Do more with less. It’s a line that you never want to hear at work, but it’s been the reality for many in the past year as workers stretch their time to grapple with new rules, regulations and ways of working. As the backbone of manufacturing operations, warehouse management is no different.
It is safe to say that for many operations executives across the manufacturing sector, chasing 4IR and Operational Excellence is like shooting a goal from halfway as the goalposts continuously move further and further away. When you’re optimising critical workplace operations in the face of evolving guidance, processes will need to be defined and refined time and time again.
Here’s the thing — 4IR does not have to be a 10-year strategy. Small applications of 4IR today can set you up to be sustainably competitive for years to come. Today, businesses need to take stock of their processes and revamp their 4IR strategies, all with fewer people on the ground. Here’s how technology can help.
Stop losing time on ‘work about work’
Inspections are critical to any operation. Keeping them in check starts with one important step: auditing your own processes first. Take an honest assessment of what’s working, what’s not, what has become too complex. Removing technological red tape is critical to improving compliance and fighting process fatigue. Workers need to feel like they are in control of the process and are seeing results.
SafetyCulture helps some of the world’s largest industries embed a culture of safety and operational excellence in their organisations. In doing so, we’ve seen firsthand the effect of cumbersome processes that weigh on pandemic weary employees and hamper day-to-day operations.
The scope of work in warehouse handling is broad and over-complicated workflows can be an added burden. In our line of work, we see the value in simple, effective processes every day. An easy way to simplify processes is by using a digital checklist. Moving from paper to digital through a platform like iAuditor helps drive accountability with actionable tasks and validation by having a clear end point that an employee can complete. Digital checklists effortlessly streamline the whole process from collation to analysis—and to action.
This optimises your operational processes in a way that collects data from your frontline workforce that funnels all the way up the chain to management. 4IR programs are underpinned with huge data sources, and the one resource you arguably have the least insight into, and potentially the most performance volatility is with your people. Encourage them to participate in your processes and gauge alignment to key efficiency measures. This data will eventually help you identify areas of improvement along the way.
Faster, richer, better data
Data equals visibility, and in a world where standards that are up to scratch today may be out of date tomorrow, visibility is key. Better data means better-equipped organisations with the tools they need to implement change.
Concentrate on combining your data sources into a single source of truth or location where you can adequately evaluate the full context of your operations and use the data to make more educated, forward-thinking decisions.
Many top firms today use Integrations and API connections as a means of centralising their data, often by funneling it into Business Intelligence tools for further analysis. A centralised data set also means that you can outsource to a data science resource, even if you don’t have access to an FTE, to further enhance your predictive analytics capabilities and prevent stock loss.
Connecting the dots from a distance
With social distancing requirements in place, the demands on workers have increased while headcount inevitably decreased. This is where the next phase of industrial innovation comes in.
Pilot industrial IoT through the use of low-cost deployment. Many high-cost industrial systems to date offer data feeds; the challenge is often connecting that data feed into a program that allows you to meaningfully action that data. Seek out a secondary system, that allows you to connect in your Industrial (IIoT) feeds into a central location and monitor their improvement.
Alternatively, if you’re working with older equipment, there are many low-cost sensors that you can find on the market today. While not fully connected to your industrial machinery, they may be a great testing ground to monitor certain aspects of asset performance.
Rather than struggling to do more with less, technology frees capacity so organisations can do more with less. Despite a growing workload, the right tools will give warehousing teams the time to focus on what’s most important – shaping and improving operational standards. Taking away the burden of cumbersome, paper-filled processes lets teams spring into action right away to solve an issue, whatever it may be.
Discover how manufacturing companies like yours are using iAuditor by SafetyCulture to drive operational excellence. Download this report and revamp your operations strategy with emerging industry trends.
About SafetyCulture:
SafetyCulture is a global technology company which supports businesses to do their best work every day. Its adaptive, mobile-first platform helps organisations create a continuous feedback loop across working teams to improve their operations. Used by over 28,000 organisations, its flagship products, iAuditor and EdApp enable teams to perform checks, train staff, report issues, capture data and communicate fluidly. SafetyCulture powers over 600 million checks per year, approximately 50,000 lessons per day and millions of corrective actions. In doing so its award-winning products integrate seamlessly to help organisations build immunity to risk.
