By: Megan Johnson, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Change is hard. If this pandemic year has taught us anything, it’s how to adapt and adjust our way of thinking and doing business. The same goes for technology. It is always changing. Whether it is the latest upgrade for your smart device or the newest gadget to simplify your life, technology touches every facet of our personal and professional lives. The choices out there can be daunting and sometimes overwhelming, especially if you are a small to medium manufacturer. Do I really need technology to grow my business and thrive? Is technology safe for my company? What about my personnel, how will they be affected? The answer is not the same for everyone, but using these tips below can help guide you to the right solution for yourself and your company:

• One size does not fit all: The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) is the use of technologies to form an interconnected and autonomous manufacturing environment. You do not have to implement all of these technologies at once. First, identify the pain points in your business such as operational inefficiencies, quality issues, or asset reliability. Then, let that business case help you decide the technology to pursue first and the depth of that technology that is needed to solve the issue on hand.
• Start small: A complete overhaul is not necessary and unfeasible in most cases. You do not have to start over and connect your entire production line to the cloud all at once. There are affordable, easy to implement options available. Examples include adding a sensor or two to a machine center to track performance data in real time to better understand missed opportunities, or integrating one standalone machine to the network to facilitate smart decision making. These types of solutions allow you to ease your business into Industry 4.0 and simultaneously use technology to positively impact your business. Adding up a few of these technology implementation wins over time will help build confidence in your team and lead to a long-term Industry 4.0 strategy that becomes an integral part of your core business.
• Don’t be afraid: Implementing technology does not necessarily lead to a reduction in employment. In fact, in many cases it will lead to workforce development. Even though machines are accurate and repeatable, people are still needed to manage the process, analyze the data output, and act on what to do with that data. Also, by adding a technology solution (like a sensor), you can capture that employee’s tribal knowledge and machine data, then create a recipe to automate the process of how to run that machine in the future. This helps create a culture that emphasizes learning, which leads to an increase in team members feeling more comfortable working with technology.
• Data, data, data: If you have a choice, do you want to know when a machine will fail? Most will answer “yes” to this question but are still doing maintenance the old-fashioned way and guessing when it will fail (preventative maintenance). But by using the right technology you can tell exactly when a machine is going to stop working and do the corrective action just before it happens (predictive maintenance). Over time, using a conditioning monitoring device will give you the data to know when a failure will occur, and time to prepare for maintenance issues to avoid a catastrophic problem. This will lead to less unscheduled downtime and increased productivity, which impacts your bottom line and revenue. This is just one example of how a technology solution can help capture data and use it to solve real problems in your business.
• Safety and security: As your organization progresses through implementing technology solutions and leveraging the power of data, there is an inherent risk of cyberthreat that must be carefully managed and mitigated. It is not a matter of if, it is matter of when your data could be compromised. The same principle of starting small and following basic data hygiene such as controlling when and who has access to your data and managing how data moves in your organization would go a long way. If you are planning on doing any work for the Department of Defense, the need to establish and demonstrate your organization’s maturity level on the cybersecurity front is key to your success. Working with professionals who can assess and guide you through each step in Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is paramount as this certification will be a requirement for all vendors in the very near future to be able to be awarded contracts from the Department of Defense.

By keeping these tips in mind, your path to implementing Industry 4.0 solutions can be less intimidating, more manageable, and allow you to leverage technological innovation to grow your competitiveness and gain new business.

If you are a small to medium manufacturer who needs help identifying or implementing technology solutions, contact your GaMEP Region Manager and they can connect you to one of our experts on questions related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Industry 4.0, automation, and other technology needs that will lead to productivity gains for your company.

By: Raine Hyde, Marketing Strategist, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Manufacturers, like other organizations are constantly being faced with the challenge of developing a growth strategy. When developing this strategy, it’s important to consider technology options. Two ways technology implementation can be successful are: 1. Bringing new technology into your company to increase your offerings to your current customer-base (they already know and trust you) or 2. Taking a technology you already have, that is proven, and introducing it to a new market.

Have you ever tried to do either of these? Maybe both? Have you ever responded to a customer’s request to develop a product with a promise of great market potential, only to be disappointed in the results?

