Supply Chain

Can you describe your daily activities and the role you play within your current organization?

My job as the Director of Operations and Supply Chain at dormakaba involves overseeing various aspects of our supply chain and operations in the UK and Ireland. This includes managing health and safety, quality control, and environmental management while ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO 50001. In addition, I am responsible for the mechanical and electronic lock assembly units, fabrication units, and intercompany purchasing. I manage a fleet of over 300 vehicles, including service vans and logistics operations, as well as warehouse operations and inventory control. My team of supply chain coordinators works on customer-facing projects and product launches while collaborating closely with the manufacturing engineering team, who also report to me.

I have a team dedicated to supply chain administration and operational intelligence to drive efficiency within the business. We utilize tools like Power Automate and Process Advisor to streamline processes and maintain our control tower. Exploring new solutions for operational excellence and automation is also part of our focus. My goal is to ensure the smooth and efficient running of our supply chain and operations, resulting in high-quality products and services for our customers.

What are the challenges that businesses are facing in the smart factory space with the recent rapid technological advancements, and can you provide examples of challenges that you have encountered or navigated through in this area?

The adoption of smart technology in businesses varies based on the type and size of the business, as well as the production processes involved. For instance, for a company like Toyota that operates in an automated manufacturing environment, the investment in smart technology would be substantial, and it would be at the cutting edge of innovation. For businesses that are more focused on fabrication and assembly, the existing out-of-the-box smart technology solutions like Power Automate, Process Advisor, Power BI, and Microsoft Teams can be integrated and interlaced to make the most out of them.

The process of adopting smart technology in any business requires careful consideration of the technology's relevance to the business and how it can be made beneficial. It involves getting people on board, as introducing smart technology often requires a change in the way the business operates. This change management process may involve redeploying staff in different environments and retraining them, which could create skepticism and uncertainty about the technology's impact on jobs. Businesses need to bring people along on the journey and make them understand the benefits and the role they can play in guiding the adoption process.

These challenges are common among small businesses, and they must carefully consider the benefits and challenges of adopting smart technology. The key is to identify the smart technology relevant to the business, and then determine how to make it work within the company's operational framework. Once this is established, businesses can integrate the technology seamlessly, with the support and cooperation of their employees.

What are the notable smart technologies that are currently making headlines, and is there any upcoming or disruptive smart technology that you are excited about?

We recognize that the smart technology solutions we need may differ from those utilized by big production or manufacturing environments. Our primary objective is to improve our efficiency and productivity, and we believe that there are numerous smart technology solutions available to help us achieve this goal. These solutions include tools like Power Automate and Process Advisor, which allow us to automate our processes, and platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Power BI, which facilitate the collection and analysis of data.

We understand the importance of harnessing the power of data to inform our decision-making processes. We strive to automate the collection of data and use it to make informed decisions. By doing so, we can gain insights into our processes, identify areas for improvement, and drive value for our business. One of the challenges we face as a company is ensuring consistency in the processes performed by our employees. We have observed that even when ten people are performing the same task, there can be five different variations in the way they execute it. To address this issue, we focus on automating our processes to ensure consistency and eliminate any unnecessary manual steps.

We have successfully implemented Power Automate in our OPEX team in Ireland, connecting Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Forms, Excel, and SharePoint. This allowed us to streamline a process that previously required over fifteen manual processing steps, reducing it to just three. Although this may not sound significant compared to large manufacturing environments, the time saved from eliminating those extra steps has allowed our engineers to focus on providing better customer service, increasing our capacity for growth, and maximizing the productivity of our workforce.

For us, smart technology means utilizing solutions that help us eliminate waste, automate non-value-adding tasks, and drive value for our business. We continue to explore new technology solutions that allow us to optimize our processes, automate workflows, and integrate ERP systems with different platforms to enhance our efficiency and productivity.

In what ways does smart technology increase efficiency for an organization, and to what extent does it facilitate the creation of synergies between factories, factory output, and the supply chain?

The implementation of smart technology for data collection and automation has been incredibly beneficial for us. It has allowed us to quickly gather data, extract insights, and ultimately make informed decisions. This has greatly improved our supply chain and operations, enabling us to swiftly address issues, automate processes, optimize assembly lines, and reduce costs. While we may have been able to make these decisions without technology, we would not have been able to do so with the same speed and efficiency. The ability to rapidly gain insights and take action has been a significant improvement for us.

What advice do you have for your peers or upcoming industrial leaders in navigating the challenges of the smart factory industry?

When it comes to implementing smart technologies in operations, supply chain, and manufacturing, there are two key factors to consider. Firstly, it's important to have a clear understanding of why you need these technologies and how they will benefit your business. Many companies make the mistake of adopting them simply because it's the latest trend without considering how they will help their specific business. Secondly, it's crucial to involve and engage employees from the start of the implementation process. This involves explaining the benefits of the technologies, making them relevant to their work environment, addressing their concerns, and seeking their feedback. By doing so, you can gain their support and create a successful change management plan. Without employee buy-in, even the most advanced technologies won't deliver the desired results.