Manufacturing Business Technology: Cognizant’s Head of Innovation for Manufacturing and Logistics Says Change Management on the Shop Floor is a Crucial Element of IoT in Manufacturing

“Manufacturers are realizing significant productivity gains as a result of IoT-related improvements in sensing, analysis, prediction and control, and higher levels of automation,” writes Prasad Satyavolu. “Capitalizing on IoT opportunities is as much about reshaping an organization as it is about implementing innovative technologies.” Excerpts:

“By coupling software applications with sensors and controls that gather real-time production data, IoT links the entire manufacturing environment, including mobile devices used by workers and supervisors. Much of manufacturing’s conversation about IoT focuses on shop-floor processes and environmental changes. But, IoT can impact every process within the organization. It creates the next level of productivity gains by enabling manufacturers to both better align with customer preferences and build and leverage a collaborative ecosystem of partnerships.

For these reasons, change management is a crucial element of IoT. This is especially true for managing change on the shop floor, where IoT’s generation of data and insight into operating performance elevates the shop floor’s role from a troubleshooter to a center of lasting improvements. This shift represents a change in paradigm.

The following tips can help manufacturers prepare for the change management approaches that IoT brings to the shop floor and to the broader enterprise:

- Examine your organizational readiness. Organizations must be willing to evolve into a culture where data replaces gut instinct, and routine decisions such as maintenance schedules and machine efficiency can become automated.

- Embrace the construct of a learning organization as a means of change. Learning organizations grow by harnessing the knowledge of their employees, especially when change is imminent and a knowledge-centric enterprise needs to emerge. When it comes to integrating IoT capabilities, organizations need to establish how they will tap into the expertise of smaller groups and individuals on the shop floor. They also need to plan for funneling this expertise toward broader corporate goals of higher efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction.

- Transcend boundaries. IoT presents a unique convergence of technologies and knowledge from multiple sources, including those outside your organization. Partners, startups, government agencies, and open sources of information form the IoT ecosystem—and offer tremendous value to both operational and strategic leadership. Initiatives that bring together multiple partners for a broader purpose create the perfect environment for change.

The technology for implementing IoT is ready and available to deliver greater efficiency to manufacturers that adopt it. By taking the necessary steps to prepare their organizations for IoT, manufacturing can become the epicenter of change for the organization.”

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