I recently renovated my house. After a long discussion with my wife and plenty of concessions, I planned to install five (count them, five) TVs throughout my home for optimal sports enjoyment. My contractor proactively installed cable to all five TV locations; then the A/V guys installed the TVs; next, we painted the surrounding areas, framed the TVs flush to the wall, and were ready to plug it all in and start watching.
When it’s finally the cable guy’s turn, he lets me know the entire house was wired with coaxial cables that—since 2020—don’t support streaming television. Because the TVs were installed flush, the wireless reception was significantly limited. My solution? I had to install booster modems, (not so) beautifully affixed on a floating shelf below each TV. I spent more than I planned, got an ugly iteration of what I was aiming for, and am left with a “whoops” my wife will never let me live down.
I can’t help but wonder what I did wrong: What step did I skip because I didn’t have all the information? My home’s cable in its current state did not support my goals. I needed to better understand, slow down, and think of what I needed to support my lofty outcome.
The Nature of Technology
Technology doesn’t fix pre-existing, real-world challenges, even if they claim to. And there’s no one-size-fits-all, plug-and-play technology solution that will solve every problem in your facility. The sooner we understand our problem and how technology can—even if only in part—address that problem, the better.
All too often, technological advances merely emphasize the problems we face. As you look at tech, consider your goal and what areas you want to impact. Ask yourself: What is fixable with technology? What needs to be addressed before we introduce technology? What can be improved with technology?
Think of different solutions as layers in the systems and processes that make your facility run. In most cases, technology is just that—a layer. It goes on top of, builds on, and, if it’s the right fit, enhances your facility’s current state.
Technology in Manufacturing: Where We Go Wrong
Today’s technology landscape is vast: component content management systems (CMMS), building information modeling (BIM), geographic information systems (GIS), 3D imaging, asset tracking platforms, geo-mapping, smart sensors, APIs, and more. It’s overwhelming, and there’s always something new.
What happens when you entertain the idea of purchasing technology for your facility? Maybe there’s a big sales pitch, a shiny well-oiled demo, and a sandbox instance to test out. But after you buy? What does it do for your business?
Based on our customers’ experiences with and feedback on the slew of technology available, these systems are either excellent…or they fail miserably. Ultimately, success depends on careful preparation, selection, and implementation.
Technology sells us on the perspective of “be better,” “know more,” and “track KPIs,” focusing on making things easier and more efficient. Don’t misunderstand me: We need to know our turn rate, our uptime metrics, our preventive maintenance schedules, and our workflows—and have accountability for them. It makes our businesses better. The question is: How does technology tangibly help us get there (and where does it hinder us)?
Improvement in most manufacturing climates requires a keen understanding of the current state or “ground floor” of the facility—or as the Kaizen process calls it, “going to gemba.” Essentially, leaders and managers must be in the trenches of their facility to observe and understand the goings-on: What’s good, what’s bad, what’s OK, and what’s what at the highest and lowest levels. There’s a strong focus on improvement and the impact of proposed short- and long-term outcomes. The problem arises when we become frustrated with our current state and look to technology to solve all our problems, rather than act as a layer to the solution.
Technology & (Bad) Data
A big gap in manufacturing is data—or, rather, the lack of good data. The accuracy and integrity of facility data plays a critical role in whether you can effectively leverage technology. Do you have the data to make the technology work for your facility? As you seek out tech to enhance efficiency, ask questions like: What data serves as the basis for implementation? What makes for a successful implementation? What causes failure?
Consider how data plays a key role in various types of tech and software solutions in facilities:
- Workflow Automation: Do you have existing workflows in place?
- Product Lifecycle Costing: Is there data, or the ability to get data, that will help you understand the cost at each step in a product’s lifecycle?
- Preventive Maintenance Tracking: Have you taken inventory of your serviceable items? Do you know how frequently they are or need to be serviced? Can you handle maintenance internally, or will it require external resources?
- Geo-tagging: Are geo-tags accessible and usable in your facility’s environment?
- Digitizing Maps: Are any maps you’re digitizing clear, accurate, up to date, and accessible?
Piping Schematics
For my purposes, I want to talk to you specifically about technology and piping schematics. Digitization of schematics, taking them from pirate maps to CAD drawings, makes facility knowledge available and accessible to all relevant teams. But many fail to realize that digitization of inaccurate data doesn’t accomplish these goals: It simply makes bad information easier to get.
The positive impact—easy access to the schematics and the ability to use them on a day-to-day basis—may be realized, but it ultimately creates a false sense of security. The information you’re now leveraging (and paid a handsome sum for), might be missing the last 50 years of updates and renovations, making it virtually unusable for your needs today.
With schematics, as with many other pieces of the operational puzzle, technology is only useful insofar as you dedicate hands-on resources to surveying your facility and physically mapping it out. Digitization can get you information quickly, but it doesn’t ensure the information is correct. You must start by solving the problem of accurate mapping and then move your solution into the digital world.
Interested in learning about how HydroCorp can help your facility obtain accurate, digitized piping schematics?
