As your manufacturing business gets up and running again, and while there is an increased global demand for products, you have an excellent opportunity to address cost issues by implementing automation and workflow solutions to support increased productivity and manage your inventory.
Give your business an edge over the competition by revamping your manufacturing company for the better. Wondering what that might look like? We've got some ideas for office automation that will save tons of time and money for your whole business.
How to Simplify Business Operations
Finding automation solutions and workflow improvements is huge for your business. Some of the easiest ways to do this are right in your office, but they may not have been an option before. This means solutions like outsourcing time-consuming tasks like print management or getting rid of cumbersome (and expensive to store) hard copy data storage.
Four immediate ways to automate processes, increase productivity, and simplify your workflows are:
1. Go digital
With supply chain issues and post-pandemic work conditions, more manufacturers are struggling to manage their operations. Workers are leaving companies due to burnout and the opportunity to work from home. Rising costs in freight and materials lead to unpredictable supply lines and operations. Digitizing workflows that account for labor shortages and reinvent end-to-end processes is a solution you might have thought of, but it's one that works.
Some examples of digital processes include document routing and storage. After scanning a document, you can automate its route to a collaborator, send it to your staff for approval, or upload it to a cloud storage or file-sharing platform. You can also set up email notifications with your team, so your workers can know when to act.
2. Improve your product life cycle
The competitive pressure around the current supply and demand is a good reason to improve your product life cycle. You will simply want to get your products faster to the market. You can manage the workflow around your products by building a solid structure around research and development (R&D), quality, production, packaging, and marketing. This is a great way to avoid bottlenecks, which are temporary or long-term disruptions to workflows.
3. Invest in print management
Printing your customer statements, tags, or barcodes in a fast, efficient way can lead to more productivity for your business. If you invest in high-speed, quality printers, you will not only achieve excellent print results for your customers and partners but also print large volumes at a fraction of the time and cost.
4. Update your equipment
If the repair costs are outweighing the amount of productivity in your business, it may be time to update and upgrade your equipment. Xerox smart and multifunction printers can scan, print, mail, and prepare your documents for distribution all while giving them a high-quality finish.
4. Increase business security
Security has become a concerning topic as more employees work from home, but it’s also needed for any job environment. To simplify and protect your workflows, your printers will need to be secure when connecting several devices to your network. You will want a security policy for your equipment that includes mobile authorizing as well as periodic assessments to keep your devices in check.
Next Steps
Your next steps are to review your office processes for ways that these systems could be helpful. For example, take a look at who is managing print supplies (does anyone know?) and how much you are paying for print and physical document storage. Then, think about your IT and security costs and how you can integrate those into print and digital document management costs for extra savings.
If this is sounding appealing to you, it's time to look into going digital. It's time to make some business moves. Your compliance, quality, and IT departments will thank you right away, and your employees will be glad you're finally catching up with automation to save time and money.
Finding Your Solutions Starts Here
When you're ready to invest in automation and simplified workflows, talk to the team at RCM Technology Group. Getting ahead of technology is one thing; using the latest technology to simplify your business operations and save money is another. Go the easier, more profitable route - reach out to us today.
