Streamlining Operational Efficiency in Manufacturing: Leveraging No-Code to Drive Process Optimization
By Vinay Agrrawal
In a world where complexity is the norm, simplicity is an advantage.
This is particularly true in manufacturing operations, where the increasing complexity of processes and technology often outstrip the available IT skills.
A recent Salesforce survey revealed that over 90% of workers reported a boost in productivity due to the implementation of automation tools; 85% observed improved team collaboration.
In manufacturing, operations is the art of effectively managing inevitable chaos. The chaos arises partly from the diversity of things Operations handles and partly human nature, compounded by the difficulty of finding ready technological solutions to sticky problems.
The ability to make informed decisions quickly is crucial for operations success. However, many manufacturers lack the tools and systems necessary to provide real-time insights, resulting in delayed responses and missed opportunities.
The pursuit of operational excellence has become increasingly intertwined with the adoption of technology. One key element in the toolkit is no-code.
No-code refers to a method of development that enables individuals to create and deploy applications without writing any code. No-code platforms bridge the gap between technological capability and skill scarcity. They enable businesses to change and transform without the need for development talent or the steep learning curve of traditional programming. No-code contrasts sharply with traditional software development, which requires a deep understanding of programming languages and complex coding and deployment.
The fundamental principle of no-code operations revolves around project requirements gathering and quickly moving on to prototyping, delivery, adoption, and continuous improvement via iteration. This approach emphasizes the development of swift minimum viable products (MVPs) to test ideas and iterate without significant delays or costs, thereby speeding up development and reducing dependencies on specialized programming skills.
Several no-code platforms, such as Hubler and Nintex, have become instrumental in transforming manufacturing operations, providing robust ways to automate processes and streamline data management without the need to write any code.
The adoption of no-code in manufacturing offers several key benefits:
- Reduction in Development Time: No-code platforms significantly speed up the process of bringing products to market, enabling rapid prototyping and iteration to refine ideas quickly.
- Empowerment of Non-Technical Users: These platforms allow non-technical users across various departments to directly own and implement automation efforts, broadening the scope of who can drive process optimization.
- Cost-Effectiveness: According to Gartner, 70% of new applications will be built using low-code or no-code platforms by 2025, reducing the need for expensive development resources and driving efficiency.
- Increased Efficiency: No-code tools facilitate rapid prototyping, leading to faster innovation cycles and more responsive business operations.
In manufacturing, no-code innovation has become increasingly prevalent as a key tool for digital transformation. Whether it is for streamlining processes, reducing downtime, and expediting product launches, companies such as General Electric Digital have harnessed no-code.
Here are some example of operations processes that manufacturers can automate with no-code:
Inventory Management: Even with solutions like IoT, companies frequently struggle to get real-time visibility into inventory levels. The lack of visibility arises from disjointed systems for barcode generation, point of sale, and ERP. This leads to inaccuracies in demand forecasting and stock replenishment. A no-code solution can quickly automate processes like barcode scanning and inventory mapping, while integrating your inventory data with point-of-sale data to give you a more reliable and streamlined inventory management system.
Asset Management: Tracking and managing assets, including tagging and inventorying in warehouses or facilities, is susceptible to leakage and fragmented practices. Facility-level asset data is not always integrated, leading to reduced visibility into your assets. Considering that your asset management is unique to your business, a no-code solution is likely to be the best way to achieve real-time tracking and visibility, significantly improving asset control.
Contract Management: Business relationships necessitate contracts, which involve cumbersome paperwork and manual coordination and approvals. When approvals occur on different tools and communication channels, there is a high potential for errors and delays. Processes are unique to companies and teams. No-code can help Ops leaders streamline the creation, management, and abstraction of contracts.
Compliance Management: Tracking statutory and legal compliance needs using off-the-shelf software is expensive. But, not having software, increases exposure to compliance risks and potential legal issues. A no-code platform can help you create your own application to track, organize, manage, and automate your compliance and due diligence obligations.
This is just a subset of potential challenges that can be solved using no-code. In practice, there are hundreds of use cases that manufacturers can solve with the right no-code platform and training.
To empower operations leaders in leveraging no-code, here is a step-by-step guide for successful integration:
- Pinpoint time-consuming, error-prone tasks that need frequent hand-offs for automation to save time and reduce errors.
- Understand and document each step of the identified process using flowcharts or process mapping tools to visualize the big picture and proposed improvements.
- Evaluate no-code platforms based on features, scalability, and support to choose a solution that aligns with future growth needs.
- Develop a basic version of the automated process using templates and pre-built components, gather feedback on usability and performance, and ensure seamless data flow between the no-code platform and existing tools.
- Launch the automated process to all users, monitor performance, and continuously gather user feedback and performance data to refine and streamline operations further.
In conclusion, no-code has the ability to dramatically automate manufacturing operations, offering an accessible and efficient path to driving process optimization. Manufacturers who have hesitated to embark on full-fledged digital transformation because of apprehensions about the cost of ERP overhauls or customization can now do so at a fraction of the cost using no-code. Embracing no-code will equip manufacturers with all the tools they need to innovate faster, improve efficiency, and ultimately drive superior operational metrics.
(The author is Vinay Agrrawal, Founder & CEO of Hubler, and the views expressed in this article are his own)
