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Unlocking the Power of Smart Manufacturing: Insights and Best Practices for Successful Implementation

Smart manufacturers want to maximize efficiency, productivity, and visibility, without escalating costs. Find out how you can achieve this balance in this blog.

Bill McGee joins Stan Miller in the ROKStudios

When it comes to the world of smart manufacturing, organizations everywhere are striving to seamlessly implement a smart manufacturing platform that maximizes efficiency, productivity, and transparency, while avoiding undue complexity and cost.

The challenge lies in finding equilibrium. As organizations grow over time, they will likely build many silos of different solutions and segment them into disparate parts of their operations. When they buy a new solution, the propensity is to build a new silo, but in the course of doing this, manufacturers are in fact adding a great level of complexity to their operations. Most of the time this complexity is not just unnecessary, but undermines overall efficiency.

For an effective, modern smart manufacturing platform to be successful, organizations need to remove all the excess noise from their systems and standardize their processes. This standardized approach can act as the single source of truth for the data and be a guide for how to manage the ongoing process efficiently and effortlessly.

However, to achieve this, there are several key best practices that are required from the onset of the implementation process that help navigate the challenges when adopting a smart manufacturing solution.

Start with the End in Mind

When manufacturers are looking to implement smart manufacturing platforms, the best place to start is by defining outcomes and goals. Aligning personal and organizational goals among all project stakeholders from the beginning will expedite the process. In the face of disruption or unexpected events occurring during the process, early and ongoing alignment helps to mitigate the impact of such occurrences.

By reaching early consensus on what each stakeholder or departments’ goals are, and involving them in the process from the outset, the sooner a more streamlined approach can be devised.

This is becoming increasingly significant in the face of evolving industry dynamics. Insights from State of Smart Manufacturing (SOSM) 2023 study showcase that:

46% of manufacturers lack the skilled workforce to outpace the competition over the next 12 months, while 43% lack the necessary technology
30% cited technological paralysis as the primary internal obstacle to their organization’s current growth

This data emphasizes the importance of the initial planning phase in understanding an organization’s core needs. The value of collaboration among different teams helps ensure these hurdles can be navigated through a cohesive approach, with a focus on the value, benefits, and desired outcomes prior to implementation.

Data is More Than Just a Buzzword

Data consumption and analysis have become ubiquitous in the industry today. With this added focus, companies can easily fall into the trap of thinking that by simply collecting more data, then they will be able to make better decisions. However, data is more than just a buzzword and warrants attention for acquiring and understanding reliable data. Simply put, organizations need to prioritize data that contributes to process efficiency, rather than just adding noise.

Reliable, actionable data free from error boosts confidence in the platform or solution and reduces doubt about decisions when all parties trust the accuracy of the data.

Simultaneously, it’s important to monitor and track key goals or outcomes. If an organization is making continuous improvements, but there are no systems to validate this, confidence in the process can quickly shift. Organizations must leverage data to demonstrate and quantify their goals, with a system that proves that best practices are indeed delivering the benefits that were set out in the initial planning stages.

Involve Stakeholders Early and Often

It is vital to the entire success of a project that key stakeholders are consulted and involved from the beginning of the implementation process, and are empowered to take a significant role in managing change throughout the organization. The analytical capabilities of smart manufacturing platforms, which support data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement in manufacturing operations, can help to ensure that a project stays on track.

By offering real-time, customizable reporting that can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of processes, stakeholders can maintain involvement and confidence in the process due to the high visibility afforded to them.

This sense of inclusion can catalyze the transformation of the entire organization, enabling what may have initially felt like a monumental change to shift into a new and more efficient standard of operation.

Find out more about the power of smart manufacturing here.

Published June 14, 2023

Bill McGee

VP Solutions and Value Engineering, PLEX

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