The manufacturing industry is facing a number of challenges, including inflation, supply chain disruptions, recruitment and retention of suitable employees, and changing customer demands. In order to remain competitive, manufacturers need to find ways to improve their operations.
Benefits of digitalization
Manufacturers can automate processes, collect data, and make better decisions using digital technologies. This can lead to many benefits, including:
- Increased productivity
- Reduced costs
- Improved quality
- Faster time to market
- Better customer service
Ways to digitalize a manufacturing process
There are many ways to automate and digitalize a manufacturing process. Some common examples include:
- Using sensors and data analytics to monitor equipment performance: This can help to identify potential problems before they cause downtime or defects.
- Automating manual tasks: This can free up workers to focus on more strategic tasks, and it can also help to improve accuracy and consistency.
- Using 3D printing to create prototypes and parts: This can shorten the product development cycle and reduce costs.
- Using cloud-based collaboration tools to share information across the enterprise: This can improve communication and coordination, and it can also help to reduce errors.
Of course, digitization is not without its challenges. For example, it can be expensive to implement new digital technologies. Additionally, it can be difficult to change the mindset of employees who are used to working in a traditional way.
However, the benefits of digitization far outweigh the challenges. As a result, more and more manufacturing companies are embracing digital technologies to improve their efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
Practical steps for manufacturing companies
If you are a manufacturing company that is considering digitization, there are a few practical steps you can take:
- Start by identifying the areas where you can improve efficiency. This could involve anything from automating manual tasks to improving quality control.
- Do your research and identify the right digital technologies for your needs. There is a wide range of digital technologies available, so it is important to choose the ones that will have the biggest impact on your business.
- Ensure you have the right people and processes in place to support the implementation of new digital technologies. This is essential for ensuring that the implementation is successful.
- Measure the results of your digitization efforts and track your progress over time. This will help you to see how your investments are paying off.
Digitization is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The best way to approach digitization is to tailor your approach to your specific needs and goals. This is where Thorgate can help you - with the analysis, development, and implementation of new technologies.
Real-life use cases of digital transformation in manufacturing companies
Thorgate has been providing speciality digital solutions for the manufacturing industry in Estonia for over 12 years. We have helped a number of companies to improve their operations with digitization, including Krah pipes, PMC and TB Safety.
Krah Pipes is a leading manufacturer of construction pipes. They were using enormous Excel tables that often broke because of the complicated nest of embedded formulas which, due to their inflexibility, did not allow any human errors. Thorgate helped them develop a digital solution to optimize their scheduling and logistics and automate their quality control systems. As a result, they have been able to save 100s of hours of manual work. Read more about their new system here.
PMC is a manufacturer of high-quality accessories for different heavy machinery. Thorgate built software that helps them to plan production efficiently. With the new digital solution, they can control custom production management to design and simulate parts, create manufacturing instructions, and track the progress of their orders easily. Thanks to the created system, the company gained greater insight into actual time spent per product, average turnaround time, as well as the types and regularity of mistakes that had occurred in the production over a period of time, allowing them to gear their focus more on creating value to their customers rather than day-to-day administration. For instance, the time to create the CMR for a full truckload of goods decreased from half an hour to 10 minutes. Read more about their custom digital solution here.
TB-Safety AG is a renowned Swiss developer and producer of ventilation systems and full-body protective gear. Thorgate helped them develop a custom minimum viable product (MVP) for their production management system that improved the order management, process tracking, refined the user experience, and automated the shipping and reporting management. Read more about this project here.
These are just a few examples of how Thorgate has helped manufacturers to improve their efficiency with digitization. If you are a manufacturer, you should consider using custom digital technologies to improve your operations.
Conclusion
Digitization can help manufacturers to improve their efficiency, productivity, and profitability. It is important to note that there are also some challenges associated with digital transformation. However, these challenges can be overcome with suitable planning and execution. If you are a manufacturer, you should consider how you can use digital technologies to improve your own operations.
Thorgate can help you reap the benefits of digitalization. If you want to discuss your digitalisation needs, then write to laura.karindi@thorgate.eu
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