The manufacturing sector is moving through a period of rapid change and transformation. The evolution of “Industry 4.0” has prompted brands to adopt digital technologies and disruptive tools at an accelerated pace, to keep up with new demands for safety, innovation, and efficiency.  

For many organisations in the manufacturing sector, the years ahead will be littered with new opportunities in the form of IoT-connected devices, intelligent analytics, and even extended reality. However, before investing in these areas, many companies will first need to examine the underlying structure of the communication and collaboration tools which power everyday workflows.  

Unified Communications, with its ability to align specialists and employees throughout the manufacturing landscape, can pave the way for rapid innovation. The right tools not only enhance the performance of today’s experts, but also allow for additional benefits like cost savings, better employee safety, and stronger business insights.  

Here are just some of the top use cases for UC in manufacturing.  

Increase Business Agility in the Cloud 

Currently, the adoption of UCaaS (Unified Communication as a Service) in the manufacturing sector is increasing, as companies push more of their technology into the cloud. Surviving in the age of Industry 4.0 requires manufacturing businesses to adapt and perform in an agile environment. The cloud allows for rapid change and ideation, as well as providing a platform where teams can access new tools and technologies at speed.  

For manufacturing businesses, UCaaS solutions can be more than just a tool for communication and collaboration. The right ecosystem can create a digital work hub, where staff members can access all of the guidance, support, and knowledge required to work more effectively. Many of the top UCaaS solutions on the market today are becoming more open, flexible, and extensible.  

This means manufacturing organisations can easily align their communication and collaboration tools with technology for enterprise resource management, asset tracking, and even intelligent analytics. With one tap on a smartphone app, a manufacturing employee with access to a UCaaS ecosystem can share information about a device or system with the right colleagues in seconds. At the same time, the flexible nature of the cloud environment ensures companies can add new technologies whenever they choose. This makes it easier to manage both innovation and budget at the same time. 

Enhance Collaboration and Creativity 

The manufacturing sector is a fast-paced and distributed environment, often reliant on excellent collaboration between various groups throughout the ecosystem. Today’s manufacturing teams need to be able to collaborate and connect effectively not just with their direct colleagues, but also with supervisors, quality management professionals, and specialists located around the globe.  

A UC environment paves the way for better end-to-end collaboration and knowledge sharing throughout any landscape. The right tool can keep teams connected whether they’re on the manufacturing floor, working in the administrative space, or innovating over new products.  

Multiple specialists from different departments can easily share knowledge, and work together on projects in a variety of environments. Teams can come together through instant messaging apps to discuss solutions to problems. Employees on the floor can use video conferencing to share information with back-end employees for guidance in the moment. It’s even possible to access the assistance of remote experts and engineers anywhere in the world through cloud communications. The more connected the team, the better the manufacturing company can perform.  

Enhanced Safety and Security 

Safety hazards represent a major concern in the manufacturing industry. Professionals are often working in fast-paced and dangerous environments, surrounded by heavy machinery and tools. One of the best ways to reduce the risks inherent in a modern manufacturing environment, is to ensure employees have the right collaboration and communication tools.  

A UC system can help to make employees safer in a variety of different ways. It provides an all-in-one environment for accessing documentation and guidance on how to use devices, so employees can get assistance in the moment. It also allows staff members anywhere inside or outside of the workplace to access specialist help in the moment.  

Manufacturing companies can use UC tools to share alerts and notifications with the right employees in moments when they need to be aware of inherent dangers. Automation tools can even track data about a piece of machinery and notify an engineer when there’s a risk of a malfunction, using intelligent insights and machine learning. A UC system also makes it easier to track data shared throughout the business, for improved compliance.  

Unlock New Opportunities for Innovation 

As mentioned above, unified communication tools often act as the foundation on which manufacturing companies can implement and explore other innovations. For instance, as the way we communicate continues to evolve, forward-thinking UCaaS companies like Microsoft are beginning to align their communication tools with apps for the metaverse and extended reality.  

Using XR solutions like augmented and mixed reality, companies could invitee quality assurance professionals and administrators to take a tour of a manufacturing floor without travel. A holographic version of the professional can accompany a specialist on a walk-through, examining different pieces of machinery and collecting IoT-based data as they go.  

In the metaverse, companies could also build digital twins of products and solutions for employees to interact with in virtual reality. This could allow for faster innovation, and rapid discovery of new technologies and strategies. It could also accelerate the time to market for new innovations, without wasting crucial resources and revenue. Elsewhere, artificial intelligence and machine learning analytics can provide insights into opportunities for growth based on data collected in UC systems.  

Improve Budget Savings 

All companies, including those in the multi-billion dollar manufacturing sector, are constantly searching for ways to reduce costs, without compromising on efficiency and safety. The UC ecosystem provides an excellent opportunity in this regard. According to some estimations, simply modernising old communication tools can lead to cost reductions of 30% for some brands. 

With UC, companies can reduce the need for specialists to make expensive travel plans to visit manufacturing floors, and lower the costs associated with having multiple members of staff present on-site at any given time. The right solutions can also align multiple expenses within the business ecosystem into a single bill, for more effective resource and budget planning.  

Leveraging intelligent tools, analytics and insights can even provide manufacturing companies with the information they need to make decisions which improve the productivity of the team. Higher levels of productivity lead to better revenue and return on investment.  

 

 

 



from UC Today https://ift.tt/nkOltwd