Broken ) When they do they are expensive to repair. Lowes will be opening up more expensive jobs maintaining and repairing these robots.

Exactly.

 

[xBiffx]

As long as the robots are spending their money in the local community, and are not making my burgers, I'm fine

They are consuming local power. Does that count? :biggrin:

 

[xBiffx]

Automation is evil and kills American jobs. Think of all those poor horse stable workers who lost there jobs to the evil automobile. The worst one of all... Farming.

Did you know that there was a time when 38% of the labor force were in farm labor?!?! Evil automation stripped all those jobs from hard working class Americans. So what is the percentage that now works in farming... under 2%!!!!!

Engineer is right. Automation will kill jobs. Never mind the fact that the automation in farming reduced prices and allowed people to eat food and not starve. Those people could then spend timing working on other things that were more productive. We need to hold back society and keep them farming, and stop making shit that increases efficiency.

Love the post! :biggrin:

The OP loves to tout how much he knows about automation and how smart he is. Yet at the same time he is campaigning against his own profession by outlining the "evils" of it. Yeah, real fricken smart. :whiste:

Of course, what can you expect from someone who is so myopic on the subject and since the only thing automation is for is to remove workers and removing workers is evil, it only logically follows that automation is therefore evil. It's never about the good that automation brings or anything else it provides because automation only brings (or takes for that matter) one thing according to him.

 

[Engineer]

Love the post! :biggrin:

The OP loves to tout how much he knows about automation and how smart he is. Yet at the same time he is campaigning against his own profession by outlining the "evils" of it. Yeah, real fricken smart. :whiste:

Of course, what can you expect from someone who is so myopic on the subject and since the only thing automation is for is to remove workers and removing workers is evil, it only logically follows that automation is therefore evil. It's never about the good that automation brings or anything else it provides because automation only brings (or takes for that matter) one thing according to him.

I already told you that I exaggerated on what automation takes or gives, but you suggest that it doesn't take a single job away and I'm saying that it does take jobs. As for campaigning against it or for it, I have learned to accept the losses of a few jobs as long as the entire factory stays here in the US. I would rather have a factory full of automation HERE than a factory full of Chinese people working over there. At least someone here has a job. I've watched entire factories close and go to Mexico, even when competing automation here could have at least kept it open but wasn't even given a chance. Now, all 500 of the people in that plant were let go and had to find a new job.

As for the Lowes experiment, it's nothing to do with keeping Lowes here or to keep from offshoring Lowes, it's about eliminating human labor. I'll change my tune if Lowes comes back and says that the robots will be built here. I wouldn't hold my breath to that one though.

People can throw the old farming shit out there all they want. We went from farming to a better class of jobs in manufacturing for the masses. We are now going to McService jobs for the masses. If you guys think that's great and like paying for the increased socialism that's associated with those types of jobs, more power to you.

And for the record, I've never said I was smart but I know industrial automation very well. By the way, shouldn't you have stated that I'm campaigning against 'OUR' profession since you claim to be an automation engineer too?

 

[Carson Dyle]

Wait. A corporation wants to reduce labor costs? Stop the presses. This is news.

 

[xBiffx]

but you suggest that it doesn't take a single job away and I'm saying that it does take jobs.

I NEVER said that. Perhaps that's why you are so stuck on stupid. Stuck on accusing me of something I NEVER said.

By the way, shouldn't you have stated that I'm campaigning against 'OUR' profession since you claim to be an automation engineer too?

When the point is that you are shooting yourself in the foot, no. I've been trying to distance myself from you so why would I use something inclusive? Oh well, you'll of course add that ammunition to the xBiffx isn't an automation engineer bullshit pile. Happy to help.

 

[Engineer]

When the point is that you are shooting yourself in the foot, no. I've been trying to distance myself from you so why would I use something inclusive? Oh well, you'll of course add that ammunition to the xBiffx isn't an automation engineer bullshit pile. Happy to help.

By campaigning against the type of automation that Lowe's is experimenting with, I'm not shooting myself in the foot at all, unless that automation is being done here.

 

[xBiffx]

By campaigning against the type of automation that Lowe's is experimenting with, I'm not shooting myself in the foot at all, unless that automation is being done here.

You really are dumb. Extremely dumb.

 

[Carson Dyle]

By campaigning against the type of automation that Lowe's is experimenting with

Is THAT what you think you're doing? I thought you were just trying to look like a fool.

What other type of automation is there beside automation that is intended to reduce the amount of human labor required to perform a given job?

 

[Bowfinger]

but you suggest that it doesn't take a single job away

I NEVER said that. Perhaps that's why you are so stuck on stupid. Stuck on accusing me of something I NEVER said.

You certainly suggested it, which is exactly what Engineer said.

So now Lowes has to hire people to support these robots. People most certainly making more than the cashier or floor sales associate the robot may have replaced. Don't see how it leading to less people working or less money in the economy for that matter.

