Blog Archives - Page 13 of 15

4 Challenges Manufacturers Face When Adopting A Digital Transformation Strategy

July 15, 2019

There have been countless changes in technology over the past couple of decades: Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Artificial intelligence, and Augmented Reality (to name a few). But with all of these advances in technology, the 350 million workers in manufacturing are being asked to perform increasingly complex jobs using technology that has remained relatively unchanged for 20 years, and, according to Deloitte, manufacturing is already looking at a potential skilled labor shortage of 2.4 million workers in the next decade. Whether this is because enterprise software solutions are expensive, technically complex, difficult to implement, or lack continuous improvement opportunities, these users and processes have been underserved and require a well-planned digital transformation strategy to keep them competitive.

Although there has been a recent trend towards a digital transformation that looks at applying new technologies to improve operational processes, the workers who actually perform these processes are not being considered. Because of this, the frontline worker is largely disconnected from the digital thread of the business, and improvement in productivity seems stagnant.

Key Challenges Manufacturers Face Today

As with any transformational change, adopting a digital transformation strategy is no easy undertaking. We currently see 4 key challenges industrial organizations face when adopting a digital transformation strategy:

1.) Tribal Knowledge and the “Skills Gap”
Senior production workers and subject matter experts have accumulated valuable experience and knowledge, which has been typically hard to capture and convert into an asset that is able to be easily shared and used by others. The younger workforce that is entering the manufacturing sector does not have the knowledge that their senior peers have, but are expected to perform the same jobs, at the same level of productivity and quality.

2.) Lack of Insight
Lack of insight into how workers are performing their jobs on a day-to-day basis is also an issue. There is no fine-grained detail regarding worker activity – how are workers performing vs. benchmarks, are they having trouble on certain steps, what are they doing well, do they have feedback on operational procedures that could help the rest of the workforce? This lack of data and insight has made it extremely difficult to improve the performance of frontline workers. As a result, there is little or no basis for making decisions for improvement across the organization.

3.) Lack of Guidance and Accurate Information
Organizations are struggling with the quality of human-centric processes, as they often suffer from inaccurate, outdated paper-based work instructions. In many cases productivity is also an issue because workers are not equipped with the right tools or instrumented with the appropriate guidance that would help them perform their jobs at peak productivity.

4.) Workers are Disconnected
And lastly, frontline workers are not integrated with their work environment. The human-centric and job-specific workflows are not digitally integrated into the overall business environment and enterprise systems (ERP, CRM) that are critical to the business. The reality of today’s frontline workforce in manufacturing is that workers are not connected to the digital fabric of the business.

Bridging the Digital-Reality Gap

The good news is that there are a number of new strategies and technologies that manufacturing organizations are implementing to solve these problems. In particular, the rise of Enterprise Augmented Reality has lead to a major shift in improving the productivity of the frontline workforce of manufacturing organizations.

Although this is a great first step, Enterprise Augmented Reality alone isn’t enough to deliver sustainable value in manufacturing. In order to see true transformational results, it is key to have a combination of the following:

Enterprise AR: Delivers initial improvements in productivity and quality for the frontline workforce.
Consumerization of Software: Enables ease-of-use and ubiquity across the manufacturing landscape.
Artificial Intelligence: Drives continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Only when these three elements are combined will you see continuous improvements in the productivity of your frontline workforce.

To learn how Enterprise Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and the Consumerization of Software are delivering transformational value in manufacturing download our white paper, “The Rise of the Augmented Worker.”

Get My Free White Paper

Field Service: It’s Deja Vu All Over Again

Blog

“There is an increasing pressure on the sector to make the most out of every field service technician.” “The impact of lost knowledge and customer relationships built over the years and decades by retiring technicians is keeping service leaders up at night.” “Many companies have not been able to capture their ‘tribal knowledge’ in a […]

August 21, 2018

“There is an increasing pressure on the sector to make the most out of every field service technician.”

