The idea of a paperless workplace is older than the first Star Wars movie (a little older, actually—an article called “The Office of the Future” appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek in 1975 touting paperless operations). Yet, it has taken manufacturers much longer to realize the safety, quality, and operational benefits of going paperless. This international Xerox survey from 2017 reported that 80% of Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) intended to adopt a digital, paperless manufacturing model; in addition, 46% of these businesses believe that time is wasted everyday on paper-reliant operations. Manufacturers are ready for creating a more efficient, digital solution.
Changing from paper to digital solutions may seem intimidating, but refusing this change is more costly. And actually, many manufacturing operations already have at least some of the resources they need to get a competitive edge from digital documentation while enhancing their employees’ safety, streamlining their operations and boosting quality. All they really need is expert support to make it happen.
Paperless Manufacturing Solutions Protect Workers
Workplace safety is the most important consideration in manufacturing—this year it has taken on entirely new dimensions with COVID-19. According to a 2019 MAPI and Deloitte survey, 85% of manufacturing executives believe that smart operations will be a driving force of competition over the next 5 years in the industry. One of the most critical improvements they mentioned is automated data capture.
For instance, digitized, automated data capture helps decision makers quickly analyze shop floor trends, potential hazards, inefficient processes, stopped jobs and their causes. Finding and using this data from paper files can take more workers and several days, slowing communication and stalling innovation needed to protect workers. Digital data through a safety software solution like Anvl can quickly find potential trouble spots and warn plants of safety concerns in the moment.
More good news: the rising workforce of millennials (and younger) are extremely comfortable using new technologies. A report in The Manufacturer notes that 33% of millennials crave opportunities to boost productivity and enhance worker safety in their industries by using new tech; so the learning curve is probably shorter and easier than you think. Anvl’s software provides opportunities to drive workflow improvements at all levels of manufacturing by collecting real-time shop floor data digitally and processing it to identify and eliminate hazards while discovering more efficient, safer opportunities.
Going Paperless Boosts Quality
Quality in manufacturing depends heavily on how accurate and accessible your data is. If everything is paper-based, somebody must spend hours finding the documents and tracking the data manually—during which time quality problems and even regulatory compliance issues may continue and metastasize. A digitized, automated solution can stop quality problems in their tracks.
Paperless manufacturing provides data access in real time. Employees can quickly analyze inventory data, track shipments, and trace product locations. Leaders can review product quality and select a date range to analyze issues over the product’s history. When everyone on the team has immediate access to this data, it boosts teamwork and productivity across operations. Decision makers can track the exact status of operations, work centers, shop orders, materials, operators and processes at any moment and communicate changes immediately. Anvl’s paperless manufacturing solutions provide insight into the entire manufacturing process so you can quickly identify quality issues and adapt.
These benefits are especially critical as regulatory compliance issues change. Whenever regulations impact manufacturing processes, Anvl helps you quickly change gears using digital documents that can immediately get to the shop floor, helping you stop defects and regulatory problems fast.
Paperless Manufacturing Streamlines Operations
Remaining mired in paper operations fritters away hours with filing, collecting, copying, scanning, searching through and destroying old documents. Paper takes up expensive office space and can easily get lost, not to mention the environmental costs. Automated data collection and storage cuts these costs, improving efficiency in process control, customer communications, and finding competitive advantages. Less paper used means less money wasted.
Businesses can then take that time and money and invest it in more profitable software systems like Anvl, helping you streamline operations, and empowering you to discover growth opportunities that would be invisible on paper. And, as a result, companies are maintaining a competitive edge while streamlining an approach that appeals best to customer satisfaction.
Anvl Makes Your Paper-to-Digital Process Easy
We know that changing processes and implementing digital solutions may seem daunting at first, but Anvl can make it easy and gradual. We customize the process to fit your company’s unique needs and timeline, and provide one platform to support all of your safety, quality and operational requirements. As a worker-centered software solution, we can simplify the shift to paperless manufacturing, and help your business grow with everyone on board. To see how it works, you can send us your paper forms and we can devise a new, improved digital experience that empowers your workforce with real-time data and gives critical insight to leaders. Sign up for a free trial today and start experiencing the benefits of paperless manufacturing now.
