Author:  Evan Chaki, Managing Partner, Confluent

Six sigma. Lean manufacturing. Kaizen. Many people working with industrial companies have either been directly trained in these various forms of process improvement, or at the very least, know about the latest trends in process improvement. But how many companies are employing mobile technology to improve their internal business processes?

One major motor and generator service provider adopted a company-wide mobile strategy for process improvement. Integrated Power Services (IPS), a $230 million, 1,000 employee industry leader with more than 20 facilities, is the largest provider of electric motor repair, engineering, and maintenance in North America. Their diverse customer base differs across organization size as well as industry, ranging from wind power to oil and gas.

IPS wanted to use a mobile strategy to accomplish several goals:

1) provide customers with more accurate and timely reporting;

2) streamline operation processes;

3) improve equipment and parts tracking accuracy;

4) minimize waste; and

5) eliminate tedious paper processes.

For a less daunting approach to process automation, they started a pilot program at a single facility. In just 6 months, they had achieved those goals and realized a significant ROI—so they expanded it to three facilities. Soon afterwards, the company set a goal to incorporate their mobile solution at all locations within a year.

“Automating these processes has given us a 10-year competitive edge. We completely reimagined our previous data collection, work logging, and report generation processes, and improved productivity by an estimated 15 percent,” said Scott Melzer, vice president of IT and Purchasing. “We don’t waste time anymore taking photos with digital cameras, uploading them, and categorizing them. We’ve standardized processes across all locations and can enter and edit data on any device, so it’s much easier to generate final reports. Everything is linked to our ERP system, and we can onboard new people and acquisitions rapidly. My only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner.” (Watch a short video of the end-to-end solution specifically for Industrial Pump Repair.)

If your company is considering implementing a mobile strategy, consider these five keys to ensure long-term success.

Understand the purpose behind the process.

The biggest mistake some companies make is simply converting their current processes to a digital format. Automating flawed or inefficient processes is akin to garbage in, garbage out. Don’t underestimate the savings that can be achieved by spending the time and money up front to improve the process itself.

Ask for continuous feedback.

Engage your end users early and often, and take their suggestions seriously. They know better than anyone if your current processes match the natural flow of data capture on the shop floor. Remember, it’s not about simply converting your existing processes (see Step 1)—it’s about taking time to discover if there’s a better way to work.

Create a solid infrastructure.

From day one your users will start to collect data, and a lot of it. Be prepared by designing and deploying the necessary infrastructure in advance. When they see the progress you’re making, it’s likely that other departments or operational areas will want to automate too.

Embrace your new paperless system at every level.

For some, this is one of the hardest steps. Your end users will buy in 100 percent, but many managers are lost when their days of tracking paper around the office are over. Resist the urge to run paper in parallel with your new mobile solution. It’s pointless to print reports that show the same (but now stale) information as real-time dashboards. With similar technology, field service and remote personnel can also access all the information they need. Implemented across the board, these tools will streamline processes so you can reassign resources to more impactful work.

Use these 5 steps to drive user adoption.

1. Keep users engaged throughout the process.
2. Train users on the solution and how it will help them.
3. Create a real-time feedback loop inside the solution so users can submit questions, issues, and suggestions.
4. Create a What’s New section so users can keep up with enhancements, and who’s submitting them.
5. Track utilization daily.

All of these steps are important, and choosing to skip any one of them can lead to failure. Remember that the first 45 days from launch are the most critical. Stay with it, and you’ll enjoy the benefits of a fully automated system for years to come. 

About the Author

Evan Chaki is a Managing Partner at Confluent, a technology consulting firm specializing in complex business process automation and workforce mobilization. With industry-specific solutions, they help organizations around the world operate and scale more efficiently. Contact him directly at Evan.Chaki@BeConfluent.com, or call 803/939-5312.