Competitive manufacturers today need manufacturing automation software to meet the needs of record-breaking shoppers. On last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, not only did 2016 shoppers set new records by making Black Friday 2016 the first day in retail history that mobile sales passed the $1 billion mark (swiftly following that up with another $1+ billion day in mobile sales on Cyber Monday), they also set a new record on Cyber Monday by spending a total of $3.45 billion. However, even with all these purchases, only 9% of buyers finished their shopping during the retail push and 23% of buyers admitted they still had a substantial amount left to purchase for the holidays.
Meet your retail partners’ needs and last-minute consumers’ needs by keeping your plant at high capacity throughout the busy holiday season.
It Takes Time to Become Lightning Fast
In addition to telling us that the economy is recovering, the above statistics also suggest that shoppers are now completing their holiday purchasing later and later. Perhaps that’s because everyone’s used to Amazon’s Two-Day Prime Shipping, or perhaps it’s because last year left everyone extra busy, but what these numbers definitely tell us is that manufacturers need to prepare for a busy, last-minute retail season in 2017.
You certainly don’t want extra inventory sitting around “just in case” you need it for a late shopping season. Instead, you should plan to flexibly scale your production speed so you can meet your retailer and consumer needs quickly. How do you make your output lightning fast? By using manufacturing automation software.
If you’re curious about what it takes to set up manufacturing automation software for your system, you’ll like this handy breakdown of what the implementation process is like.
What to Expect As You Update to Manufacturing Automation Software
As you’ll see, updating to automation software is not a quick process – but once you’re done, your plant will sure run fast!
- Step 1: Business Consultation
In this introductory stage, we talk informally on the phone so that you can express your current challenges and ask all your questions about automation. If we don’t have a solution that will address your needs, we’ll also use this time to refer you on to the providers who can help you. Start this stage now.
- Step 2: Discovery and RFID Assessment
If our phone conversation determines that your operations would benefit from a Scanco solution, we’ll travel to your facilities to learn more about how you work and if your location can properly utilize and transmit necessary radio frequency waves (for RFID scanners) and access the cloud for real-time data updates.
- Step 3: Recommendations
After assessment and discovery, you’ll receive a recommended course of action that includes an implementation timeline and expected costs. This will help you prepare your staff and operations for your business update.
- Step 4: Implementation
This stage involves software installations for mobile scanners and desktop/laptop programs, as well as custom code that ensures seamless integration with all your ERP software, add-ons, and custom code. We will work closely with your ERP reseller and your third-party independent software vendors (ISVs) during this step.
- Step 5: Testing
In this stage, we test the system in a number of scenarios so that we can make sure it works seamlessly no matter how busy you get. This is an important stage, since the whole point of manufacturing automation is to increase your speed and production volume.
- Step 6: Training
Here’s where your staff will learn how to use your new tools and software. Training is usually a quick process, since Scanco’s intuitive solutions work seamlessly with your existing ERP.
- Step 7: Go Live
On this day, you officially start using your new, updated system. Congratulations!
If You Can’t Deliver Fast, You Can’t Keep Up with Competitors
In today’s increasingly online shopping environment, in which purchases are made later and later, and consumers and retail partners expect fast production and delivery, the manufacturers who will succeed are the ones who can increase their pace without sacrificing their quality or accuracy. With manufacturing automation software, you can be one of those highly efficient companies—with profits that prove it.
Leave your competitors in the dust with the high-speed operations you can achieve using manufacturing automation software from Scanco. For nearly 30 years, Scanco has been supplying manufacturers with integrated software and tools that ease the manufacturing process – and we’re happy to work with you to improve your operations.