“The impact of lost knowledge and customer relationships built over the years and decades by retiring technicians is keeping service leaders up at night.”

“Many companies have not been able to capture their ‘tribal knowledge’ in a systematic way, risking the loss of valuable insight into service operations.”

These quotes come from “The Future of Field Service”, a February 2018 article in Field Technologies Online. Of course, they also could have been quotes from a 2008 or even earlier version of the article. Why is it that these problems that have been considered significant issues by Field Service executives are not solved and still considered problems year after year? Are they simply intractable problems that have no solution? Perhaps the answer to these questions is hidden in another quote from the article:

“The core of field service, the technician’s visit, is the aspect least addressed by field service management solutions.”

To date, everything before and after a site visit is digitized and chronicled to great extent, but much of what goes on during the visit is still very much a “black box”. Sure, there are now Remote Expert video based collaboration tools that may allow recording of a session, but what if the person on site IS the expert and doesn’t need to make that call? In addition, these solutions don’t capture what went on before or after the the call. What did the tech do that lead up to the call? Without that information we (a) put the expert at a disadvantage because they have no context to help solve the problem and (b) fail to capture the tribal knowledge of what NOT to do, or understand the common mistakes that might lead to difficulties in the field.

From my early days working on Internet based Remote Service, first with Questra and then with ThingWorx, I have seen many companies that have tried to address the Tribal Knowledge issue in many ways. Knowledge Management systems, social networking tools, video chat sessions, etc. have all been moderately successful at best, and usually at very high cost. The reason for this is that they largely relied on “after the fact” documentation. Asking the tech to remember everything that happened while on-site (while they are rushing off to the next job) is often a lesson in futility.

So, what is the answer? How do we break open that black-box? To quote from the article once again:

“It seems so paradoxical that so few field service management solutions focus on these aspects of field service”

Some folks have seen IIoT as a solution, letting the equipment itself collect and send data. While this is certainly helpful, it doesn’t reveal the true story of what the tech is experiencing onsite. Others have said that the aforementioned video collaboration tools are the answer, but again, there is the critical before and after the call information that is missing. And mixing Social Networking and people heading towards retirement is almost never a good idea(!).

So what is the answer? Are we destined to forever be wandering around the darkened room of the customer site visit with a blindfold on? At Augmentir we think perhaps not. But much more on that later…

Will Enterprise AR suffer the same fate as Industrial IoT?

Blog

Recently, I co-founded Augmentir with three key executives from my prior start-up, ThingWorx, and have been exploring Enterprise AR. ThingWorx was the company that created the Industrial IoT application platform category and was arguably the most successful start-up in the IIoT space, getting acquired by PTC in early 2014. The acquisition of ThingWorx was the […]

July 13, 2018

Prior to founding Augmentir, I did a fairly deep dive into the marketecture of Enterprise AR and found that it reminded me of the early IIoT space — fragmented with lots of companies occupying niches:

Custom solution builders around Smart Glasses
Vertical Solution Builders
Smart Glass vendors
Technology providers
And more

Gartner’s recent release of the IIoT “Magic Quadrant” was both reaffirming and disappointing. It was personally reaffirming to see that ThingWorx, under the leadership of Jim Heppelmann, CEO of PTC, occupies the “Most Magic” position in the IIoT space. However, it was disappointing to see that after ten years, the IIoT space has not yet “crossed the chasm” as evidenced by the fact that no vendor is in THE Magic Quadrant.

Why would IIoT, a space that has so many compelling ROI stories, still be stuck between early adopter and mainstream? I have a point of view on this — while IIoT solutions can be extremely valuable and transformative, they have to be easy to own in order to achieve mainstream adoption. IIoT is anything but “easy to own”: this starts with the high friction, traditional enterprise sales process, long pilots, expensive, “Value-based” pricing, long, risky implementation cycles, and vendor lock-in/high switching costs. This makes it hard for even large enterprise businesses to fully adopt, and given these dynamics, it’s easy to understand how Small and Mid-sized businesses have been essentially locked out of the IIoT opportunity.

