Where manpower is used to load the logs in the mill, roll them onto the carriage turn the logs dog, taper, set out, etc. Meanwhile, the machines do the actual handling and measurement much more accurately and faster than a human being can. Automation also increases production. In most instances, when men are replaced by machines, not only does the production per man go up, but the total production of the plant increases. As a typical example, when a man was taken off the log carriage at a large western United States mill, the manager reported that within two weeks his production on this headrig jumped from 38,000 per shift to 40,000 per shift.
Automation also makes for better, more uniform quality.
Dimensional quality is more uniform with automation because it depends on repetition, and repetition is something a man does not do well. Setting dimensions accurately demands a man's full attention, both mentally and physically. This is tiring, and the momentary inattention's which occur are wasteful in variations of thickness, width or length. Again, a machine which is steel and copper and electricity and compressed air, cannot be lulled by repetition. Automation permits dimensional quality control.