Smart manufacturing… The secret for onboarding and retention?

Rocked by waves of shortages worldwide, manufacturing has seen a great number of challenges rising whilst trying to supply demands. Although an increase in job vacancies may be good news for eager and aspiring workers in the industry, a lack of interest in skilled trades has wide-ranging consequences on businesses. To curb the problem, prolific enterprises are looking for modern, if not futuristic solutions to empower their control on procedures, as well as sustaining their goals now and in the future.

Providing the right tools to attract an eager workforce

It seems the general understanding on technological integration within industry is paradoxical. On the one hand, the automation can effectively optimize and reduce the need for larger teams within operations; on the other hand, we cannot say these solutions are a means to replace them.

As automation and the utilization of digital solutions seem to outpace the demographic of trades, there is a great advantage to attracting an adaptable workforce and those nurtured by technology. However, it’s not as easy as turning a page to a new chapter. Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, we cannot rush things and replace the existing foundations of manufacturing.

The key here is to adapt with an evolutive approach to support IIOT. Interconnectivity offers a transparent communication between team members and empowers them to focus on their specialization. This ease of communication grants a clear and concise sharing of knowledge in real time.

The question many ponder is whether technologically inclined solutions can offer enough to curb the growing worries within manufacturing. Further, how can technology support ambitious production, while promoting individual growth within the plant’s walls?

The key? A solution focussed on an evolutive integration

By following an approach to empower key players to achieve their full potential, the right digital solution, one that is trailored to individual needs, will offer significant advantages such as:

• A procedural standard, where it is reassuring for postulants to see that there is a meticulous and organized approach to the operation.
• An ease of accessibility, through web-based tablet interfaces, that of which the demographic is actively looking for.
• An ecological perspective, where there is an exponentially growing desire for enabling team members to proactively adjust to reduce waste, increase productivity and simplify communication with a sustainable central system.
• Support for connected worker culture, where tools allow for the ease of digital collaboration and problem solving, without the need for lengthy phone calls, wait times, and promoting information accessibility.

Digital solutions, such as a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), which focusses on the hands-on aspects of production can offer tangible support to operational management. In turn, they can lead to significant changes that evolve into production increase and unlocking potentiality. These aspects revolve around well-founded points-of-interest, namely:

• Commercial planning and logistics.
• Operation and production management.
• Factory floor supervision.
• Manipulation detection and tracking.
• Digitalization and collection of data.

In short, integrated solutions can offer an effective support that strengthens overall performance, while promoting a solid work culture to attract and retain an aspiring workforce. Focussing on the employees themselves, a MES will effectively support and empower two main axes:

• Onboarding, training, and accompaniment.
• Proactive growth and measurable success.

Onboarding, training, and accompaniment

A lack of skilled labour presents a significant challenge to companies. Before significant issues came to light at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic the situation was already in need of alternative solutions to tackle an uncertain future.

A survey report by the Canadian Manufacturer & Exporters (CM&E) stated that over 85% of manufacturers were already starting to have no choice but to hire untrained candidates, due to the plummeting interest in Canada’s youth pursue careers in skilled trades.

While solutions are still trying to be figured out to solve this issue, digital solutions seem to offer a better way to promote production and growth. Integrated solutions come in a wide range of variety to support tailored needs targeting main various aspects of management. Their goal is basically to maximize potential from within a factory’s walls.

As such, an integrated solution like a MES can effectively interconnect the various points of interest spread throughout a factory floor. This interconnectivity is deemed the investment enabler; it is what allows you to seek out rough edges and polish them to maximize the flow of production.

In terms of integration and training, an MES serves as an extra hand to support and follow newcomers. In supporting operators within your grounds using user-friendly and accessible software solutions, you can in turn plan for uncertainties by accompanying new and rotating staff.

It assists where habitually tedious and time-consuming tasks would affect production, effectively granting your team members an autonomy of responsibility. A real-time accessible dashboard with workorders, checklists, and interconnected data is an asset in empowering your team to have a full control of their posts. For the newer generations, it is an asset to have this digital accessibility in the form of a tablet to promote a hasty integration, breaking the historical strains of manual chains of production.

Proactive growth and measurable success

Technological solutions offer for proactive self-assessment by granting a straightforward User Interface (UI) paired with an efficient User Experience (UX). Factory workers can easily navigate the platform to not only overview the production data but be empowered to assess their performance and set personal growth targets. It also allows for a centralized and dependable bank of information to reassure and accompany them to limit unpredictability.

Traditionally, manufacturers needed to adjust quick wittedly for production changes, which could result in losses in time sequencing, production, and possible work-related accidents. Keeping track of several production changes with different variables, adjustments and tests is hard enough. By utilizing a digital tool, such as the right MES, your can effectively overview the operation and empower your team with advanced planning, estimation and laying out SMART and attainable goals. Not only achievable goals but setting standards you can count on and replicate day after day to ensure a constant and optimized flow of production. Effectively, a bird-eye view empowers you to guarantee this return on investment by easily keeping a proactive control on all of the crucial points of interest.

An evolutive implementation of smart manufacturing solutions can enable your existing teams, as well as new additions to integrate rapidly. This allows for a quicker and clearer overall communication. In turn, you can quantify and visualize production, refine, and optimise standards of practice, and reap higher rewards while supporting a high-quality interconnected work culture.

While there are several additional benefits, digital solution can efficiently support your teams to do what they do best and bring up to speed ambitious newcomers to their full potential.