How Industrial Manufacturing Leaders Can Drive Growth Through Smart Technologies

If you're an industrial manufacturer looking to increase productivity, boost profits and unlock new growth opportunities, automation needs to be central to your strategy.

The stats speak for themselves: research conducted by Aptean found that manufacturers using an ERP system to run their operations generated 7.9% revenue growth on average last year, compared to just 6.3% for those without software.

To understand why the right technology stack is a gamechanger and how to drive growth through automation, Aptean interviewed three software experts for our latest ebook: Using Technology To Drive Growth in Discrete Manufacturing. Dmitri Kirshner, Andy Pickard and Jim Tuttle have over 70 years of manufacturing technology experience between them. Here are their thoughts on:

• Why workforce changes mean we’ve reached a technology “tipping point”

• What’s holding some manufacturers back from fully embracing automation

• Where to start with developing your digital transformation strategy

• How to choose technology that delivers good return on investment and will meet your future needs

The Generational Shift Is Driving Technology Investment

What's driving more manufacturers to automate and integrate their technology ecosystems? According to Jim Tuttle, a major factor is the generational shift. “Many of the companies that started up 20-30 years ago are being taken over by the founders’ children, who want to modernize operations,” he shares.  But there are still barriers holding some companies back, especially when it comes to understanding what solutions are available and aligning tech investments to strategic goals.  Dmitri Kirshner explains: “one of the biggest challenges is manufacturers not understanding what’s possible in the realms of technology. To successfully grow your business, you need to understand your strategic needs, so you know what processes to automate.”

Our experts also emphasize the importance of securing company-wide buy-in to ensure that new solutions are quickly adopted and fully utilized.

As Andy Pickard observes, "your high-level goals need to translate to the shop floor, so everyone understands why you're investing in new systems and how important it is for data to flow through your business."

Dmitri adds: "start with your strategic goals. Do you want your shop floor team to work faster? Reduce production lead times? Put more data at people's fingertips when they're answering customer questions?"

Don’t Put a Square Peg Into a Round Hole   

For those still putting up with disconnected systems and manual workarounds, Aptean’s experts recommend investing in an ERP system designed specifically for industrial manufacturing processes.  

Jim states: “you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole, and that’s exactly what happens when you’re trying to use a generic solution to automate discrete manufacturing operations.

If you need to write customizations it will delay you getting started with new software and it will also slow you down every time you add new technology; it’s a dragging effect.”

Andy also advises mapping out future integrations based on your business strategy, whether that's workflow automation, asset management, customer enablement or other growth objectives.

"ERP sits in the middle of everything, but where you go next really depends on your company's priorities,” he shares.

Solve Today’s Challenges, Prepare for Tomorrow’s Goals

There are significant opportunities to drive growth for industrial manufacturers that are willing to embrace the latest digital tools in a strategic approach. The key is considering tomorrow’s aims as well as today’s immediate challenges.

“Look for solutions that can fit your future needs without having to invest in external applications,” Jim concludes—particularly when it comes to choosing cloud manufacturing software over on-premise technologies.

“Moving to the cloud will accelerate your process automation and make it easier to connect your infrastructure, which will ultimately help you to grow your business."

Ready to drive your business forward with an automated approach to production?

Download Aptean's expert ebook: Using Technology to Drive Growth in Discrete Manufacturing.