The digitization of production operations
The digitization of operations, or digital transformation, has emerged over the years as a major challenge for companies.
New technologies brought about by the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, industrial robots, sensors, automation and management software increase a company’s visibility, promote productivity, and significantly improve processing times.
This is an important step in modern industrial evolution. It enables companies to be more agile and promotes innovation. Embracing digitalization is now a prerequisite for staying in the race and gaining efficiency, precision, and competitiveness.
It can exist at different levels:
- Digitization of business processes
- Digitization of products
- Digitization of data
- Digitization of operations
- Digitization of human resources
- …
The digitization of operations, by implementing computerized tools such as MES software, will enable information to be collected from different production units and consolidated and exchanged in real time. By making it more accessible to all relevant personnel, digitization will initially facilitate and simplify communication within teams (visual management), and then contribute to planning and organizing production operations between different departments. Dematerialized information and content will be able to be distributed to a larger number of people. Content that can be shared and modified in real time by everyone will increase collaborative work between different departments on the same project.
Digitizing operations simplifies and automates operational processes, thereby reducing manual tasks for operators and the risk of errors: product quality is improved, production losses are reduced, and production costs are optimized.
Digitizing operations also facilitates the implementation of an eco-responsible approach and contributes to easier recruitment of personnel (by making the job more attractive).
Furthermore, by replacing paper documents
with electronic documents (plans, operating procedures, production instructions, adjustment instructions, quality reports, troubleshooting guides, etc.), operators gain in agility, efficiency, and productivity. They can carry out their tasks with peace of mind, and managers know that product quality will be assured.
All production operations are therefore traced systematically. Real-time access to the conditions under which manufacturing took place allows for subsequent analysis (which batch of material was used? Which equipment was it processed in? On which production line?).
This strategy benefits everyone: traditional production processes are improved, efficiency is increased, product quality is impeccable, customer expectations and needs are met, and revenues are maximized.