Spring has sprung! The year is in full swing now. As a fan of change, I truly enjoy the change of seasons and all the natural splendor. I’m lucky to experience the sun and fun of summer, the relaxing cool days of fall, the blustery winter, and the rebirth of spring. I do feel a bit cheated out of winter this year. Although, it’s hard to complain about a mild winter. You really feel the passage of time when you live in a region where the seasons are very pronounced. The reason I enjoy the changing seasons is that it helps me refresh my thoughts. It makes me take stock of what is going on and consider new topics and new areas of interest for my articles. Technology is constantly on our minds and in the news. It is not something that I have written much about, so I plan to do a series of topics here.
As an Industrial Engineer I am focused on the human side of operations, which is the interaction of people, policy, procedure, and technology. I think about how we can organize to optimize the whole system. The problem I see with technology is that it is too often seen as a way to replace people. I have been and will always be skeptical of the “lights out factory.” In fact, if you know of one, I would love to get a tour!
Now, I do not want to create a reputation for myself as being anti-technology. At Chalmers St. we often recommend technology solutions to our clients. In fact, we offer our CI Mastermind Platform to help companies digitize their problem solving and leader standard work. We challenge our clients to make better use of tools like MSTeams, Power BI, or to teach their employees how to use MSExcel. We emphasize the need to use video and digital documentation to convey process standards. I come from a software company where we had many digital tools to organize our work and improve communication. I see the need for technology in manufacturing.
The problem that I have witnessed is that technology is looked at as a replacement for processes or people, rather than an integration to enhance processes and the effectiveness of people. This is what I push back against. So, for the next series of articles I will write about my recent experiences, discussions, and debates that I have with team members and clients about technology. Here are the topics that I plan to cover:
- Automation: when is the right time and what risks need to be mitigated
- Machine downtime tracking: getting the most from these tools
- Pencil and paper vs. digital forms on tablets
- Digitizing workflows
- Chalmers St. experiments with AI
As always, if there are other topics that you would like me to discuss, send me an email. I am always happy to add more.
Technology will continue to change the day to day work in manufacturing and service environments. It can give the organization a leg up on the competition or become an expensive distraction from the company’s objectives. I think success is achieved by taking a pragmatic approach and integrating technology with existing practices. Enhancing work, not simply eliminating it is an important distinction.