While we spend most of our efforts helping clients, there are times where we step back and reflect on the lessons we learn through these endeavors. I spent half of 2017 working with Crown, a leading innovator in world-class forklift and material-handling equipment. Through the course of this time, I personally saw changes confirming the app we were developing truly was a key factor in an increase in their employee productivity.
Through app usage, Crown developed a productivity mindset and removed organizational obstacles to their workforce productivity. The app gives employees the ability to work efficiently, keep their equipment operational, and ensure that tools or parts are readily available. Employees are now more productive because the former structures and processes, that consumed valuable time and prevented them from getting things done, have been replaced. Now, with higher labor throughput and with the same amount of relative work, they are more productive.
With these efforts in mind, I compiled the following five ways an app can increase a manufacturer’s employee productivity.
1. Reduce movement to optimize task efficiency
There are many factors that can contribute to unnecessary, time-consuming movement including ineffective floor layout; temporarily displacing material, information, tools, or people; and inefficient working methods. Movement can be reduced by strategically placing objects and information within an app, giving employees quick and easy access to this information. This can eliminate the need for time-consuming searches and demonstrations. For example, video of how to operate equipment can help employees better familiarize themselves with key information about the operations, which will empower them to make informed decisions that help improve their overall productivity.
2. Improve scheduling and plan for interruptions to reduce bottlenecks
Companies must act quickly when something goes wrong, or when their process must be put on hold momentarily because of a malfunction, rejections, or any other changes that may occur. By having access to real-time information regarding employees, tools, and materials, adjustments and accommodations can be made for interruptions. Establishing the right system enables a company to determine the feasibility of scheduling requests, estimate the impact, and even minimize the impact it could have on production.
3. Improve equipment reliability
Neglecting to maintain equipment, tools, or software puts the process at risk from unaccounted-for downtime. Furthermore, equipment that is poorly maintained or outdated will affect product quality. By taking a more strategic approach and analyzing performance data for key trends, potential issues can be anticipated and maintenance schedules created to extend the longevity of tools, equipment, and software. An app that displays these maintenance schedules gives employees quick access and keeps them informed on equipment status, enabling them to know which equipment needs repairs and which parts are needed for the equipment beforehand. As a result, there will be plans in place to help avoid disruptions to production due to unplanned downtime.
4. Optimize inventory levels to reduce shortages
It’s difficult to be productive when the proper tools to handle a task are unavailable. Companies need to account for and address short count, unexpected delays, and/or late deliveries. An app with this useful information allows accurate and timely visibility of inventory, keeps users informed on what’s running low, possible issues that might arise, and helps address these issues before they become problems that will affect production. In the cases where the shortages are unavoidable, having this system in place will enable users to account for them and even re-assign resources in the meantime.
5. Automate the process
The advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning has reached, or in some cases surpassed, humans in several different work activities. Having an automated process in production, or even part of an existing process can greatly improve the efficiency and productivity of the process. When the gathering and sending of information is automated, the possibility of human error is eliminated, which effectively prevents disruption to workforce productivity.
At Shockoe, we have been helping businesses increase their productivity by implementing these ideas. We even improved our own process by having systems in place to make our process more productive and efficient, so we can deliver an exceptional product to our clients. Our work with Crown has given us insight on how an application can improve a manufacturer’s productivity. By providing functionality like time tracking, inventory and equipment management, parts logs, order checklists, and more, we have successfully improved productivity for Crown’s workforce. Contact us to take the next step toward improving the quality of your company’s processes and productivity today.
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