Effective Procedures That Manufacturers Use For Successful Digital Transformations
A comprehensive look at the necessary steps required to successfully build fully automated systems
One of the key challenges faced with regards to building digital transformation projects and adding digital technologies to their operations, is the inconvenience of breaking conventional professional routines to incorporate the required changes. The key is to shift technological automation methods from partially assisted to fully automated in company operations.
The first step is to identify the key areas where digital automation technology has the potential to improve quality or efficiency of Digital Transformation methods by assisting, not replacing, the operators. This can be accomplished by providing worker assistance tools such as digitising work instructions or implementing guidance systems that assist operators at each step, from component selection all the way through to inspection, assembly, identification, and fixation of installation errors.
The second step is to recruit a team dedicated to the digital transformation project, and get early buy-in from the company’s operators. Seeking out the right people to assemble a team is quintessential as the members must be able to understand the nature of the project as well as be able to effectively communicate and work with their superiors.
The third step is to define what a successful operation is. This should be discussed with the teams and the stakeholders involved in the project. The key indicators for success must be clearly defined and the benchmark criteria, for whether a project is ready or needs to be further worked on, must be established.
The fourth step is evaluating if the process is worth implementing for further automation. One could ensure full automation by reflecting on how and where a digital transformation project can be broken down into smaller categories, evaluating at each stage whether the project needs to be upgraded further towards full automation or not.
The final step of executing digital transformation processes is to rinse and repeat the process of development after the initial success. Taking incremental steps towards automation involves keeping a record of project ideas and reassessing them on a regular basis with stakeholders to discuss the goals of business impacts vs. implementation effort, in order to continue to prioritise the best level of automation for the facility.
