Tip #1: Use digital technology to improve productivity and boost recruitment
Manufacturing operations that cannot easily transition to robotics will need to find other ways to improve productivity despite a limited workforce. This is best achieved by implementing lean practices to reduce waste, a task that typically requires smart manufacturing technology. Options include IoT sensor networks that track equipment performance, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) that track operations, and connected worker platforms that use handhelds, wrist computers, or augmented reality headgear to improve frontline awareness and reporting.?
Most US factories are high-touch (lots of people), and increasingly, high-mix (lots of changes). In these environments, visual intelligence software such as Leela Platform is one of the best ways to improve visibility into operations. By measuring activities from visual data over time, visual AI software can enable insights that lead to higher productivity while also helping to boost quality and safety. This is less a matter of forcing employees to work faster, which could lead to quality, safety, and employee retention problems, than of optimizing workflow and SOPs so they work more effectively.
Smart manufacturing technologies offer two benefits for the price of one. Not only can they help you get more from a lean staff, but they also make your workplace more attractive to younger workers. Gen Z employees have grown up with computers and other digital gizmos. They are highly motivated to want to put their tech skills to work and learn new ones.?
The L2L survey cited in our introduction that indicates an uptick in Gen-Z interest in manufacturing also reported they are twice as likely to consider a career in the tech industry. Many may be unaware that manufacturing increasingly is a tech industry. Yet, plenty of factories lag in technology adoption, making it more difficult to hire the best talent.
According to a 2018 Dell survey of Gen Z job-seekers, 91% said that technology usage would be a factor in selecting among similar job offers, and 80% wanted to work with cutting-edge technology. Younger employees are more willing to learn how to operate new technologies, interact with AI systems, and work with robots and cobots.?
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Younger workers also want to be stimulated on the job. Most of us now have shorter attention spans and are more easily bored than in previous decades. This is especially true of Gen Z, which grew up with fast-paced video games, mobile apps, and social media.?
Automation may have already replaced many of your factory’s boring, repetitive tasks. Yet there are still many frontline jobs that are less stimulating and varied than the typical office job. The competition with office work will only get harder as the most repetitive white-collar tasks are automated by AI, thereby making the remaining office jobs more interesting.
?Investing in technology also sends a message that the company has a better chance of success. Gen Zs may switch jobs more than older generations, but they are still attracted to organizations with a promising future.
Even in less technological workplaces, basic enterprise software should be updated to meet modern expectations. The Workforce Institute’s 2021 Future Manufacturing Workforce Study found that only 41% of Gen Z manufacturing employees were able to check their schedules or swap a shift from a mobile device.?
In our next post, we will explore how sharing smart manufacturing analytics with frontline workers is one of the best ways to keep younger employees motivated. Seeking frontline input helps to harvest untapped insights and best practices to drive continuous improvement.
Stay tuned for Tip # 2: Empower frontline operators to drive continuous improvement