When it is time for a manufacturer to finally introduce new technology to their business, it is both an exciting and scary time.
This means that they are now going through some growing pains and need to introduce something that will help alleviate those pains.
Unfortunately, introducing any kind of new technology comes with its own pains, including planning, implementing, and training.
Physical equipment can seem like an easier process, as it is something you can visualize during planning and see during the implementation process, which helps ease the pain of adding it to the project.
Software, on the other hand, is something that cannot be seen, and for many, it can seem like a daunting task, even if it will help improve things immensely.
One of the first hurdles of implementing new software for any manufacturer comes in the pre-implementation stage, where planning and training begin. With manufacturing being such a complex industry, every manufacturer is unique in their processes, even when compared to similar businesses.
This means that the developers have to make sure that their software can meet the unique needs of the business. They begin by learning the process that the manufacturers are using, showing how their software can work with that process, and beginning a plan to get them set up, which should be specific to each company.
The next major difficulty comes after a plan has been made and the best software has been decided upon. This comes in the form of training the manufacturing employees in the way the system will work for them.
This comes with a few issues, the first comes in the form of a bias of how things used to work in their old system. It can be difficult to adjust to a new process, even if it is a much better system.
The second issue during training is that they are learning on a system that is not live while also trying to work on and continue their daily jobs. Having to balance their jobs while also learning a new system that does not yet perform all their processes can slow things down.
Once it is finally time to implement the new software, a few more issues can arise. While some manufacturers can get the software integrated into their systems during their downtime, many others are unable to stop working during the process.
While this cannot be avoided in many cases, a solid plan can help, and a good software company will make this as smooth as possible.
Another difficulty during the implementation process is that human error can cause some issues. No matter how careful people are, someone may input a wrong number or an incorrect name somewhere, causing issues in calculations or product amounts. This can bog down a manufacturer, but with good planning and training, this is a problem that can be alleviated.
One of the main things about these problems, is that they can be reduced and even taken away completely with a good implementation plan and proper training.
This is where working with a good technical partner and creating a solid plan together is really important for reducing these pains and building a strong partnership going forward.
Once the new software has been implemented and they have made it through these initial speed bumps, employees and management will see all the benefits of their new software.
This is when they can be assured that they made the right decision when choosing to implement a new manufacturing software.