I'm sure you'll try to spin "don't see how it leading to less people working" doesn't suggest "doesn't take a single job away" ... but you'll be lying. Your words, and the implication is clear.

 

[Engineer]

Is THAT what you think you're doing? I thought you were just trying to look like a fool.

What other type of automation is there beside automation that is intended to reduce the amount of human labor required to perform a given job?

I've said it before and again, if the automation will keep the factories here in the US, I'll live with the job losses for the overall gain of keeping the factory here. Lowe's is not doing this to keep the company here. Lowe's is doing this to reduce their labor force here period. I'll not disagree that automation is not done to reduce human labor or to increase a measure of quality.

If you guys don't mind having an increasing number of middle and lower classes of people with no job to go to at all, I guess I shouldn't worry about it either.

 

[xBiffx]

You certainly suggested it, which is exactly what Engineer said.


I'm sure you'll try to spin "don't see how it leading to less people working" doesn't suggest "doesn't take a single job away" ... but you'll be lying. Your words, and the implication is clear.

Did I say anywhere that automation doesn't take a single job away? Nope, I said that it can but I also said that isn't always the reason for it. The OP's position is that automation does nothing else but eliminate jobs and its the reason why there are less jobs. I don't agree and I don't see how installing automation automatically leads to less jobs. As for this, its displacing a job in favor of other jobs. You know, that whole conversation that's been going back forth about support.

This debate has been going on long before this thread. Don't butt into conversations you know nothing about. It literally makes you look like a butthead.

 

[Engineer]

Did I say anywhere that automation doesn't take a single job away? Nope, I said that it can but I also said that isn't always the reason for it. The OP's position is that automation does nothing else but eliminate jobs and its the reason why there are less jobs. I don't agree and I don't see how installing automation automatically leads to less jobs. As for this, its displacing a job in favor of other jobs. You know, that whole conversation that's been going back forth about support.

This debate has been going on long before this thread. Don't butt into conversations you know nothing about. It literally makes you look like a butthead.

And I told you (one more time) that I exaggerated on the claim that it only only eliminates jobs. And you have suggested with your postings in both this thread and the others that it does not lead to job losses, only enhancements.

OK, I'll back off the 100% goal for ALL automation replacing EVERY job that it touches

I admit I exaggerated

I already told you that I exaggerated on what automation takes or gives

I'm growing tired of this debate with you. Believe what you want.

 

[xBiffx]

And I told you (one more time) that I exaggerated on the claim that it only only eliminates jobs. And you have suggested with your postings in both this thread and the others that it does not lead to job losses, only enhancements.

I'm growing tired of this debate with you. Believe what you want.

You're position is that automation is still eliminating jobs. Enough that its a concern that, at least to some extent, there will be none left. Your OP is quite clear on that.

I disagree. For the time being it mostly changes jobs. Some day everything might be completely automated in some Star Trek universe but not anytime soon. Certainly not in my lifetime. But by then, the economy is going to have other problems to deal with as well.

 

[Engineer]

You're position is that automation is still eliminating jobs.

Last post with you on this. It does indeed eliminate jobs and, one last time, not all of them. I exaggerated. I have posted the multiple quotes of my admission that I exaggerated. If you want more, take it up with me via PM.

 

[bshole]

You're position is that automation is still eliminating jobs. Enough that its a concern that, at least to some extent, there will be none left. Your OP is quite clear on that.

I disagree. For the time being it mostly changes jobs. Some day everything might be completely automated in some Star Trek universe but not anytime soon. Certainly not in my lifetime. But by then, the economy is going to have other problems to deal with as well.

You are correct. Automation does not eliminate jobs, it changes them. This is somewhat common knowledge and is in no way controversial. Outsourcing eliminates jobs, not automation.

Christ Engineer, how the fuck can you of all people not KNOW this?!!

 

[Engineer]

You are correct. Automation does not eliminate jobs, it changes them. This is somewhat common knowledge and is in no way controversial. Outsourcing eliminates jobs, not automation.

Christ Engineer, how the fuck can you of all people not KNOW this?!!

LOL.

 

[xBiffx]

It's quite simple, especially in the case of Lowes. Say they want to eliminate three positions (because they stated that as the reason to buy robots) so they purchase three of these robots. Robots don't come out of nowhere.

1. Someone has to design it.
2. Someone has to build/pack it.
3. Someone has to sell it.
4. Someone has to install it.
5. Someone has to support it.

So they eliminated three jobs, but they essentially employed (at least part time) five other people to do so (probably more, I over simplified). And generally speaking, those five people are probably going to make combined 5-10x what the three original people did combined. So now you introduced 5-10x the buying power into the economy. Not seeing where automation is going to destroy jobs or cripple the economy there. Of course, things aren't going to be 1 to 1 as far as job numbers, but in terms of salaries, you've got a net increase almost every time when changing a low skill, low income job out with automation.

Keep in mind, this doesn't even take into account the $ spent on the automation itself either.