Due to health and safety concerns during the Coronavirus pandemic, many manufacturers have paused or reduced their operations. Shutdowns are difficult for any industry, but for manufacturers, starting and stopping their complex production processes involves much more than flipping a switch. And while the slowdown has presented challenges, starting back up introduces uncertainty, including the risk of employees getting sick. One way to minimize this risk is to adopt a paperless system for managing day-to-day production.
A paperless system involves using technology to manage all aspects of manufacturing, from logistics management to production scheduling and all the processes in between. By digitizing production management, manufacturers can fully leverage technology, for greater safety and resilience in response to disasters and public health concerns.
Paperless Systems Enable Social Distancing
Eliminating paper records is a key component of the type of social distancing that will be necessary today and will become part of the normal routine tomorrow. Paperless systems significantly reduce the need for employee interaction, with features such as digital work orders, OEE dashboard reporting, track and trace visibility, remote system access and easily accessible electronic documentation. Employees remain safely distant, with some being able to operate remotely.
Paperless systems help shop floors avoid person to person contact and physical item touchpoints. Systems can track employee status to support proper distancing protocols and employee access restriction through workforce management software.
Communication is easier through comprehensive paperless systems, and visibility increases so collaboration can focus on moving forward instead of ensuring the paperwork is correct and in the right hands. Employees can remain at a safe distance, with critical job functions being met.
Reduce errors caused by old paperwork and human error
Paperless manufacturing management also helps your business avoid steps where errors can be made. With a paperless system, manufacturers can automate tasks, thereby removing human interaction and error. But an automated system can also increase data accuracy as information is centralized and certain limits can be made on entries to reduce the risk of operator error.
Maintaining paper records can also be expensive, wastes natural resources, and requires physical management and space.
Gain plant efficiencies through visibility and consistency
A paperless system also solves issues across your entire production lifecycle and supply chain, supporting advanced scheduling, product traceability, warehouse picking, and more. More than just digitizing information and records, paperless systems allow for automatic and responsive routing. Capacity planning can also be supported, with a task-directed remote access system and other employee management features.
The visibility provided by paperless systems delivers full track and trace of each product step. Visibility means you know the status of your production all the time, and during times of interruption, this translates to easier scaling up or down. And because this full visibility extends to the complete supply chain, you see gate-to-gate from incoming inventory to final shipment.
When you see everything, you can plan for what’s coming down the road. From responding to stock breaks to setting quality control limits and the ability to tap into analytics, insights and quality reports, you can put your data to work.
The manufacturing production floor of today has changed. Workers need to keep a distance, but that doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice productivity and production levels to maintain safety. Combine social distancing and employee status management with the automation and digitization of a paperless system and realize safety and results.
Objective’s single system solution clears the path for resilient production. Objective effectively removes touchpoints and solves common issues with stopping and restarting production, no matter the reason for the pause.
It’s easy to see how Objective delivers results. Our product demonstrations and onsite proof of concept trials can be handled outside of client locations, with no need for Objective employees to be on premises. Remote demonstration saves time, keeps your employees safe, and is just another way that Objective can help you navigate toward success.
Learn more about how Objective is the paperless single system solution to help you keep your employees safe and increase overall productivity and efficiency. Contact us today.
