Accelerating Operational Excellence in 2015: Calculating the ROI of Real-Time Data Delivery

Addressing operations challenges with technology Catavolt launched a survey titled “How Leading Manufacturers are Accelerating Operational Excellence” in September 2014, to gain insight on how manufacturing organizations are working to continuously improve their operations, workflows and business processes.

We collected 111 responses from manufacturing professionals in various disciplines on trends and technology that are driving operational excellence. Increased competition in the market, meeting customer expectations, rapidly changing plant floor conditions, and the need to increase revenue, is pushing manufacturing organizations across all industries towards more efficient operational processes.

Manufacturing organizations are increasing operational excellence investments in 2015

•  Manufacturing organizations are challenged with getting the most from their current resources, without additional costly spending across their teams.

•  These manufacturers are accustomed to driving the bottom line to get the most return on material costs, and the volume of products produced to drive revenue up in the organization.

•  With real-time data on digital devices, manufacturing teams are eliminating paper, increasing maintenance and safety processes, quality reviews, and providing a significant ROI for these organizations.

25% of manufacturers believe that creating a return on

investment (ROI) business case to make operational

improvements is most challenging for their organization

(LNS Research, 2014).

Accessing real-time data at the right time

Real-time delivery and control of information empowers manufacturing teams to

streamline production and ensure products are produced in accordance with global

market and customer demands, driving the ROI for the organization.

By replacing paper forms and other cumbersome, manual processes with digital devices including mo-ELOH�SKRQHV��WDEOHWV��ODSWRSV��DQG�SURGXFWLRQ�ćRRU�screens, manufacturing teams can easily access the GDWD�WKH\�QHHG�WR�GR�WKHLU�MREV�HIĆFLHQWO\��

With real-time data accessible on any device, manu-facturers have instant access into errors and disrup-tions when they are reported, providing the ability to address concerns and collaborate with multiple GHSDUWPHQWV��QR�PDWWHU�ZKHUH�\RXU�WHDP�LV�ORFDWHG��

Drive efficiency with paperless processes & real-time data

With paperless processes, manufacturing teams VSHQG�OHVV�WLPH�SULQWLQJ��VFDQQLQJ��ĆOLQJ��DQG� re-writing forms, and more time producing high quality products, and getting them shipped to the customer.

By eliminating paper processes in the organization, PDQXIDFWXUHUV�DUH�GULYLQJ�HIĆFLHQF\�DQG�DFFXUDF\�that reduces overall costs.

15% of a manufacturing organization’s

revenue is spent creating, managing

and distributing paper documents

(High Jump, 2011).

View critical information and reports needed to complete the job in real-time on digital devices.

Improve manufacturing plant maintenance processes with real-time data

With real-time data, manufacturing teams can increase production output by dispatching downtime issues quickly into maintenance systems.

By using digital devices including tablets, mobile phones, and laptops to capture errors and disruptions RI�PDFKLQHU\�RQ�WKH�SODQW�ćRRU��PDQXIDFWXUHUV�FDQ�quickly return to the production line, keeping orders moving without missing a beat.

Real-time data on devices gives manufacturing teams the equipment and machinery information they need, including RFID tagging to instantly capture GLVUXSWLRQV�RI�PDFKLQHU\�RQ�WKH�SODQW�ćRRU�� &DSWXUH�SODQW�ćRRU�PDFKLQHU\�GLVUXS-

WLRQV�DQG�HUURUV�ZLWK�5),'�FDSDELOLWLHV�

Eliminate downtime and improve quality assurance with real-time data

6% of a manufacturing workforce is dedicated to quality assurance (Successful Quality Assurance, 2014).

Only

Monitor quality assurance processes RQ�WKH�SODQW�ćRRU�LQ�UHDO�WLPH�RQ�D� WDEOHW��PRELOH�SKRQH��RU�ODSWRS��

Implementing advanced technology with mobile apps to provide regular quality checks, guarantees accuracy, completion, and integrity. Real-time data helps accelerate the quality assurance process, allowing for quicker communication across teams and fewer defects, leading to better customer satisfaction and savings for the organization.

Improve safety training and inspections with real-time data

28%

9LHZ�DQG�HGLW�VDIHW\�SODQW�ćRRU�LQVSHFWLRQ�GDWD�LQ�UHDO�WLPH�RQ�devices

of a manufacturing organizations believe that reducing costs is the PRVW�HIIHFWLYH�EHQHĆW�RI�ZRUN-place safety programs. (OSHA, 2009).

With mobile apps that provide access to real-time data, manufacturing organizations can easily view and make edits to training and safety manuals to provide the most up-to-date information for teams.

:LWK�UHDO�WLPH�GDWD�DFFHVV��PDQXIDFWXULQJ�SODQW�ćRRU�teams can be alerted of upcoming inspections and disruption warnings.

