A single source of truth When it comes to change management , most especially when handling critical documents such as product design drawings and specifications , ensuring accurate working documents is imperative to mitigating risks . A simple misreading of a handwritten document , for example , can be a costly error .
Digitisation allows all relevant parties , including external partners , to have access to a single source of truth at any given time , lessening the chance of quality issues and mitigating the risks and associated high costs that stem from inaccurate data and cumbersome workflows .
" When it comes to manufacturing , streamlined approval workflows and having a single digital thread that ' s accurate and reliable reduces lead times , can decrease costs and results in a better quality product ," says Moroski . Why is this single source of truth so critical ? Moroski explains , " Because as you ' re building or preparing to build
a product , customers can change their requirements on the fly and want to change the specifications "
Managing these changes through a manually paper-based system is a slow and arduous process that is highly susceptible to errors and has inherent risk as production , or other stages of the manufacturing process may be happening simultaneously . This can lead to waste and inefficiencies .
" If product configuration changes midway through production , we ' ve wasted materials , machine time and labour . The supply chain could also have materials in the funnel that ' s affected , or we could have inventory on our floor , either in raw materials , work in progress , or finished goods . There are very high costs associated with the mismanagement of rev level changes , and it ' s something manufacturers struggle with . Digitisation in this area brings massive advantages that can heavily impact the organisation ’ s outcomes ."
176 April 2021