Thursday 15th April 2021
It almost goes without saying that employee safety is a — if not the — leading trend for manufacturers in 2021. Workplace safety has, of course, always been a priority for manufacturers, but it has taken on new significance as a result of the pandemic, which is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
In addition to basic safety precautions, such as enforcing social distancing measures on the production floor and ensuring that workers sanitize their workspace, manufacturers must closely and carefully monitor who enters and exits their facilities, and which individuals or equipment they interact with. This has led many manufacturers to source facilities maintenance and management and placed increased emphasis on traceability, which requires manufacturers to reclaim internal equipment data from OEMs.
This renewed focus on employee safety even extends as far as field service; in order to minimize contact, technicians will need to be more prepared for each job so that they can quickly complete open work orders. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if there were a dramatic increase in manufacturers’ first-time fix rates as a result. We also predict that this trend will have a direct effect on supply chain visibility, as manufacturers demand greater transparency from suppliers as they work to track issues and claims throughout the manufacturing process.
Organizations will find that while COVID-related restrictions have significantly decreased their productivity, they can still uncover opportunities to improve productivity, service levels, and operating costs. Even with the number of people receiving Covid vaccinations increasing every day, the impact of the global pandemic is likely to continue for some time, particularly in terms of employee safety as many of the changes introduced to limit the spread of coronavirus are potentially going to remain long into the future. As a result, the ability to uncover opportunities to improve productivity, service levels, and operating costs should be an even greater priority.