Give manufacturing teams access to real-time reporting with mobile apps

With real-time reporting capabilities on digital devices, manufacturing teams can capture inventory and material shortages, and alert others on WKH�SODQW�ćRRU�WR�SUHYHQW�SURGXFWLRQ�ERWWOHQHFNV�

By accessing important information on a tablet, mobile phone, or laptop in real-time, manufacturing teams can easily view and edit work orders, bills of materials and shipments, works-in-progress (WIP), and sales and KPI dashboards, that drive productivity OHYHOV�VLJQLĆFDQWO\��

Does your manufacturing organization have a data issue?

Is your manufacturing team relying on paper-based processes to access infor-mation needed to get the job done?

Something for your team to consider is how much money your organization spends on printing, ink, and paper. Consider how much time your teams spend writing and re-writing LQIRUPDWLRQ��VFDQQLQJ�GRFXPHQWV��DQG�ĆOLQJ�forms in data rooms.

?

Does your manufacturing organization have a data issue?

+RZ�GLIĆFXOW�LV�LW�IRU�\RXU�PDQXIDFWXU-LQJ�WHDPV�WR�FRPPXQLFDWH�DFURVV� GHSDUWPHQWV" ,I�\RXU�WHDPV�KDYH�GLIĆFXOW\�ĆQGLQJ�LPSRUWDQW�GDWD��VSHQG�WLPH�VHDUFKLQJ�IRU�ĆOHV��DQG�FDQQRW�HDVLO\�FROODERUDWH�ZLWK�RWKHU�GHSDUWPHQWV�IRU�FRQVLVWHQW�GHFLVLRQ�VXSSRUW��\RXU�RUJDQL]D-WLRQV�PD\�FRQVLGHU�KRZ�GDWD�LV�FXUUHQWO\�EHLQJ�VWRUHG�DQG�KRZ�LW�LV�DFFHVVHG�DFURVV�PXOWLSOH�GHSDUWPHQWV��

?

Does your manufacturing organization have a data issue?

Is your manufacturing organization having issues with data integrity, reliability and relevance?

If data is already outdated by the time your man-ufacturing teams access it to get their jobs done, your organization may need to review how data LV�EHLQJ�HQWHUHG�DQG�ĆOHG��,I�\RXU�WHDP�LV�VSHQG-ing hours looking for the data they need instead RI�ZRUNLQJ�RQ�WKH�SURGXFWLRQ�OLQH��\RXU�RUJDQL-]DWLRQ�PD\�ZDQW�WR�UHYLHZ�FXUUHQW�SURFHVVHV��

?

Does your manufacturing organization have a data issue?

$UH�\RXU�PDQXIDFWXULQJ�WHDPV�FRQĆQHG�WR�RQH�GHSDUWPHQW�RU�ZRUN�VSDFH�WR�YLHZ�DQG�VKDUH�GDWD"� If your manufacturing team members are con-ĆQHG�WR�RQH�VSHFLĆF�ZRUN�VSDFH�RU�SURGXFWLRQ�DUHD�LQVWHDG�RI�EHLQJ�DEOH�WR�PRYH�ZLWK�D�ZRUN�ćRZ�WKDW�HQFRXUDJH�ODERU�VKDULQJ��\RXU�RUJDQL-]DWLRQ�PD\�FRQVLGHU�KRZ�PXFK�WLPH�DQG�PRQH\�LV�EHLQJ�ZDVWHG�VHDUFKLQJ�IRU��ĆOLQJ��VFDQQLQJ��FRS\LQJ��DQG�SULQWLQJ�LPSRUWDQW�GDWD��

?

Example of outbound accuracy on customer shipments with real-time data

By automating and re-engineering business processes with real-time data on GLJLWDO�GHYLFHV��PDQXIDFWXULQJ�RUJDQL]DWLRQV�FDQ�EHQHĆW�IURP�LQFUHDVHG� accuracy and customer satisfaction of shipments.

See the return on investment for your manufacturing organization with real-time data

Real-time data delivery on digital devices helps manufacturing organizations streamline operations, improving overall accuracy and efficiency.

Manufacturing organizations that have relied on paper-based processes and KDYH�GDWD�WKDW�KDV�EHHQ�VLORHG�LQ�PXOWLSOH�LQIRUPDWLRQ�V\VWHPV��KDYH�GLIĆFXOW\�FRPPXQLFDWLQJ�DQG�JHWWLQJ�WKH�MRE�GRQH�HIĆFLHQWO\��:LWK�WKH�ULJKW�WHFKQRORJ\��such as mobile apps, manufacturers can decrease the amount of time spent addressing costly errors, and more time producing quality products and FRPSHWLQJ�LQ�D�JOREDO�PDUNHW��

Visit our Resource Center & learn more about how real-time data drives operational excellence

www.catavolt.com

Cllck here to visit Catavolt’s Manufacturing Resource Center for videos and additional resources on applying real-time data

to drive operational excellence

• Addressing the challenge of competing on a global scale and

meeting customer demands, and how real-time data delivered

using devices can help

• How manufacturing organizations are using technology like

mobility to accelerate their operational excellence initiatives