5 Ways Real-time Visibility Improves Efficiency

Protect Your Profits, People and Productivity

Faced with increasing uncertainty and disruptions from inflation, global events, workforce challenges, regulations and politics, companies can no longer afford to rely on manual processes to effectively grow and compete in a global economy. While trust once served as the foundation of an effective supply chain, technology-enabled visibility is now the cornerstone for success.

Today’s progressive brands and manufacturers are gaining a competitive advantage by investing in the visibility tools needed to attract and retain customers, create customer service efficiencies, and automate manual processes to save time and resources. They know that gaining visibility to supply chain blind spots is vital to protecting profits, people and productivity.

Why Real-time Visibility?

Manufacturing efficiency is essential to staying competitive and profitable. Perhaps the best remaining way to improve efficiency is through data visibility. With access to real-time visibility throughout the production and supply chain processes, companies can identify bottlenecks, monitor production lines, and make faster, more effective data-driven decisions.

Thankfully, what was once a highly complicated process of collecting and sharing production data is now amazingly straightforward. Thanks to app-driven tablet computers and wireless networking, all the necessary information is available at our fingertips! So, what’s the catch? The main challenge is extracting critical information from this sea of data to enable production workers and managers to make better-informed decisions and quickly pivot in real time.

Data analytics tools like those found in BlueCherry® Shop Floor Control (SFC) solutions empower companies with the real-time visibility they need to achieve previously unreachable levels of decision-making, equipment effectiveness and process performance.

5 Ways Data Visibility Improves Efficiency

Of course, data alone does not increase efficiency. However, it can be a valuable guide to identifying where your efficiency can be improved when presented in real time.

1.     Real-time monitoring improves efficiency

With real-time data visibility, manufacturers can monitor production lines, inventory levels, quality and other key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify issues and immediately take corrective action. This capability enables them to pivot, minimizing the impact of disruptions and downtime while reducing waste and costs.

Real-time SFC systems like BlueCherry SFC automatically collect data from the shop floor and other systems (e.g., ERP, engineering, payroll) to eliminate time-consuming manual data entry processes and reduce human error and administrative labor costs. Making this data available on demand not only provides increased visibility but also supports actionable insights that improve processes and increase overall plant performance.

2.     Identify and solve production problems

By continuously measuring effectiveness, your teams can quickly assess whether they have taken the right direction and if their changes are cost-effective. Because this visibility extends beyond production data to orders and lead times, they can assess and remedy any production glitches that could impact delivery schedules.

Thanks to the ability to analyze data from every production activity, managers and maintenance teams can quickly assess which production lines, operators or machines require immediate attention. Managers can also visualize how efficiency is affected by absenteeism, shift changes, type of product produced, skill levels, machine health, production plans and more.

3.   Advance to data-driven decisions

Data visibility can help manufacturers predict when maintenance is needed for their machinery, minimizing downtime and decreasing maintenance costs. Presented with real-time information, manufacturers can identify patterns and anomalies that foretell potential problems, allowing them to react quickly and avoid bottlenecks and downtime.

Real-time visibility is an excellent indicator of where you should invest your time and money in business improvements. Real-time visibility gives employees, managers, sourcing and executives the always up-to-date and accurate information they need to move the business forward and achieve measurable results quickly.

4.     Monitor and ensure quality

Real-time visibility allows manufacturers to monitor the quality of their products throughout the production process. In addition to immediately identifying the source and impact of poor quality, they can track and analyze the data to identify potential quality issues early on to minimize any adverse effects on productivity, production and delivery schedules

This early detection enables them to take corrective action before producing more defective products, reducing waste and improving customer satisfaction. It can also make a meaningful impact on sustainability through reduced carbon footprint and operational costs.

5.     Manage supply chain activities

With the real-time visibility provided by BlueCherry® Shop Floor Control (SFC) sourcing teams can track their suppliers’ performance and monitor their supply chain in real time. This enables buyers to identify bottlenecks and other supply chain issues and quickly take corrective action. With greater visibility to the performance of their supply chain, sourcing executives can ensure delivery times and help reduce costs.

In summary, real-time data visibility and analysis are crucial to improving efficiency in manufacturing. It is the most effective way for today’s production and supply chain partners to improve operational efficiency and strengthen competitiveness, sustainability, and profitability.

Data analytics is the best solution to one of today’s biggest challenges - effectively managing and extracting critical information from a vast data stream. Effectively combined, real-time data visibility and analytics enable companies to constantly improve production processes, identify bottlenecks, and advance from instinct-based decisions to data-driven and fact-based business management.

BlueCherry® Shop Floor Control (SFC) solutions combine the global visibility and powerful analytics needed to move your business forward quickly to achieve measurable results.

Isn’t it time you experienced the benefits and competitive advantages of real-time information in your sourcing, production and supply chain operations? Learn more and start a conversation with the real-time experts at BlueCherry by phoning (212) 408-3800 or CLICK HERE to contact us.