In today’s world, deciding best way to incorporate new and emerging technologies into a manufacturing business can be a tricky task.
Data security, privacy concerns and a common hesitance from workers to learn new ways of working are all common issues employers face and, particularly in the manufacturing sector, there is a real fear of automation putting people’s jobs at risk.
However, at Intoware, we believe that the human element of manufacturing is essential and, that only by combining real workers with digital technology can the true benefits of automation be achieved.
The workforce needs to sit at the heart of any digital transformation journey. Their insights and experience should sit front and centre when it comes to creating digital workflows and automation processes but, it’s unfortunately a step that’s often over looked by businesses.
Here are three reasons why putting your team at the heart of your digital transformation project is essential:
1. Invaluable Insights
Before we start work, we encourage all of our customers to gather insights from their employees to shape the creation of automated workflows.
Experienced team members often have their own ways of doing things and can help improve processes by sharing their experiences during the development phase, be it time-saving initiatives, record keeping techniques, or ways to boost customer satisfaction.
By involving employees in this process, companies can reap the productivity benefits that come when new technology assists and supports real working practices and methods, and be assured that their team feels connected and welcomes digital transformation into the working day.
2. Harnessing Expertise
Another important benefit of combining real people with digital automation is the ability to harness the expertise and experience of the workforce – something that’s invaluable as the older generations retire and leave a skills gap in the manufacturing industry.
These workers have invaluable knowledge and ways of working that they’ve established over years of working with their employer. When these people are involved in the process of creating digital workflows, they can contribute their thoughts and expertise to help train and develop the next generation.
By doing so, employers can rest assured that as the workforce naturally turns over with age, that important knowledge is retained within the team and passed on through the generations, in turn creating a truly connected workforce that brings thedigital and human minds together.
3. React and Evolve
Thanks to an ever-increasing amount of compliance and regulatory requirements within the sector, keeping up with important changes and communicating the impact of these developments throughout the workforce can be a big task.
By getting employees on board with digital workflows from day one of the digitalisation journey you can create a system that not only notifies workers of changes at the touch of a button, but also adds new workflows or tasks to satisfy the requirements, quickly.
Having the team work hand-in-hand with digital workflows allows employees to continually improve and keep up to date with compliance requirements, boosting accountability and bringing the much needed peace of mind that everything that needs to be done, is being done in the right way, at the right time.