Unfortunately, in Enterprise AR I see the same dynamics unfolding. High friction sales and POCs, combined with long implementation cycles and high prices, will keep Enterprise AR mired in the early adopter phase. Already, sales of Smart Glasses for the enterprise are hugely disappointing, signaling that the market is unfolding much more slowly than analysts have projected. This will disappoint many investors and dash the hopes of many startups who believe in market projections, not realizing that they are a key part of the problem.

Certainly, we need a new direction if Enterprise AR has any hope of ever crossing the chasm and achieving mainstream adoption.

How to Create First Time Quality Plans

Blog

Connected frontline operations platforms are helping manufacturers reduce downtime and provide a foundation for a holistic preventive maintenance strategy.

April 23, 2023

First time quality plans, or first time right plans, are a manufacturing approach that ensures all processes on the production floor are performed properly the first time, every time. A FTQ plan is a document that outlines which standards, practices, and resources are needed to execute those procedures to create high-quality products.

A quality plan is a must to guarantee zero-defect goods and prevent the need for any rework or scrapping of parts. If a manufacturer’s goods do not meet internal, industry, or consumer standards, then it’s more than likely that they won’t sell.

Every product development project should have a quality plan in place. Read on to learn how to create a first time quality plan document:

What to include in a first time quality plan

A FTQ plan, when executed correctly, can help you reach 100% FTQ, which means zero defective products. As a result, it boosts consumer trust in your product and your company’s credibility. It’s a good way to cover all bases to ensure nothing is left out, from product goals and objectives to testing requirements and distribution.

A FTQ plan may contain the following:

Goals and objectives, including item specifications, cycle time, materials, cost, etc.
A list of procedures
Worker expectations and responsibilities
What industry standards should be applied
A method for measuring quality
Testing requirements
Updates to procedures

3 steps for creating a FTQ plan

Developing a quality proposal is a great starting point for making sure that products are made right the first time around.

The steps below explain how to successfully create first time quality plans and strategies that give your manufacturing operations a competitive edge.

Step 1: Conduct an initial audit

Creating a FTQ document begins with an initial audit of the suppliers a manufacturer will use. An audit is the perfect way to gauge whether a supplier matches your product expectations and meets your quality standards.

An audit may check:

Materials
Equipment/machinery
Procedures
How well staff is following processes

Step 2: Determine if suppliers meet product specifications

Next, it’s vital to check whether a contractor can produce items that meet your standards and specifications. It’s also important to establish a partnership and a solid communication process with your supplier so that nothing falls through the cracks.

Step 3: Implement quality inspections

Lastly, a well-formulated plan includes quality inspections of each production run and product before distribution. This is usually completed by quality inspectors on the shop floor.

Inspection criteria typically includes:

Order and shipment sizes
Packaging and appearance
Product performance

Once the inspection is done, a report should be created and submitted to the quality manager before any products are shipped. This report also serves to measure quality metrics and places for improvement.

First time quality with Augmentir

Augmentir is a connected worker solution that allows industrial companies to digitize and optimize all frontline processes that are part of their quality management strategy. Augmentir’s complete suite of connected worker functionality is built on top of Augmentir’s patented Smart AI foundation, which helps identify patterns and areas for continuous improvement.

See Augmentir in Action

Like peanut butter and jelly, skills management and work execution are better when served together

Blog

Smart Skills Management software is helping manufacturers bridge the gap between training, skills, and work to build a more resilient and agile workforce.

September 28, 2022

Where are you on your journey with adopting new and emerging technologies? Many manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon for some of the latest tools that provide digital guidance to workers. Maybe you decided to implement digital work instructions to help workers safely and efficiently perform tasks. Or maybe you’ve bought skills management software to help you catalog and organize the skills and capabilities of different workers. But are either of these enough on their own to achieve all your production goals? Possibly, but unlikely.

