We live in the age of Industry 4.0, where manufacturers are carrying out comprehensive digital transformations. In order to keep up with the advancements in technology, the manufacturing sector is digitalising its operations.
We live in the age of Industry 4.0, where manufacturers are carrying out comprehensive digital transformations. In order to keep up with the advancements in technology, the manufacturing sector is digitalising its operations.
But how can companies that haven’t implemented a tech-forward strategy drive a digital transformation?
Establish a digital transformation strategy
When you’re ready to introduce a digital transformation to your organisation, your first step should be to establish your strategy. It’s important to know your end goal when you’re deciding how to bring about a digital transformation. If you don’t, your company might end up aimlessly adopting new processes that won’t have a significant impact on your operations.
When you’re setting out your strategy, you should define your steps. Detail each phase of your transformation. A clear strategy will give you metrics to measure against. This helps you figure out if you’re on the right track and achieving what you’ve intended to.
Consider your company’s future and what you want to achieve. How much impact is this digital transformation going to have and how will it improve your company’s bottom line. Think about the numbers – will a digital transformation see you cut costs or increase revenue? It’s important not to just think about the directly associated finances, but also those related to increases in productivity. When your workforce isn’t spending as much time on paperwork and legacy systems, they’ll be able to focus more on their actual work, upping productivity.
Ensure all your stakeholders buy in
All your company stakeholders need to be on the same page when it comes to a digital transformation. It’ll help to have full agreement and buy-in from everyone or resistance could see your plans falter.
Your company leaders – think C-suite and board members – need to set the example. They need to be fully on board to show the rest of your employees how beneficial a digital transformation is going to be. Once the leaders are on board, they can help encourage enthusiasm among the rest of your workforce.
It’s also worth getting the rest of your workforce involved in setting out the path towards digital transformation. This could see real increases in engagement, because they’re more likely to buy into a solution or strategy they helped develop, Futurum Research says.
Introduce an holistic digital culture
You know the whole point of a digital transformation is to introduce a digital culture to your organisation. This means you should be implementing as many digital technologies as possible, replacing your old paper documentation. When everything that can be digital is, you’ll see efficiency and productivity improvements.
The Annual Manufacturing Report 2018 by The Manufacturer revealed that 71% of industrial decision-makers agreed with the statement “We need to get digital technologies so we can prosper”. This shows companies are already on board with the idea of digitalising their operations. The question now is how they can do so across the whole business.
Have you considered digitally transforming your health and safety? As with everything in your organisation, you’ll find your safety management data capture, analysis and reporting is more efficient when it’s digital.
Introducing a system like our Dynamic Risk Indicator, which shows you an instant snapshot of your business’ risk status, means more consistency and greater accuracy. Because you can run our software on any modern browser, you’ll be able to carry out your health and safety tasks and duties anywhere at any time.
If you’re curious about introducing more digital operations to your business, just call us on 0161 967 1616 or leave your details with us below.