Part 2 of 4
Hollywood has at times done its best to scare us away from automations. Movies like I, Robot; Terminator; and the Transformers series can make the world of A.I. and automatons seem like a scary place. But then think of the people that have Rumbas that vacuum their houses for them or cars that drive and/or park for them. Even self-checkout scanners are an automation that many of us don’t hesitate to use when the lines at the local Target are out of control. So why hesitate to put similar practices, driven by data, to work for you to enhance your business?
We’re going to take a look at why it’s necessary to move away from outdated, one-size fits all technology.
Reason #1- Your broad system technology cannot produce tailored results
The concept of one size fits all sounds great because regardless of what you produce, how much you produce, or how you’re producing it, the technology should work if it fits everything, right? However, that is not actually the case, and often times when that extra step of finding the technology that serves you best is not taken, time, money, and productivity are lost, and you and your customers are put at a disadvantage. Yes, there are bolt-ons or add-on software that can easily connect to the broader architecture of the system for more specific functionality. However, at what cost do these add-ons come?
Modifications can often cause companies to exceed their implementation budgets. Third-party support often needs to be brought in, and often times it these modifications can take extended periods of time, even years, especially when spread across multiple locations. When modifications or bolt-ons are added, new training needs to be completed for your staff, and some systems already have steep learning curves. In an industry already heavily understaffed, relying on systems with complicated and heavy training burdens is less than ideal.
Reason #2- If you can’t bend, you break
Modifications take time while the right customization is found, the proper connection code given, and the necessary information spread through the staff. We may be willing to be flexible in a number of ways, very rarely can we be flexible with our time. There just never seems to be enough. Without new, updated ways of processes, any change, like the availability of the supply chain or number of staff, can heavily impact the production optimization.
Without data-driven software and technology, this inflexibility will hurt your business far beyond the shop floor. The sales team won’t be aware of current issues or updates, managers won’t be aware of the need for system upgrades and maintenance needs, and all of this will lead to customers having the wrong information.
Reason #3- Lack of focus on innovation
Karen Martin, a well-known author on business, wrote that when everything is priority, nothing is priority. Operating under established broad systems takes possibilities right out of your hands. Each manufacturer has unique needs, regulations, and requirements.
Being chained to one system doesn’t allow the opportunity to see the solutions that are available to you. You’re forced to work inside a box, but we now live in a world often far outside of the box.
Therefore, finding best-of-breed solutions can highly enhance daily and overall operations. Most data-centric IIoT-based solutions can successfully bridge the gap between older MES platforms and new software to allow competitive advancements. Manufacturers can easily upgrade core functionality with low- or no-code IIoT solutions. This means not just fast solutions, but strong solutions can be provided so that your customer receives the best product provided in the desired timeline.
Intentional, Flexible, Innovative
Those are key words in what many businesses try to achieve, however, your outdated technologies are more than likely impeding your ability to reach these standards. Flexibility in this day and age is key to success. Just think about how something as simple as grocery shopping has changed. Prior to a few years ago, you may have been shopping at one store and believed in brand loyalty. In the past two years, though, stores haven’t had the inventory needed, and customers have found themselves having to try different stores or different brands. We all need to adapt to find the practices that work best for us.
In your business, this means creating a configuration, not a customization, that is modern and flexible, fast to implement, highly scalable, and simple to operate. This configuration should create an architectural system that adapts highly mature SaaS technology to minimize manual data entry and allowing the best possible user experience for all members of your team, whether on the shop or sales floor.
Keep reading the series to see how Godlan, Prophecy IoT, and Infor ERP services can help you be both flexible and innovative and maintain a competitive edge. Visit www.godlan.com and www.prophecyiot.com for further information or call 586.464.4400 to speak with us about beginning the process today.