Digital work instructions on their own deliver standard work guidelines but fail to consider the unique skills of each worker. Standalone skills management programs may offer a highlight reel of the skills and certifications of your workers but neglect to capture performance in real-time to provide accurate skills evaluations. Nor do they offer personalized training content needed to ensure workers perform their absolute best. Can we agree then these two features should go hand-in-hand?

One cannot exist without the other: Blending skills into the flow of work

In the past, standalone skills management systems were sufficient because:

Turnover was infrequent so line supervisors knew everyone on their team and their current skills and endorsements, making it easy for the supervisor to assign work safely and optimally
Investments in training, reskilling, and upskilling were performed either in a one size fits all approach or through a purely subjective or anecdotal approach

Today, however, a different situation exists.

Line supervisors are dealing with team members that they don’t know well, new ones starting every day, and experienced ones leaving. This creates safety issues and makes optimally assigning work difficult as not only are the workers variable, but their skill levels and certifications are a constantly moving target.

An integrated, closed-loop skills management system is the solution for this era of high workforce turnover and absenteeism.

Skills management solutions that combine skills tracking capabilities with connected worker technology and on-the-job digital guidance can deliver significant additional value. Data from actual work performance can inform workforce development initiatives allowing you to target your training, reskilling, and upskilling efforts where they have the largest impact.

It can generate an abundance of valuable data to provide tailored training support and skills endorsements and identify workforce opportunities. What else is possible? Imagine reducing training costs, optimizing job scheduling, increasing safety, and improving productivity. And now consider what will happen when you add smart technology to this all-in-one package.

The power of smart digitization! Skills management and digital work instructions together boost productivity.

According to Deloitte, organizations are shifting to a skills-based approach to meet the demand for agility, agency, and equity. Connected worker solutions that combine skills management with digital work instructions, collaboration, and knowledge management are uniquely suited to optimize today’s variable workforce. AI-generated insights are pulled from patterns identified across all work activity in real-time. These insights identify where new and experienced workers may benefit from either reskilling or upskilling.

This combination of smart digital technology can also leverage your training resources, such as instructional videos, written instructions, or access to remote experts, to deliver personalized guidance for the worker to perform their best. These tools intelligently work together to help you assign workers to procedures based on required skill levels. No second guessing! Augmentir is the only smart connected worker solution to intertwine these management tools with AI making it a powerhouse for optimizing your operations and meeting production targets.

Learn how Smart Skills Management software is helping manufacturers bridge the gap between training, skills, and work to build a more resilient and agile workforce.

Download our latest eBook – The Future of Work: Connecting Skills Management with Standard Work.

Download the eBook

Five Steps to Reskill and Upskill Manufacturing Workers

Blog

Learn the five steps to upskill and reskill manufacturing employees. Find out the benefits such as improving productivity and retention.

August 19, 2022

While the terms ‘upskill’ and ‘reskill’ in reference to manufacturing workers are often used interchangeably, they are not the same.

Upskilling refers to cultivating a worker’s skillset to help them excel in their current role. Meanwhile, reskilling involves teaching an employee new skills in order to transition to a new role.

For example, a programmer can be reskilled to become a systems analyst. Or workers can be upskilled to manage technology as more jobs become automated.

Half of all workers will need to be upskilled by 2025 as more jobs become digitized, according to the World Economic Forum. Workers will take on more critical thinking and problem-solving roles, leaving technical tasks to artificial intelligence and machine learning. Furthermore, the growing skilled labor gap in manufacturing has created a workforce shortage, and upskilling and training are becoming necessary to ensure production capacity is met.

Explore the following topics below to learn more about upskilling and reskilling in manufacturing, including a step by step guides to reskilling and upskilling manufacturing workers.

What does upskill mean?

Upskilling involves evaluating an employee’s existing skills and helping them to advance in their current role. It helps facilitate continuous learning by providing training opportunities to develop employee skills.

