Abstract

Countries that are heavily applying automation technologies in industrial processes are seen to be the most productive nations globally with higher GDPs and standard of living while developing countries continue to struggle to meet local demands and become globally competitive and significant technologically and economically. It has been found from the paper that, the structure of the Nigerian economy is typical of an underdeveloped nation. The country’s industrial sector comprising of manufacturing, mining, and utilities is seen to be hardly constituting more than 6% of her economic activities while the manufacturing sector alone up to 5% of her GDP in any year so far. The level of industrial automation in the country is also found to be generally low. The paper presents consolidated basic educative facts about industrial automation and its implementation approaches with the motive of reawakening application interest and rethinking by all industrial and other production stake holders in developing countries for improving their manufacturing systems to reap the benefits of the technology by boosting their personal and national economic developments and standards of life. Engineers in Nigeria and other developing economies can have great roles and rewards as skilled employees, consultants, entrepreneurs, and apostles in automating industrial and other production systems, machineries, etc in their countries progress to high level of industrialization.