Digital transformation isn’t just another industry buzzword. It’s a pivotal shift that can reshape your manufacturing operations, unlock new opportunities, and give you an edge over competitors. In the digital age, failing to leverage technology will separate those who thrive from those who don’t. While a lot of the hype in the industrial world regarding automation focuses on shop floor operations, with robots and cobots leading the way, the reality is that for many businesses, the biggest opportunities lie not in their production processes but in work processes. Using the latest software to streamline those processes offers you opportunities to make your team members happier and more productive, reduce costs, and make you more competitive.
The advantages of new technology
Of course, automated work processes are nothing new. Technologies such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) have been around for several decades. These tools have made effective use of shop floor data to streamline both operations and maintenance, and simplified interactions with all business departments as well. With older versions of these programs, however, too often the intended “solution” has become a story of either something that falls far short of success, or something that has failed outright. If you look at the state of your business process solutions suite, is it a case where only certain applications work as intended and the others are simply ignored?
Is it worse still, has it become window dressing while the real work is done with computer spreadsheets or on paper? It’s also a fact that a great many companies simply never implemented those software offerings at all, and the true reality of their business processes remains manual work. As the apps you use every day on your smartphone demonstrate, the effectiveness of modern software offerings is a different story. The path of business process software development has, in fact, followed a similar trajectory to that of cell phones, where the less effective offerings of the past like the Blackberry and Palm Pilot have given way to today’s latest iPhone, Galaxy or Pixel devices.
The newest software solutions aren’t tools that you have to force your team members to use because they make the job easier. They’re able to integrate with existing systems, so that the data resides in a single place and becomes actionable. They’re designed to work with modern capital assets that are IoT capable, so they can directly capture machine data. Think about one aspect of your manufacturing operation, that of spare parts:
- Do you have visibility of parts across your whole organization?
- Are you turning your inventories four to six times a year on average?
- Are you able to effectively navigate the balancing act of not having excess part inventories, but having the parts you need when you need them to avoid machine downtime?
- Have you standardized parts orders across all your plants?
- Are your parts properly cataloged by location and quantity?
- Are you able to expedite parts orders without phone calls or emails?
If you answered “no” to any of those questions, modern software solutions will help. Whether it’s helping improve worker safety, reducing unplanned downtime, standardizing work practices, or improving asset life, the latest manufacturing business process software will make your business more competitive and attractive to your customers. It can also foster your business growth. Since it allows you to standardize your business process tools and methods and your level of digitalization, it makes integrating a new acquisition far more streamlined and less challenging. It’s now a key pillar of a strong M&A strategy.
Serving today’s workforce
It’s no secret that one of today’s biggest manufacturing challenges is landing the workforce you need to keep your business running well. Employee frustration can be a tangible threat to your business. In a highly competitive workers’ market, if a job proves tedious and frustrating, employees will increasingly simply look elsewhere for a more fulfilling role. Forcing your workers to deal with antiquated software (or worse still, the paper-based processes of the last century) is a very good way to reduce their tenure with you. Similarly, making them navigate multiple platforms to get the data and information they need to do their jobs can also send them packing.
That’s true whether they’re machine operators looking for the day’s production schedule, maintenance technicians trying to get the parts they need to keep machines running, office workers trying to close the financial books for the month, or managers working to ensure that raw materials on order will arrive in time to meet your production needs. Generational shifts further underscore the need for modern solutions. Baby Boomers who recall days before effective business software are retiring quickly. While they certainly have come to expect modern business software solutions, for the generations coming behind them, good tech is an imperative. There’s now a natural expectation of easy-to-use software.
That’s not entirely generational, but our younger generations have simply rarely known anything but that. They expect the great tech, and they expect it to easily integrate with other great tech. They don’t want to have to go to a YouTube video to figure out how to use it, either. The good news is that they come in the door adept at using software solutions. But if those effective software solutions aren’t already there in your workplace, they probably won’t stick around for long.
Digital transformation in manufacturing is ultimately about empowering workers and managers to make better decisions, more comfortably. The most impactful software solutions are versatile enough to cater to the diverse needs of businesses across the size spectrum. With the best, you can start using them right away and pay for them once they’ve proven their worth. That makes the price of entry just your time. The digital revolution is here.
Embrace the power of modern technology to transform your manufacturing business and secure future success.
