Digitization brings new efficiencies to manufacturing industry

Agencies with staff shortages and growing file storage demands are converting to electronic document management systems for more efficient handling of important records.

Christopher Romatier, senior strategic marketing manager with Honeywell Process Solutions, told Automation World that although digital solutions have been in existence for some time now, tightening resources and limited talent pools are forcing companies to turn to conversion services for effective document maintenance.

“The biggest challenge that operating companies face is when they want to integrate multiple facilities, usually of multiple vintages or generations,” he explained. “They have to do a lot of data integration. It most often is cost prohibitive for them to consider ripping and replacing all of the data systems in all the sites to just standardize on one.”

This standardization of storing documents electronically has helped firms in all industries to realize a wide range of advantages. According to Manufacturing Business Technology, Phoenix Manufacturing is one enterprise that has made use of conversion technologies for better information management. Martha Paluch, an operations specialist at the company, reported that upon returning to help run the family business, she was overwhelmed by the amount of paper documentation that had accumulated. 

“I was surprised to see what a burden it was to have to carry it. Just the sheer volume of it,” she said. “I came back with expectations of changing times and going greener.”

Enhanced retrieval and retention
Phoenix Manufacturing, which only has 55 employees, is responsible for shipping aircraft machinery such as custom engine pieces to both leading luxury airlines and military aerospace companies. Each week, the company was filing an average of 100 or more packets of documents, taking up a significant number of filing cabinets and valuable space that Paluch stated could be better used for manufacturing parts.

Paluch headed Phoenix Manufacturing’s paperless initiative, which utilized document imaging software to scan all files into an electronic format, all of which can be easily searched. Documents can be printed or emailed directly from within the system to aerospace clients, which has improved customer service quality and cut down on the time it takes for employees to distribute these files.
Additionally, the news source reported that this system has helped preserve important files, which is critical considering that for safety reference reasons, companies like Phoenix need to be able to track the history of each part that is manufactured. All documentation is required to be accessible for at least 10 years, which is not always guaranteed with a paper system, in which files can be lost, damaged or destroyed.

Companies like Phoenix can benefit from the implementation of a digital system, which simplifies the process of filing and retrieving files, as well as ensures the preservation of critical information.

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