Over the past two years, supply chain disruption has become a household topic, gaining awareness from the general consumer to global market leaders. But arguably, no industry has been harder hit than manufacturing. Between rising COVID-19 cases, inventory shortages, an unprecedented labor crisis, and rising costs of raw materials, manufacturers have struggled to meet increasing demands and protect business against future disruptions.
Thankfully, the use of technology has become a release valve of sorts, allowing both small, and large-scale manufacturers to implement cost-effective upgrades to recover costs and help secure business against ongoing disruptions. According to the Supply Chain Resilience Report 2021, more organizations than ever are using technology to support supply chain management, with nearly 56% of businesses using tech for accurate reporting and analysis of supply chain disruption. But even with the adoption of technology, many businesses are still falling behind, with a leading cause being missed-steps in technology implementation.
To help troubleshoot, we’ve compiled a list of common mistakes in manufacturing technology that could be slowing down your productivity and holding your business back from achieving supply chain resiliency:
- Using outdated mobile hardware
Though additional investments in mobile technology and training can seem counterintuitive in the wake of a challenging market, the real question is what are outdated printers, scanners, and mobile computers costing you? Using outdated or “legacy” devices can have costly impacts on manufacturing productivity including device downtime, slow processing speeds, lost data, and lack of updates, leaving your organization open to security threats. Upgrading your fleet with cost-effective technology not only safeguards your business against these productivity destroyers, but are easy-to-implement. - Lack of integration
Even the best in today’s technology solutions only go so far without integration. Without proper management, technologies may fail to be setup correctly and can cause delays that increase your costs. Unintegrated hardware can cause organizational silos, disconnected processes and out-of-context reporting that falls short when trying to improve productivity. Partnering with an experienced mobility integrator can ensure any upgraded solutions are customized, and work seamlessly with your existing systems for real-time reporting and streamlined processes. Additionally, access to the industry’s best experts in design and implementation gives you an advantage over competitors, with a full selection of professional and managed services available at the touch of a button. - Poor visibility into technology assets
Combining real-time intelligence and visibility into the complete asset lifecycle of your devices is crucial to ensuring maximum uptime. The EDGE – Powered by SMG3 is a visibility portal built on Salesforce.com, allows you to track your assets and access support through a secure ticketing system. By accessing a collaborative platform, you can rely on experts to ensure your devices are accounted for and performing to the highest expectations. - Manual processes
Though more than half of manufacturers are utilizing technology to bridge the supply chain disruption gap, many are still utilizing paper-based, error-prone manual processes. Implementing smart mobility solutions significantly increases accuracy, allowing your teams to stay ahead of inventory challenges, and better anticipate disruptions. Solutions like rugged mobile computers, scanners and voice-directed solutions can empower your workforce to work faster, navigate workflows easier, and keep productivity running at peak levels.
No matter what you manufacture, working with an experienced industry partner in implementing, integrating and managing your organization’s technology upgrades is crucial to achieving real-time visibility and staying ahead of supply chain struggles. By ensuring your mobile devices are optimized and fully integrated, you can help safeguard your manufacturing business and help your operations stay future-ready. Want to learn more?