Every day, a new challenge comes up and the increasing effect of COVID-19 has left most companies struggling to implement new procedures to decrease the operational impact. Remote work has become the norm these days; but it can pose a huge challenge for many workers, especially within the manufacturing industry.

Minimize exposure

Factories rely on operators to keep machines functioning and they literally can not operate remotely. It is possible, however, to significantly reduce the number of people needed to maintain operations. And in this case, custom software that can be accessed from anywhere can help a lot.

However, even though it’s not possible for every single person in the factory to work remotely, this kind of software can help reduce the number of people operating in the same location, thus, reducing the possibility of contracting the virus. Meanwhile, you can have visibility on the processes that take place in the factory, from any location.

Crucial measures:

• Staggering shifts to limit the number of people on the floor at any given time
• Restricting workers from coming together in common areas
• Requiring all personnel to wear gloves
• For shared tools, one person must put the tool down and the next person who picks it up needs to sanitize the tool with an alcohol wipe before using it
• Having a software tool, which will help the workers to get things done faster & safer, and that will allow you to gain visibility throughout all aspects of the manufacturing process.

Total visibility on all processes

There are a plethora of software tools in the market and selecting one for your project could be a challenge. But as we mentioned in our previous article, custom software can be the best solution, especially for manufacturing companies. A well-chosen manufacturing management software can handle all aspects of your workflow and cost visibility. You can read HERE what are the main advantages that a custom software solution can offer to a manufacturing company.

Now that the situation for manufacturers has become even more challenging with the COVID-19 outbreak, which is affecting supply chains and disrupting manufacturing operations around the world, having a custom software that helps you control all processes remotely and have total visibility into the real-time status of the company’s manufacturing processes, is absolutely necessary. You can identify easily the issues and self-optimize when problems arise. In our article Visibility – The Key to Success in Manufacturing you can see the main reasons why visibility is one of the industry’s main pillars.

To summarize

The COVID-19 epidemic has brought new problems and difficulties to states, industries and businesses around the world. The virus is pushing manufacturers to focus mostly on long-term automation and digital technology to reduce the financial effects of epidemics and other future economic challenges. But it is a short-term impact and it will eventually pass. In the long run, COVID-19 represents a chance for industries to make much-needed operational changes.

Be strong in this period and make sure you have the most powerful tools at your fingertips, that will help you face any challenge!