Every plant manager and tech leader I talk to right now is fielding the same pitch: automate this, let AI handle that, reduce your dependency on hard-to-find talent. It's an easy sell when skilled labor feels scarce and expensive. But I've been doing this long enough to know that automation doesn't remove the need for skilled people — it raises the bar on who you need. Why Automation Doesn't Replace the Need for Skilled People A machine can execute a process with precision. W