Digitizing production isn ‘t about replacing all factory processes overnight. It’s about building a digital foundation driven by data that you can scale with your needs and ambitions.
But how do you go about it in practice?
Whether you already have some degree of digital processes or are running a very paper-heavy setup, here are 5 steps to help you get your digitization project off to a good start.
1. Map challenges and ambitions
The first step is not about system selection, but about understanding what stands in the way of more efficient operations today.
That’s why you need to ask yourself questions:
- Stuck in Excel sheets and manual batch registrations?
- Do you struggle to follow up on downtime and performance?
- Need an overview of what’s happening in production right now?
At the same time, you need to set the direction and define your goal or ambition with the digitalization solution: Do you want to reduce complaints? Increase
Example:
A food company finds that production data is recorded on paper and re-entered in Excel. The errors are few, but no one catches them in time, resulting in costly recalls. The ambition is to get real-time data and eliminate manual workflows as a first step.
2. Find and understand your data sources
Once the goal is set, you need to find out where your data exists and how it is moving today.
- What data is already being generated (e.g. temperature, speed, stop reasons, etc.)?
- Who registers manually and why?
- Which systems exist and which don’t talk to each other? Are some systems obsolete?
It’s about identifying critical data points, bottlenecks and missing integrations so you can plan a solution that builds on what you have and solves what you need.
Example:
On a line, SCADA already collects stop and cycle time data, but the information is isolated in the system. By connecting it to an MES platform and visualizing OEE in real-time, both operators and management get a whole new decision-making basis.
3. Choose one concrete use case as a starting point
Digitalization shouldn’t start as a gigantic transformation. Start with one concrete problem that provides visible value and is easy to scale afterwards.
Examples of first use cases:
- Digital batch registration instead of Excel
- Live OEE dashboard on one line
- Automated label printing and traceability via e.g. NiceLabel Software
- Integrated production plan from ERP to MES
The goal is to create momentum, document benefits and build trust in the digital approach among business stakeholders.
Example:
An industrial company chooses to replace paper registration and Excel with automated registration of production stops and error causes via MES. The result is a reduction in error registrations and an OEE improvement simply because data is now actively used.
4. Build a strategy and manage your project with governance
Once the use case is chosen, it’s time to ensure the project has direction, momentum and ownership. This is where strategy work and governance come into play.
The strategy must ensure:
- That the project challenge and ambition support the company’s business goals
- That technology and architecture fit your structure. Do you have a proper foundation or does it need to be built first?
- That the first project can grow into a scalable solution
Governance ensures:
- Clear roles and responsibilities in the organization
- Established process for prioritization and decision
- Continuous management and follow-up via e.g. integra2r’s governance wheel
The governance wheel ensures that the project doesn’t get out of control and that the technical architecture, KPIs, skills, implementation and support are in order.
Example:
A team consisting of production, IT and quality is set up as the MES governance group. They define roles, scope and future phases and decide how lessons learned from the pilot project will be used to roll out the solution on other lines.
5. Implement and prepare for scaling
Once governance and strategy are in place, it’s time to implement the project. It’s not just about technique, it’s also about anchoring.
- Make sure operators and other stakeholders understand the benefits
- Measure selected KPIs (e.g. errors, stops, time spent on registration)
- Evaluate the results and plan the next phase
Digitalization is not one big change, but rather a series of smaller steps. When the first solution works, you can easily connect new projects. This is exactly what governance and a scalable architecture ensures.
Example:
After success with the one-line OEE dashboard, companies can choose to add digital quality reporting and automatic printing of batch labels. Provided the same components are present on the other lines, this can be implemented without having to initiate new integrations or development projects. This gives you a roadmap for how it can be rolled out elsewhere without having to start from scratch every time.
Future proofing: Why you need to get started now
The earlier you structure and automate your production data, the better equipped you are for the technologies of the future.
For example, many companies want to use AI for quality improvement, optimization or forecasting. But without historical, structured and accessible data, it becomes almost impossible.
Digitizing production is therefore not just about efficient operations, it’s also about preparing the company for future demands, competition and technology.
Ready to take the first step?
At integra2r, we help you identify use cases, build governance structure and implement the digitization solution, so you get a production with fewer errors, better decisions and higher efficiency.
Want to know how you can get started? Please contact Niels Nyhus at nn@integra2r.com or 29638313 for an informal chat.