Both of these approaches can lead to significant growth for your company, but each has risks. By taking a disciplined and orderly approach, these risks can be minimized. Here are some key points to consider before you get started:

If you plan to bring a new technology into your company:

1. Reach out to your customers – see if there are trends in unmet needs; then see if there is a technology to help fulfill those needs.
2. Research the technology – search patents, academia, and the government. Don’t forget to interview experts in the technology field.
3. List your options. Then use a tool (such as a SWOT analysis) to rank them against the customer criteria list, cost of capital, and competence in that new technology.

If you already have a technology that you want to bring to a new market:

1. List your technologies capabilities. Even though you think you know what your technology can do, you may be surprised what you discover.
2. Be creative in seeking new markets. Conduct numerous market scans and then rate them based on industry, size, growth, and geography.
3. Note the market leaders, channels to market, and major suppliers and customers.
4. Look for new or proposed government regulations that will cause markets to be willing to adopt products or services using your technology.

No matter which path you decide to take, it is important to take the following precautions when jumping into technology growth strategies:

• Search patent literature of the market leaders. You may discover areas where there is a gap between need and solutions.
• Establish your rules of confidentiality up front – agree on what to disclose and what to cover with Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).
• Review all of your ideas with the possibility of protection by patent or recognizing them as trade secrets.
• Use a collaborative tool like a Mind Map to collect and organize all information from your entire team in one place.
• Make sure you record everything.
• Hold regular, scheduled, but brief team meetings to review progress and make commitments to next steps.
• Don’t jump at the first thing that sounds good – complete your research before committing to a course of action.
• Walk the floors of tradeshows.
• Pick your development partner (customer) very carefully.

These steps will help you avoid wasting time and valuable resources. The last you thing you want to do, as it could be detrimental to your business, is developing a product for a new market or bringing in a new technology only to find that the market is not as big as you were told or that you can’t practice what you wanted to because someone has a patent that prohibits you.

 

By: Ed Murphy, Project Manager, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

During the Spring of 2020, the pandemic caused almost all in-person meetings and classes to transition to a virtual format.  These sessions have become imperative to maintaining our country’s infrastructure and ensuring business continuity.  During this time, we’ve learned that a virtual, remote setting can be a poor substitute for in-person interactions.  Many facets of communication are transmitted via eye contact, body language, and facial expressions.  Even video calls often miss these small gestures of affirmation or disagreement and cause confusion.  This guide includes sections on: logistics, scope, etiquette, engagement, facilitation, and security.  These best practices will give insight on planning and implementation strategies to streamline online sessions and get the most out of virtual communication.

Logistics

Good planning is the cornerstone of any business meeting, educational class, and collaborative webcast.  Being thoughtful about the virtual platform you are using and being familiar with all that system’s features, tools, and your own hardware will prevent many issues and enable you to troubleshoot problems that do occur with ease.

• Selecting a platform
  • Ease of logging-in
  • Bandwidth
  • Special features (break-out rooms, etc.)
  • Cost and capacity
  • Security capabilities
• Familiarity with the functions/tool of the platform
  • Seamless and rapid execution of desired functions (muting, break out rooms, etc.)
  • Provide attendees “user guide” or tutorial of the platform
  • Consider attendees’ technological knowledge
  • Ensure that guest speakers are familiar with the platform (how to share their screen and advance slides)
• Video
  • Be cognizant of surroundings and nearby distractions
  • Ensure virtual background choice is appropriate
  • Webcam is clean from smudges and operational
  • Lighting is adequate
  • Consider appropriate attire
  • Be cognizant of camera angle
• Recordings
  • Be cognizant of recording privileges (FERPA)
  • Make attendees aware you are recording
  • Utilize recording for missing attendees
• Sound
  • Verify hardware (headset, microphone, earbuds) is working correctly
  • Double-check the mute feature is on to minimize feedback and background noise
  • Consider force-muting all attendees
  • Closed Caption might be available in different languages
  • Audio from videos comes from the host’s computer (host should consider removing headphones)
  • If computer audio isn’t working correctly, consider dialing in via a phone
• Internet and Bandwidth
  • Consider internet connection (hardwired is preferred)
  • Have a back-up plan for internet shortages (switch to phone)
  • Factors that may affect bandwidth (screen freeze or delays)
    • Using webcams
    • Video virtual backgrounds
    • Actively using chat function
    • Streaming videos
    • Sharing your screen
    • Switching between windows
    • Having too many programs/windows active on your desktop
• Post-Session Reporting
  • Most platforms include reports to determine:
    • Attendee identity
    • Duration of participation
    • Information regarding access to recordings
  • Sometimes past chats can be downloaded
  • Graphical analytics
• Multiple Screens
  • Using more than one screen can help with multitasking
  • Smart devises can be used as an extra screen (tablets or phones)
  • Ensure you know which screen is being viewed when sharing your screen

