How much will automation cost?

The costs of automation is based the following factors: software, hardware, implementation, and labor. The most common savings in automated data collection is in labor costs. The reason for this is that labor would be tracked automatically with the use of a software system and an identification tag. Many time and attendance systems use data collection for tracking employee's time and attendance. The costs of automation is the following:

• Software system - A computerized system used to track items with the use of bar-codes or asset tags.
• Hardware - The equipment used to input identification information into the software system. Hardware includes scanning equipment, bar-code label printers, labels, and other asset tags.
• Implementation Costs - Costs of installing and training a new organization on automation. Implementation costs includes workflow analysis, training, and installation. This phase is critical in implementing a successful data collection system.
• Labor - This is the initial investment in your organization to learn the new workflow process to increase efficiency in your business.