Having siloed operational data is unhealthy for operational efficiency and productivity drives. Data silos are rigidly compartmentalized data areas that don't connect to any areas of your information systems. For many manufacturers and large organizations, the issue of data silos has gotten more complicated with the explosion in experience data (X-data) from online reviews and in-store feedback.
The Reason You Should Break Down Silos
Here's why manufacturers and top organizations are making it a priority to break down silos and unify their experience and operational data.
- Data analysis is difficult. Information silos pose serious problems when it comes to data analysis, as the information may be stored in formats that are inconsistent with each other. There's much time-consuming manual work when standardizing the data and placing it in new compatible formats.
- Access issues can slow down research. Users may find confusion around information access and permissions hierarchy where silos exist. When you're looking to put up a longitudinal analysis that re-examines older material or pulls data from different parts of the business, silos can create a lag factor. Silos slow down work and degrade the ROI associated with manufacturing projects.
- Work and effort duplicate. When there's limited operational visibility, members of different departments can end up doing the same set of work in parallel. In such cases, on-demand access to operational data can save time and effort when teams have a clear idea of what other teams are doing.
- Siloed information leads to a siloed culture. When data is siloed, it often points to a siloed workplace and work culture where vertical departments work independently, and no one shares data outside their domains. Alongside releasing siloed data, integrating a company's data can chip away overly bureaucratic or rigid structures where knowledge is not being shared or used in the company's best interest.
How to Leverage and Connect Critical Metrics
With the danger posed by siloed data on operational efficiency and business performance, manufacturers must ask themselves how they can leverage and connect critical metrics to their manufacturing systems and machinery. Simply put: how can you grow your manufacturing business if you can't measure performance? Leveraging and connecting smart programs provide you with high-valuable insight in real-time, enabling you to track your manufacturing workflows and facilitate supply chain management.
Here’s how you can leverage and connect critical metrics to drive manufacturing efficiency and productivity.
- Stock Management
Forty-six percent of small and medium-sized business owners do not track inventory or still rely on manual or paper-based methods. Manual tracking processes can hurt manufacturing processes. According to the National Retail Federation, paperwork and administrative errors account for 25% of inventory shrinkage. Product management programs like CSIFLEX, however, let you monitor the availability of raw materials in your manufacturing facility so that you can predict when you need more supplies. With CSIFLEX manufacturing tools, you can obtain smart analytics that help you create a bill of materials and product trees to manage machine parts, sub-assemblies, and other critical components. In addition, you can customize the CSIFLEX software based on your business requirements.
- Track Performance
Measuring employee performance in manufacturing is essential. Popular sources identify that you cannot improve what you cannot measure. By connecting critical metrics to your manufacturing information systems; you can determine which employees and machinery provide the most value. Real-time analytics enable floor managers and manufacturing owners to determine rates, assess performance, and track individual input.
- Optimizing Performance
Most manufacturers want to optimize performance and productivity across production lines. With analytics, you can align your manufacturing processes with your shop floor, and improve product tracking and stock control. This alignment will help you lower overheads and reduce downtimes. CSIFLEX AI-enabled tools enable you to optimize performance with visual workflows, thus boosting productivity. You can increase revenues by maximizing production capacity, reducing scrap and waste, and saving money and time.
Connect Critical Metrics and Leap Towards Industry 4.0
Other than optimizing performance, tracking individual workers, and managing stocks and supply chain, metrics feature additional benefits:
- Metrics clarify performance expectations. According to a survey by the Gallup Organization, employee engagement begins with each employee being able to strongly agree with the statement, "I know what is expected of me at work." Metrics clarify performance expectations for every role in your company and functional teams.
- Metrics help you manage effectively. Metrics provide objective performance measures, providing data-driven management. Evaluating employee performance is not whether your employees are working extra hours or exceedingly busy. It's about the results or measurable outcomes of their hard work.
- Metrics drive business execution. When you keep your metrics up-to-date and visible, you will achieve both the consistency of performance and outcomes. Larry Bossidy, a former CEO of Allied Signal, noted that when he sees companies that don't execute, the chances are that they don't measure. Metrics provide actionable insight that helps fuel business performance.
CSIFLEX – Eliminating Siloed Data and Improving Critical Metrics
Contact CSIFLEX to access a wide range of AI-enabled tools that you can embed in your manufacturing systems to achieve better visibility and data-driven decision-making. This, in turn, will eliminate operational data silos and drive manufacturing efficiency. Integrating smart tools into your manufacturing information systems is the ultimate answer to production efficiency and productivity.