To redesign a process, system, or activity so that it is carried out independently, wholly or partly, by machines or computers.
example
Das Unternehmen will die gesamte Produktionslinie automatisieren, um Kosten zu sparen.
The company wants to automate the entire production line in order to save costs.
Usage tips
Word structure
The ending '-isieren' forms verbs from other parts of speech and means 'to make something into something.' So 'automatisieren' (to automate) means to make something 'automatic.'
EXAMPLE
Viele Firmen versuchen, ihre internen Prozesse zu digitalisieren.
Many companies are trying to digitize their internal processes.
Sentence structure
The verb 'automatisieren' (to automate) is transitive, which means it always needs an accusative object. You always automate SOMETHING.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben viele wiederkehrende Aufgaben automatisiert.
We have automated many recurring tasks.
Typical collocations
Abstract things such as processes, tasks, workflows, or entire areas such as production or marketing are often automated.
EXAMPLE
Es ist möglich, den Versand von E-Mails vollständig zu automatisieren.
It is possible to fully automate the sending of emails.
Use in the passive
This verb is very often used in the passive to describe the state after a process has been changed over.
EXAMPLE
In unserer Fabrik sind bereits viele Arbeitsschritte automatisiert.
In our factory, many work steps are already automated.
Compare with
antonym
automatisieren vs manuell
manual
'manuell' and 'automatisieren' are clearly opposites. 'manuell' means that people do something themselves by hand or directly. 'automatisieren' means changing a process so that a machine or computer does it entirely or partly on its own. So 'manuell' describes the way the work is done, while 'automatisieren' describes a change toward less manual work.
automatisieren
Die Firma möchte den Versand der Rechnungen automatisieren.
The company wants to automate the sending of invoices.
manuell
Die Mitarbeiter tragen die Daten noch manuell in die Liste ein.
The employees still enter the data into the list manually.