It can involve refining either soft skills or technical skills to fill workplace gaps. For instance, emotional intelligence is a soft skill that can be honed in leadership roles. Similarly, technical skills are needed in many manufacturing positions. Working with technology is a must as companies automate more and more of their operations.

An HR representative with data analytics experience, for example, can hone their skills to take on more specialized tasks. This can consist of taking a class to gain more knowledge or attending a virtual conference to learn about industry-specific technology.

Upskilling staff can help your business stay on top of industry trends and pivot in an ever-changing digital landscape.

What is reskilling?

Reskilling involves learning new skills to move on to a new role within a company. It’s also a cost-effective alternative to hiring new employees.

For example, an electrician may have excellent planning and job estimation skills. The organization could choose to reskill that worker to an estimation position instead of hiring someone from the outside.

Or an employer could reskill a production assembler to work as a maintenance technician. The new role may require taking a series of training courses and completing certain safety classes or certifications.

Reskilling and upskilling are efficient ways to retain a manufacturing workforce. Both provide opportunities to help workers grow and advance skills. Learn how to upskill and reskill staff with the following steps.

How to upskill manufacturing workers

It’s important to have a clear plan to upskill manufacturing workers:

Step 1: Assess current skills.

It’s crucial to map employees’ current skills. This data will serve as the baseline for measuring employee progress.

A great way to outline worker skills is through a skills matrix, which digitizes and helps accurately track skills across your organization. This can help identify any skills gaps that exist in current departments.

Step 2: Access skills needed for the future.

After assessing current employee skills, it’s time to identify any skills needed for the future. Keep in mind that these must align with any changes expected to occur in the manufacturing industry or in your long-term business plan.

Step 3: Create upskilling goals.

Set employee-specific goals. For example, you may want each worker to take training courses to hone job-specific skills.

Step 4: Match workers with new learning opportunities.

Workers can develop skills through new learning opportunities. It’s important to offer training and development opportunities that help workers grow and foster their skills.

Step 5: Monitor progress.

By this stage, you should have mapped employee skills and outlined which ones are needed. It’s important to monitor any progress made. Organizations that digitally track employee skills can map “what the worker has been trained on” to actual job performance (“how the worker is doing”) to create a true representation of proficiency gaps and upskilling opportunities.

How to reskill manufacturing workers

If you’re looking to reskill manufacturing workers, consider the following steps below:

Step 1: Identify what skills need cultivating.

Pinpoint which skills are the most valuable and create training programs to train workers on those skills. Think about which new roles need to be created.

Step 2: Integrate upskilling.

It’s vital to start training employees and offering resources to advance skills. For example, training your workers on how to operate digital tools or a specific piece of equipment can help them take advantage of promotion opportunities down the line.

Step 3: Customize learning plan.

Develop a plan of core learning opportunities for any skillsets that are needed now or in the future. For example, you can customize learning plans to specific roles.

Step 4: Test and adjust.

Developing a perfect reskilling plan on the first try is no small feat. Be willing to acknowledge any mistakes and fix them.

Step 5: Invest in budget.

Allocating enough financial resources for reskilling employees is vital to company growth. Modify your budget to make reskilling a priority.

Benefits of upskilling and reskilling manufacturing employees

Workplace roles are changing and expanding in the age of automation. This change can bring about skill gaps that need to be filled for a business to stay ahead of the curve.

Upskilling and reskilling manufacturing employees has a number of long-term benefits for employers, such as:

Boosts retention. Investing in your employees’ skills development fosters better relationships. Workers who feel valued are less likely to leave. Improving retention can save businesses money on hiring and training new workers.
Improves morale. Businesses that offer training and development opportunities help their workers grow and move forward in the company. This can help employees feel like they’re working toward something and not staying stagnant within the company.
Improves quality and productivity. Beyond retention and morale improvement, upskilling and reskilling can have production benefits. A more skilled and trained workforce can result in improved quality, productivity, and efficiency throughout your organization.

