The Keys to Effective Roadmapping

As manufacturers increasingly incorporate connectivity throughout all aspects of their machine operations and production,?it is crucial for companies to have a clear vision and plan for how they will use connected technologies and the vast amounts of data they generate to drive growth. The concept of the factory of the future—in which digitized processes allow for not just greater efficiency but also more dynamic and adaptable production and systems—hinges on leadership teams making better, data-informed decisions about product development, sourcing, safety, quality, and overall manufacturing operations.

Cloud technologies in particular are democratizing the concept of factories of the future; companies don’t have to invest in entire data centers as they may have had to do in the past, meaning data-driven projects are more accessible to a wider array of businesses. The same is true for predictive maintenance models; a company simply needs to provide data as an input to get insights into what future factory floor maintenance needs may be.

Given the increasing accessibility of these connected technologies, competition will only continue to heat up as more companies implement cutting-edge solutions. Manufacturers that want to have a competitive edge in the future need to make thoughtful decisions now about how they will use these technologies to shape their business models, achieve strategic goals, and set themselves up for success.

Developing a roadmap is an important step for companies looking to take action and transform their factory floors into true factories of the future, and this is especially true for small and midsized manufacturers that may be more resource constrained. Connected manufacturing technologies such as machine sensors, software, Internet of Things devices, and cloud computing—when used strategically together—can enable machine learning processes that allow production to become exponentially smarter and more efficient over time. Essentially, these data-driven approaches allow manufacturers to do more with less.

Here are three areas of consideration for business leaders putting together a roadmap to enable a factory of the future model within their own organization:

• Future state: Identifying what you want the company’s future state to look like, and what projects are necessary to get it there
• Aligning to strategy: Assessing how advanced technologies will help the company align its operations to meet its strategic goals
• Technology implementation: Understanding which technologies will provide the most benefit to the organization and knowing how and why to implement them

Future State

In the process of developing a roadmap toward factories of the future,?a first step for most manufacturers is to identify the company’s ideal future state, both at a holistic level and in terms of specific technological capabilities. This can encompass everything from enterprise resource planning systems to labor to data analytics capabilities.

Transitioning from legacy systems to the cloud will be central to this future state for virtually all manufacturing companies, but especially for small and midsize organizations, given that cloud-based ERP and customer relationship management systems are typically more affordable and dynamic than on-premise systems.

Given that the transition to the cloud can be so important in this transformation, there are several action items companies will likely want to address,?as we have written before:

• Gather documentation and determine how data is used between systems
• Review processes to understand where there are manual efforts
• Assess versions and models of inventory platforms
• Identify end-of-life systems to prioritize migration efforts
• Analyze cloud systems most suited to manufacturers

Cloud-based systems also bring cybersecurity advantages, which will be paramount as the landscape of cyber risk continues to evolve.

Beyond the transition away from legacy systems, companies should also consider what the future state of their labor force looks like and how automation fits into that picture. Some smaller and midsized companies may face challenges in having the human capital to even execute a project to incorporate more automated processes.

Aligning to Strategy

It’s important to note that efforts to change core systems and processes?and map out potential future workforce and automation needs will only be worthwhile if they align with the company’s broader strategy and long-term goals. This alignment will be crucial in enabling the company to reach its ideal future state. Manufacturers need to establish what are essentially micro-value propositions that demonstrate how technologies such as digital twins, advanced robotics, augmented reality, and additive manufacturing—to name a few—will drive growth, efficiency, and make the business more resilient in the long run.

Let’s take, for instance, augmented reality applications on the shop floor. An organization may be interested in implementing AR because it seems state of the art, but simply using a technology for the sake of using it likely won’t lead to much benefit. A clearer value proposition would be if that organization had a plan for how to use AR to attain its goals of streamlining the training process for new employees or enhancing safety precautions on the shop floor.

At a more holistic level, once a company ensures that the digital enhancements it plans to make to its production processes and infrastructure align with its overall strategy, it will also be able to plan better, develop more sustainable operations and reduce waste. Efforts in all of these areas will be crucial to becoming a true factory of the future, as well as helping manufacturers achieve their environmental, social, and governance imperatives.

Technology Implementation

Before putting new advanced technologies in place,?manufacturers need to understand the universe of data they already have at their fingertips and the ways in which their systems may already be connected. This information is fundamental in the journey toward transforming the company’s existing machines and systems into smart machines.

Once organizations have that information, the next step is determining what work needs to be done and what technologies need to be implemented to get those machines to the point where they can run their own updates automatically, respond in real time to changing business conditions, and integrate seamlessly throughout the entire scope of operations. Building an agile prototyping approach into the company’s business plan can also help the company develop greater efficiency prior to broader product deployment.

There are potentially endless applications for every advanced technology, and the appeal of digitizing and automating processes can easily make it overwhelming to decide exactly how to put such technologies to use. Business leaders will need to understand how to implement these technologies in ways that make sense for the business and serve the long-term strategy and goals of the organization.