IMPACT 2019 Recap: Smart Manufacturing Success Requires Employee Adoption

“To effectively deploy any new IoT technology, manufacturers should not only focus on connecting to things but also connecting to data, people and processes to drive ROI.” – Nick Marchioli, Smart Factory Expert, Shoplogix

Shoplogix was proud to be a premier sponsor at the IMPACT Smart Manufacturing Summit at the Renaissance Schaumburg in Chicago on Oct 6 – Oct 8. We enjoyed educating manufacturers on how we can help tackle their i4.0 digital transformation challenges. Thanks to all those who dropped by booth 401!

One of the highlights of the show was our smart factory expert, Nick Marchioili’s well-attended workshop on i4.0 insights and best practices. He focused on a prevalent theme at the show…people and adoption and captivated the audience speaking from his 20+ years of experience in the industry.  

Subscribe to our blog to be notified of Nick Marchioli’s next “Ask the Expert” webinar. He will dive deep into how to connect people to your IoT Smart Factory Platform and drive your digital transformation to the next level.

Speaking with senior-level manufacturing experts at the show, it was clear that many are focused on connecting to things and tapping into i4.0 data, however, the reality is that most plants still operate in a world where people play a large role in the manufacturing process. 

Nick shared how his experiences in helping manufacturers drive digital transformation have continuously shown that people are the key to driving adoption and scaling IoT initiatives across the enterprise to improve the likelihood of success when it comes to new technology. 

Adoption requires well-planned change management. To ensure a successful process change or technology implementation, management needs to bring together all teams (operators, data scientists, etc.) so that everyone understands each other’s processes and goals. It’s also important that new solutions such as smart factory software measures engagement and adoption rates to drive accountability and execution. 

For example, Shoplogix allows manufacturers to track an overall adoption score based on key actions such as downtime input, provided comments, recorded scrap, percent of inspections completed, etc. These metrics allow you to determine if operators are inputting information and are understanding and adhering to the technology process. Measuring and scoring adoption also reinforces to plant personnel that they are important in the digitization effort and it is not just a system-generated metric. 

Learn about our Smart Factory IoT Platform

• Shoplogix Smart Factory Platform for Production Management – Shoplogix helps manufacturers reduce operational costs, sustain growth and improve profitability with real-time visibility into performance to increase efficiencies in production. 
• MES Modules – explore how our advanced manufacturing modules such as scheduling, quality, materials, labor and process functionality can accelerate growth.
• Mejora Continua – the Shoplogix Smart Factory Platform offers CI modules to help manufacturers sustain and accelerate growth such as Messaging, Energy, Smart Video, Action Plan and Kaizen functionality. 

Did you attend IMPACT 2019? What did you think of the show? Leave a comment below to share your experience!