If you subscribe to a magazine or newspaper, your subscription probably also offers access to the same content via a tablet or smartphone. But, if you are one of those who prefer contact with paper, it is better to get used to the idea of consume the content in digital form.
You can be sure: the use of printed paper is decreasing in our daily lives - and also in industries.
The manufacturing industries already recognize the gains of Elimination of paper and the digitization of the system. Thus, the idea of manufacturing”Paperless” (paperless, in translation) extends benefits to various areas of the industry, bringing fundamental transformations to operations.
In this article we will explore the advantages and challenges of this change in industries.
Paperless = More competitiveness
A paperless industry has become popular in recent years. Entering manual data into computers or spreadsheets can result in failures, which can compromise the quality of a product.
Large and technology companies are already avoiding the use of paper in production lines for precisely this reason. As a result, they obtain better rates of quality, efficiency and rapid updating of the processes.
The big challenge then is Make the transition from the current model to paperless. However, it's not easy to redo a stable process that's been working for years. It would be a mistake to think that simply converting documents to PDF files is the solution to operate in this way. Swapping paper with a computer screen does not define the mode of operation of paperless manufacturing.
Benefits of the paperless industry
Although the process is not easy, we have listed below some of the benefits of making this change from paper to paperless. Follow up:
Cost reduction
The reduction or elimination of the use of paper is the basis of everything. But in practice, the effects are even greater than they seem.
Imagine the amount of paper that accumulates in a multinational manufacturing company, including work orders, reports, machine instructions, etc. This is without considering the storage of all this.
In addition to Reduce costs, there is also a considerable gain of storage space.
Flexibility and speed
The dynamics of manufacturing depend on customer demand, material and machine availability. Actions can be taken from Faster way in a systematized environment, whether updating work procedures, operating rules or purchasing material.
The information transmitted in real time allows accelerate decision-making, since it decreases the latency of the process after the elimination of paper reports. This is also extended when we think that the same factory information can be made available remotely to engineers and stakeholders.
Efficiency and productivity
Without paper, production reports are immediate and automated. Any additional information can be found in the database and without the need to search through piles of paper.
The time saved in these situations can be used in activities of higher added value. An operator's performance is optimized by the time spent manufacturing, testing, and assembling products, and not by the time searching for process information in documents.
Risk reduction and safety
In a paperless scenario, there are no risks of competing documents with different or out of order revisions. Production instruction, manuals, work order, and bill of materials are correctly made available during the process, eliminating the current model of keeping paperwork in revised order.
In this work model, the risk of failing audits is reduced and operators are guaranteed the correct instruction of the process, which in turn results in a lower rate of rework and the generation of scraps.
What is the challenge in eliminating the role of manufacturing?
Eliminating paper can be seen as challenging and laborious. Many entrepreneurs may see the need for a costly maneuver to achieve the proposed objective, but the good news is that the process can be broken down into stages.
Instead of applying great resources to updating the production line all at once, the system can be implemented in phases, modifying the production line gradually. The phased execution of the project guarantees greater control and reduced risks.
If you want to implement this process, contact us and we'll help you digitize your industry!
