Computer numerical controlled lathes have been available for many years now after a lengthy process to reach current standards. Hemlock Engineering Ltd, part of the Hemlock Group, began in the United Kingdom in 1986 and is still situated in Nottingham. They use the technology for CNC machining and slidinghead turning.

With the science and technology communities coming together more frequently to create bionic people, robots who may soon be rescuing those in need, and machines who can search out bacteria in your home and eliminate it with Ultraviolet light, there are certain concerns on everyone’s mind. One industry we can look to is mechanical production. Computer numerical controlled machines (CNC machining) have been widely used by Hemlock Engineering Ltd since 1986. While it is true that employees are no longer required to “babysit” equipment to ensure that it runs properly and switches tasks when appropriate, employees are still needed. Based upon this example, we can assume that even though technology may continue to emulate human actions and in some cases as in CNC machining, surpass human capabilities, we will not all be unemployed.

This is a perfect example of the shift in technology and how humans will still adapt to the technology. There still is a need for the highly skilled precision engineers who work the CNC devices to ensure that those devices are programmed properly and at some point, the products will need to be replaced or repaired. All of these things still require a human element to complete. There are benefits to this shift as well. Hemlock’s CNC machining and slidinghead turning devices serve their customers by providing a superior product while trying to keep long-term operating costs lower so the product prices can stay as minimal as possible.

Hemlock Engineering Ltd. recently purchased the newer Citizen A32 CNC machine that offers a plethora of customisable options above and beyond the standard package. The equipment is expected to assist with increasing production rates by up to thirty percent over previous machines. This should allow Hemlock to serve more customers in a shorter amount of time. Acquiring more customers typically means there are more administrative tasks, which must be carried out by humans, so it may mean that this will stimulate hiring. Hemlock Engineering Ltd. currently employs roughly 70 highly skilled workers to deal with the expensive CNC machining devices like the slidinghead turning machines and they may employ a variety of other workers as well.

This shift in technological capability does not indicate the elimination of everyone’s jobs, but it does show us that the shift in need will be for highly skilled and specialised workers, as well as workers who oversee and take care of more administrative and managerial tasks. A good part of the manual labour is done by the machines, which are capable of executing the tasks more efficiently and accurately than a human can, but the managerial and administrative tasks still remain. We can expect similar results and progress in industries using new technology.
Hemlock Engineering Ltd. uses CNC machining http://www.hemlockltd.co.uk for their Slidinghead turning http://www.hemlockltd.co.uk/slidinghead-turning, but still needs human expertise.