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The popular image of Smart Technology features the hardware: Robots, 3D printing and Headsets etc.  However the real gains are not just down to the tech; the true value of Smart Technology comes from how it changes the dynamics of day to day operation, enhancing connectivity between people, plant and processes to transform manufacturing for the better. 

Digitisation "Closes the Loop" between the physical and digital worlds to remove legacy barriers to best practices and enable real time decision making.  It does that by extending business access to generic software such as email to include Apps and cloud based services designed to link up with traditional IT software.  That enables the use of smartphone/tablet apps to automate routine tasks and provide access to information where and when it is needed.  This enables slicker ways of working across end to end Plan, Source Make Deliver processes such as those listed in the table below.

Plan	Source	Make	Deliver
Demand Management	Procurement	Production Start up, Steady state, Close down	Order Assembly
Planning and communication	Stock management	Asset Care: Prevention, Measurement, Servicing	Quality Assurance
Scheduling and organising	Goods inward	Budgeting and cost control	Vehicle management
Health and Safety	Location Control	Recording and Reporting	Returns
Recruitment and Training		Skill development

Table 1: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver Process Summary

The digital ecosystem fundamentally changes how people interact with assets and related work routines to make data work for you, not the other way around.  For example

Moving from time based to usage/condition based Maintenance saves time and streamlines the maintenance planning process but.......

...... the real gains come from stabilising and extending component life.  That involves engaging front line users with using the digital ecosystem to identify and deal with the causes of accelerated wear and human error that reduce component life by as much as 50%.

As this example shows, delivering the real gains from digitisation takes more than just learning how to use the tech. To deliver the gains involves engaging front line personnel with using the data the system provides to:

• Identify the 20% of notification triggers that provide 80% of the control to avoid alarm storms,
• Define responses and accountabilities for actions,
• Reformat work routines and data to support the new approach,
• Retrain personnel and assure compliance to chances in working practices.

The role of digitisation within that is to provide access to data and although machine learning and artificial intelligence are powerful analysis tools, they cannot compete with the experience of your existing skilled personnel.

Who truly drives these gains?

Answer: The unsung heroes, front line workers. The reality is that success in optimising digitisation hinges on their engagement and collaboration.

It's a voyage of discovery, with front line workers in the engine room. It is their insights that drive the pace of change on the operational excellence journey.

Front line workers possess the hands-on experience to innovate. With support, they can use the digital ecosystem to develop the insights to prevent misoperation refine processes, and enhance productivity.

Local leaders, front line personnel, and senior leaders must unite to meet this challenge.

In organisations that do this well, the transition is carried out by an internal improvement network of cross functional teams of production, maintenance and support staff using their collective skills to test out new ideas and change the shop floor reality.  That creates an environment where leaders collaborate across shifts to develop and share best practices that stabilise and ratchet up performance.

The Make TPM Lean and Digital programme provides leaders with the vehicle to deliver those benefits  through:

• TPM Centres of Excellence
  • Develop organisational capabilities to stabilise and optimise asset performance through improved use of data, compliance, skill matching/development, improvement glide path delivery, planning, material control and performance management.
• Lean Maintenance
  • A programme to redirect maintenance and specialist time from preventing downtime to preventing defects as a way of delivering optimum conditions.
• Technology Project Delivery
  • As a way of improving how technology is introduced and enhanced as a result of changes to business products and services.  Initially, this will focus on dealing with pain points.  The same competencies are used to adapt to provide new products and services which will undoubtedly involve digital link ups with customers and suppliers.  An area of development which will need close collaboration between Commercial, Operations and Technology functions.

The programme also develops management processes by linking Senior and Local Leaders routines with  cross functional teams improvements to align the actions of each level of the organisation as they adapt to the insights gained from using the Digital Ecosystem. 

Although this involves reinvesting some of the time saved and providing support for the transition, the returns are substantial.  Typically, the annual benefits are 4 to 6 times the initial investment.

DAK SUPPORT

Our role is to raise awareness of how to harness the gains form Smart Technology and to facilitate the change process, ensuring a smooth transition. 

Releasing the synergy between TPM Lean and Digital guides this journey to where real-time data unveils lost effectiveness, deciphers cause and effect, and validates countermeasures within the daily workflow.  Our Make TPM Lean and Digital programme provides hands on support.  Click the link or make contact now for more details. 

Alternatively, our 1 day in house Make TPM Lean and Digital  training workshop provides a working session for key stakeholders to raise understanding of what is possible and work together to develop a forward programme.

This includes a review of the current approach to technology projects against best in class standards so that the forward programme builds on good practices and deals with gaps and barriers to change. 

Contact us to find out more about how we can help your team to accelerate the pace of improvement and deliver the full potential of your operations.