Looking to improve upskilling and reskilling within your organization?

Augmentir’s suite of smart connected worker tools helps manufacturing organizations create a more skilled and productive workforce. Find out how our software can make it easier to reskill and upskill manufacturing workers in your organization. If you’d like a demo, let us know and we’ll be in touch.

How to Standardize Quality Assurance Procedures in Manufacturing

Blog

Learn how to standardize quality assurance procedures in manufacturing to improve overall quality and reduce errors.

October 20, 2022

It takes implementing just one wrong procedure for a product to end up defective and nowhere near ready for customer delivery. That’s why it’s important to standardize quality assurance (QA) procedures to ensure conformity on the shop floor and prevent product malfunctions.

But what is quality assurance? According to TechTarget, it is a process used to determine whether a product or service meets necessary requirements, in manufacturing specifically these are required standards for distribution. In a nutshell, QA procedures ensure customers receive quality products that are free of defects.

Learn how to standardize quality assurance procedures in manufacturing by exploring the following content:

What are quality assurance procedures?
How to standardize quality assurance procedures
Benefits of implementing QA procedures in manufacturing

What are quality assurance procedures?

QA procedures are a systematic process of establishing and maintaining set requirements for manufacturing reliable products and services. These procedures should be standardized by setting up a quality assurance system for workers to access. There, they can see how to complete certain tasks to avoid errors on the production floor.

Quality assurance methods can be categorized into three types, which we explain in the table below.

Type of QA method	Description	Example
Failure testing	This is the process of testing a product to see if it can withstand stress. The purpose is to identify any deficiencies.	Manufacturers may place a product under heat, pressure, or vibration to test outcomes.
Statistical process control (SPC)	SPC is an industry-standard practice for measuring and controlling product quality during the production process. Data is collected by measuring process inputs (dependent variables) in real time. This data is then transferred onto a graph with predetermined control limits based on how a type of product is expected to perform.	A manufacturing line would apply statistical and analytical tools to monitor input variables and look for excesses or waste.
Total quality management (TQM)	TQM is the idea that every employee, from assembly line workers to leadership, is committed to improving processes, products, and services.	TQM may be implemented to raise overall productivity and make a manufacturer more competitive.

How to standardize quality assurance procedures

Quality assurance procedures help manufacturers develop products and services that meet customers’ needs and expectations. If implemented successfully, QA can catch any defects before they arise and substantially increase product quality.

It’s also vital to implement a quality assurance system to improve efficiency. Developing a unified system makes it easier to incrementally improve your production processes, and it’s essential for standardizing your quality assurance procedures.

Read on about the seven steps for successful QA implementation:

Step 1: Define Organizational Goals

Successful manufacturing QA begins by identifying how workers’ jobs are tied to an organization’s goals. It’s crucial for workers to know their company’s mission and how they fit into it. When employees understand how their individual goals relate to the organization’s goals, it can boost worker confidence — and in turn, production efficiency.

Step 2: Pinpoint Necessary Success Factors

It’s important to list the factors that make your quality assurance process successful. For instance, factors can include production processes, technical or customer support, and other things that make your organization great. Creating a list of major factors that contribute to company achievements will make it easier to update and manage those factors later on.

Step 3: Identify Your Customer Base

It’s vital to define your client case. If you know your customer, you’re more likely to create products and services that they would value.

Step 4: Gather Customer Feedback

Once you’ve established your customer base, it’s vital to incorporate what they think about your products and services. Frequent customer feedback can keep your quality assurance on track since it helps you identify and resolve product issues before they become critical problems. Reports can be gathered though surveys, email, phone, focus groups, or other methods. The goal is to achieve continuous feedback regardless of which methods you choose.

Step 5: Strive for Continuous Improvement

Quality assurance goes hand in hand with continuous improvement. The information you’ve gathered from customer surveys or other methods can now be used to implement any needed changes to your quality assurance process.

