Digital Dimensions - January 2017

How do you collect your data?

Although manufacturing firms are often at the forefront of digital technology, the overwhelming majority still collect their data manually, according to a survey of 260 companies.

The survey, by software firm InfinityQS, found that 75% of companies still use manual approaches to manage data collection. Some 53% enter data into spreadsheets, while 47% still rely on pencil and paper in their quality management and data capture processes.

Digital transformation may be a critical issue at board level for many of these firms. Research from the Cloud Industry Forum suggests that 71% of firms either already have a digital transformation strategy in place or are implementing one.

But the use of time-consuming and labour-intensive procedures to collect information could be holding them back. When asked, 77% of companies said that they want to adopt automated data collection.

The survey’s findings match those of the recent report Sprinting to Value in Industry 4.0 from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The consultancy’s research reveals the desire of manufacturers to adopt advanced digital industrial technology. But BCG reports that manufacturers face a host of barriers to adoption, including defining an effective implementation strategy and challenging cultural change.

InfinityQS says the first step to any Industry 4.0 adoption should be the automation of data collection methods. “The manufacturing sector is facing pressure to improve the way they manage product and engineering information from employees, customers, suppliers and industry collaborators,” says InfinityQS.

“A lot of information has lived in discrete systems with limited access. It can be difficult to find and cumbersome to digest and is increasingly at risk from human error. The ability to automate critical actions will pave the way for other benefits such as increasing operational efficiency, improving product quality, and achieving significant cost savings.”