| If you're still using paper in the front office and on | | | | information-particularly in the front office. Excess |
| the shop floor (routers, schematics, time clock, | | | | paperwork and redundant approvals generate |
| etc.), then you probably have some room for | | | | those non-value activities that consume much |
| efficiency improvements. In fact, there are many | | | | unnecessary attention, time, and money and do |
| manufacturers whose business practices and | | | | not really add to helping satisfy customer needs. |
| information systems are still built around the idea | | | | Re-doing work, checking, fixing, clarifying, asking |
| of moving paper documents though the course of | | | | basic accounting questions are all activities that, at |
| their production processes. Paperwork is both a | | | | their core, offer little direct enhancement to |
| fragile and relatively bulky medium, and inevitably | | | | custom relations. By contrast, taking and |
| the slow moving information it contains will either | | | | processing orders, materials procurement, and |
| be archived in space-consuming files or lost | | | | even hiring additional employees can all have |
| through extensive and often careless shop floor | | | | positive effects on the relationships you're looking |
| handling. To counter these negative tendencies, | | | | to create with your customers. |
| manufacturing technology has advanced paper | | | | Ultimately, the question comes down to how |
| reduction techniques through digital mediums and | | | | information flows from the front office to and |
| storage. With digital media, massive amounts of | | | | through the shop floor. When the channel of |
| information can be stored in one very small, very | | | | communication is paper, the introduction of noise |
| central location for immediate and simultaneous | | | | (miscommunication) into the system is found in |
| withdrawal of real-time data. | | | | many forms-smudged ink, torn/worn documents, |
| To be sure, some manufacturing operations are | | | | and missing routers and other paperwork. In |
| still comfortable functioning with paper. The | | | | addition, changes in data relative to any given |
| reengineering of business practices is never an | | | | piece of paperwork are slow to take hold. Waste |
| easy thing to do, and often the maintaining of a | | | | is introduced into a paper-based communication |
| successful status quo seems to be the easiest | | | | system when workers must take time to |
| thing to do. However, as more and more | | | | correct, amend, or otherwise view a document |
| companies see the value of waste reduction in | | | | whose location in the system is not immediately |
| lean approaches to manufacturing, supply chain | | | | known. |
| management, shortened lead times, and global | | | | This is why ERP software systems are well |
| competition all mean that efficient and continuous | | | | known for their efficient lean approaches to |
| improvement is necessary to remain viable in the | | | | information management. In ERP, data is |
| market. In order to overcome these new | | | | electronically collected in digital formats by, and |
| mandates in manufacturing, management must | | | | stored within, a central data point. Here, through |
| challenge themselves when it comes to seeing | | | | computerized communication, information |
| how their company reduces non-value added | | | | regarding work, work orders, and work |
| processes, while increasing more opportunities for | | | | projections, is continuously available to all pertinent |
| adding value to production. The movement of | | | | employees. Rather than paper-based documents, |
| paperwork from order generation to shipping is | | | | all information is stored and retrieved in |
| one place where enterprise resource planning | | | | computers in a variety of ways including |
| software (ERP) can work to provide an easier | | | | touch-screen graphical user interface (GUI) |
| transition from paper-based manufacturing to a | | | | monitors and bar-codes with hand-scanning wands. |
| more dynamic and streamlined manufacturing | | | | In the absence of paper handling, production |
| environment. | | | | information flows quickly and easily along a digital |
| Identifying the areas of paperwork waste is the | | | | highway; time wasted in the remediation of |
| first step in reducing it. The most common area | | | | miscommunicated or lost paper data is no longer |
| of paperwork waste in the manufacturing | | | | an issue. |
| environment is the over-processing of | | | | |