Continuous improvement can also be in the form of customer service training, changes to production processes, improvements to products or services, or anything that adds value to your organization.

Whatever you do, it’s crucial to study customer comments and use them to enhance operational procedures to ensure you’re delivering products that bring value and sell.

Step 6: Find QA Management Software

Once you’ve established the above steps, it’s time to start thinking about which quality QA software, or system, will help you better implement QA procedures. Picking the right software will aid with maintaining and improving production processes.

Step 7: Assess Results

Lastly, it’s important to measure your results. Your main goal is to ensure that your business meets the needs of each customer. Create measurable objectives for employees so that everyone knows what needs to be accomplished in a timely manner. If goals aren’t met, make sure workers are clear about what actions need to be taken to meet client satisfaction.

Take note: If your manufacturing firm does not reach its goals, it is hard to show a positive ROI to stakeholders. That’s why taking corrective action to meet company targets is more imperative than ever before.

Benefits of Implementing QA Procedures in Manufacturing

Quality assurance in manufacturing can offer a wide variety of benefits if management makes it a priority.

Some benefits of standardizing QA procedures include:

Cost-effectiveness: When done right, QA can prevent quality product issues before hitting the market. For instance, manufacturers won’t have to worry about scrapped parts, product returns, or other expenses due to poor-quality goods.

Greater workplace efficiency: Manufacturers will be able to better allot resources like time, money, and warehouse space if fewer product deficiencies exist. It boils down to this: it takes fewer resources to develop quality items if processes are in place to support the feat of QA procedures.

Enhanced Customer satisfaction: Customers will almost surely receive quality products in a timely manner if workers employ quality assurance techniques. If fewer product malfunctions exist, customers are more likely to keep coming back for more. In the end, it’s a win-win situation for both businesses and clients alike.

Industrial companies use Augmentir’s breakthrough system to standardize and optimize quality assurance procedures in manufacturing. With Augmentir, you will experience fewer errors and reduced product defect rates with our connected worker solution. Learn more about our quality use cases.

How to Track Employee Skills in the Manufacturing Industry

Blog

Learn how to track employee skills in manufacturing and discover modern approaches to effective skills tracking.

December 6, 2022

In today’s manufacturing environment, it is daunting and time-consuming to keep track of employee skill levels across the many different job tasks. With the constantly accelerating rate of turnover in the workforce, Excel or paper-based skills tracking in manufacturing has become obsolete.

Leading manufacturers are now turning to smart digital technology to streamline skills tracking and connect it with frontline operations, giving them a competitive edge and boosting workplace safety productivity. Skills tracking software can be a great help to identify workers’ current skills and find any gaps. In a nutshell, such a tool helps automate, organize and simplify the process of evaluating employees’ skills and better understanding your workforce.

Learn more about how skills tracking is changing and the importance of integrating skills management into the flow of work by exploring the following topics:

Five approaches to effective skills tracking in manufacturing
Benefits of tracking skills in manufacturing
Features to look for in skills tracking software

Five approaches to effective skills tracking in manufacturing

According to a recent survey by McKinsey & Company, companies reported that tracking and validating skills and competencies was their top talent challenge.

Effective skills tracking can improve safety, productivity, and worker performance by helping match the right people with the right tasks. For any organization, there are multiple methods and tools that can be used to track the skills of your workforce:

1. Direct assessment

This approach focuses on one employee directly assessing another. This may be done as a form of peer review between employees or by a manager.

2. Self-assessment

This approach consists of employees conducting self-assessments of their skills and qualifications through surveys every few months.

3. Anonymous peer assessment

This approach involves coworkers anonymously assessing each other’s performance on projects or other tasks.

4. Skill assessment using HR or learning systems

This type of assessment can be done using an HR system (or a Learning Management System) to assess and update employee profiles based on training completed. For example, workers can report any courses finished, track their training data or report new certificates.

