Industrial digitalization reaches the next level
Industrial digitalization reaches the next level
Digitalization has been entering industry and everyday life for years almost without us noticing. We send budgets, invoices, blueprints or projects digitally. We even pay and get paid digitally. It has all happened very quickly, without being fully aware of these changes. Now, after that first unforeseen phase, it is time to take action and consciously control the digitalization process.
The previous strategy, the study of needs, objectives and timeline, took Astilleros de Mallorca more than a year of interdisciplinary work by the various area managers involved. Finally, the naval engineer and Director of Quality and Innovation, Lucía Mingot, was the person appointed to implement the new model in the company, the paradigm shift.
Lucía, what has “digitalization of companies” meant until now?
In the last decade efforts have focused on digitizing documentation to varying degrees. In previous decades the use of management programs became widespread. Any company today has at least an accounting program or hires an accountant who has this type of program. As for digitalization, at its basic stage, paper-generated documentation (reports, data records, technical documents) is scanned and digital libraries are created. These libraries have become more sophisticated, allowing documents to be searched not only by name or location in a folder structure but also by document metadata or the document’s own content. There have been advances in scanning equipment that incorporate text recognition or barcode reading software that makes the digitization process faster. At a second level companies have worked on making documentation digital from the start, standardizing corporate forms available in shared repositories that facilitate storing documents and later searching for them. They also allow statistical processing of the documentation to make decisions for improving management. The last step consists of completing controlled workflows for this documentation. The documents go through the different people responsible for providing or reviewing data, the document is monitored at all times and the process is streamlined, eliminating low-value tasks like physically passing a file from desk to desk or checking who has a report and whether it is approved. In recent years smartphones have appeared with digitization and code recognition capabilities that are immediate and accessible to anyone.
Where is Astilleros de Mallorca currently in this process?
We have consolidated the use of management programs for decades and documentation is digitized. We have document managers with electronic workflows and documentation is digital from the start among office staff. We have been incorporating various market tools into our management: apps, online planners, Kanban boards, ticketing tools for incident management.
What is the next step in the digitalization of processes?
We have recently made an effort to unify management programs (commonly called ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning) to incorporate into a single platform the management of repairs, accounting, quality management, and communication with clients and suppliers. There is a difficult balance to find in unification. Having a single manager eliminates double entry, however a specialized document management program is always better than an ERP that includes document management. In some parts of the process the best option is integration.
On the other hand, we are working to provide workshop personnel with mobile tools so that management is also digitized and integrated from the very first moment with the rest of the company. Tools like WhatsApp or apps that allow online calculation of tightening torque or cable sections are commonly used by our staff. But in the myriad of available apps there is never one that fits a complex company like ours. Our new ERP already incorporates an app for workshop management where operators receive their work orders, can report the time spent on each task, upload photos and fill out digital forms. They also have access to the historical documentation of the system they are working on.
What digital measures are specific to the nautical industry?
In our subsector of repairs we need maintenance management tools adapted to today’s reality. They must allow planning of preventive maintenance operations, or collect information for predictive maintenance and, for the most advanced and most recently built yachts, allow connection through IoT (Internet of Things) to acquire process data (rpm at which a machine is running, power being consumed, process temperature, etc.). All this data helps manage maintenance and repair of onboard equipment more efficiently. They allow having a history to make the right decisions when repairing or replacing equipment and reduce the risk of failure.
What do companies in the sector need to be able to interact?
We need quality and affordable internet access. In the area of the port where we are located we didn’t have fiber until two years ago, fortunately now we do and the range of possibilities has grown. For the first time we have been able to consider having a cloud-based ERP that allows our people to easily access the systems remotely. The mobile network used to get saturated during the summers in the pre-Covid era, slowing down communications. Operators have been increasing coverage in the area and should not stop doing so in the future.
We also need support, digitalization projects involve many expenses, and require dedication that can become incompatible with daily work. Support programs for digitalization, such as the one recently launched by IDI, put companies in contact with expert consultants. Subsidies for acquiring these tools accelerate our ability to adapt to new technologies that soon become obsolete.
Astilleros de Mallorca reaches its “Phase 2”
Any advice for small companies just starting this process?
Small companies that focus on a very specific service find it easier to find a solution on the market that is well suited to their needs. Even so, having an expert to help us decide is good, it reduces the risk of making a mistake in such a crucial decision as choosing the program that will accompany us for years. Managing change is also important, process changes are difficult because human beings find it hard to change, especially if we don’t see an immediate reward. Learning new IT tools is becoming faster as they are more intuitive than a few years ago, but even so, when the process is complex the ERP is too, because of the large number of variables and options to consider. That is why it is essential from the beginning to know what each of our workers needs, involving them in the redesign of each process.