5. AI-based skills tracking software

Any of the above 4 methods are commonly used, however, the increasing workforce variability, absenteeism, and turnover is forcing new requirements. Increasingly, manufacturers are turning to AI-based software solutions to help digitally track and manage skills, and connect them with work execution.

HR/Learning systems or standalone skills tracking software solutions that attempt to automate skills tracking fall short of meeting the needs of today’s manufacturers because they do not connect the “skills that workers know” with the “work being done”. These standalone solutions may have been ideal for the stable, unchanging workforce of the past, but they are not suited for today’s era of high workforce variability.

An integrated, closed-loop skills management system is the solution for this era of high workforce turnover and absenteeism. Skills management solutions that combine skills tracking capabilities with AI-based connected worker technology and on-the-job digital guidance can deliver significant additional value. Data from actual work performance can inform workforce development investments allowing you to target you training, reskilling, and upskilling efforts where they have the largest impact.

Benefits of skills tracking in manufacturing

Tracking skills in manufacturing can help identify the skills your employees already hold and those they still need to learn to properly do their jobs. Furthermore, using AI-based connected worker solutions, organizations can digitize and easily manage skills tracking and training programs and connect them with frontline operations.

Some benefits of tracking your employees’ skills using this approach include:

1. Boosts productivity on the shop floor

An organization’s commitment to cultivating its team’s skills can influence their attitudes toward the job. A worker is likelier to perform better when valued and appreciated. Skills tracking also ensures that workers are qualified to perform their job.

2. Ensure safety

Solutions that close the loop between training/skills and the work being done allow organizations to validate at the time of work assignment who has the skill level to safely perform a specific task. This helps to mitigate risk and ensure safety.

3. Intelligently assigning work

Ensure the right person is assigned to the right job. Manage work assignments based on skill level, endorsements, and actual job performance.

4. Closes the skills gap

Tracking skills is a great way to identify gaps between the skills employees already have and the skills they need. With this information, the company can arrange for additional training or other ways to invest in their employees. Keep in mind that as your manufacturing organization evolves and grows, so should your employee skillset.

5. Boosts internal communications

Employers who actively develop their employees’ skill levels are likelier to retain them. Tracking skills can also motivate and spur connections with team members.

6. Identify upskilling or reskilling opportunities

Use data from actual work performance, combined with an employee’s current skills and endorsements to inform your reskilling and upskilling decisions.

7. Enhances competitive edge

Although the purpose of effective skills tracking is to aid in worker growth and development, a byproduct is a stronger, more competitive organization as a whole. Knowing where improvements need to be made can close any learning gaps and boost the overall success of a company. Optimizing your workforce can help improve productivity in every department, giving your company a competitive edge in today’s market.

Features to look for in skills tracking software

Having the right features for skills tracking in manufacturing can help a company be more productive and efficient. This type of software should help manufacturing facilities no only identify, assess, track and cultivate employee skills, but also improve operational safety and performance.

It’s important to look for the following features when deciding which software is right for you:

Training management
This feature helps businesses see how their teams are progressing and evaluate whether training opportunities are making an impact. It helps store employee training records for real-time access and evaluation, and measure training effectiveness based on actual job performance.

Certifications management
This feature helps employers manage employee certifications. If a worker’s certification is expiring, the software’s tracking functions should easily notify the parties involved.

Skills tracking integrated into the flow of work
Skill levels and current endorsements ensure that workers can perform tasks safely and correctly and, therefore need to be considered at the moment of work assignment and again at the moment of work execution.

Live dashboard
Skills tracking software with customizable dashboards offer a real-time view of employee skills, qualifications, and any skill gaps that may exist. Managers will have a better idea of where to allocate resources to train employees and who is a better fit for a role.

Learn how Smart Skills Management software is helping manufacturers bridge the gap between training, skills, and work to build a more resilient and agile workforce.

Download our latest eBook – The Future of Work: Connecting Skills Management with Standard Work.

Download the eBook