Scope

As advanced as our communication technology has become, virtual sessions are not a perfect substitute for interacting with someone in-person.  They can easily lead to miscommunication without thoughtful planning.  These strategies will help you create a scope to keep your session on track and optimize your time together.

• Pre-planning
  • Determine session’s objectives
  • Ensure all necessary materials are distributed to attendees
  • Prioritize important topics near beginning of agenda
  • Decide if attendees will use webcams or not
• Length
  • Shorter meetings prevent screen-fatigue
  • Virtual format doesn’t translate well into all day sessions
  • Limit to less than 2-3 hours at a time
  • Consider multiple sessions, across multiple days, instead of lengthy sessions
  • Schedule more breaks
• Attendance
  • Fewer people (< 20) leads to increased engagement and ease of facilitation

Etiquette

When in a remote setting, professional etiquette is often the first to go.  Control must be applied consistently for everyone in attendance.  An effective way to establish a professional setting is for the host/facilitator to lead by example.  Overcoming common distractions (pets, housework, demanding children, and flashing words on the computers screen) will help facilitate proper etiquette in a virtual workplace.

• Host Etiquette
  • Clearly establish the session norms (rules)
    • Hold everyone accountable
  • Review the agenda at the beginning
  • Avoid scope-creep
    • Don’t spend time on topics outside of the agenda
    • Discourage side-bars
    • Suggest taking off-topic conversations “off-line”
  • Timing
    • Start and end meetings on time
    • Avoid catching-up late attendees
    • Consider creating a follow-up meeting if sessions run long
    • Have a time-keeper
    • Create a timed agenda
    • Include time to introduce guest speakers
• Attendee Etiquette
  • Remove external distractions (auto screen notification, cell phone noises)
  • Remain on mute unless actively speaking
  • Verify name is correct in the participant window
  • Avoid interrupting speaker
    • • Wait for a pause in the conversation
      • Use the chat feature

Engagement

Virtual sessions must accomplish everything that an onsite meeting would and attendees can experience screen-fatigue due to the tedious nature of online sessions. These best practices will help you craft strategies to maximize the engagement for all attendees.

• Use attendees’ names
• Have multiple communication outlets available
  • Unmute
  • Chat
  • Annotate
  • Raise hands
• Activate video to enable eye-contact
• Utilize multiple media to avoid boredom
  • Kahoot
  • Mural
  • PollingEveryWhere
  • Gimkit
  • PowerPoint Live
  • Microsoft Forms
  • Whiteboard
  • QR Codes
  • Quizzes & Polls
  • Slidesmania
  • PearDeck
  • Congregate.live
• Consider presentation style
  • Less words on a slide
  • Graphics
  • Avoid multiple transitions and excessive use of animation
  • Fonts are easy to read
  • Color scheme
    • Don’t use clashing colors
    • Ensure font and background color makes text legible
    • Be cognizant that not everyone’s monitor presents colors the same way
• Stretch break
• Keep updated on latest tools, delivery methods, and resources
• Utilize rewards to encourage participation
• Use open-ended questions to facilitate discussion
• Encourage attendees to share their experiences and opinions
• Summarize and reemphasize important points

Facilitation

Planning is imperative to an effective, online session, but implementation is where the rubber meets the road.  Careful thought needs to go into running your meeting to ensure effective communication, attendee engagement, and strive to continuously improve this process.

• Establish a facilitator or scribe outside the session leader
  • Monitor the chat
  • Troubleshoot issues (muting)
  • Alert leader/instructor
• Consider saving the “chat” discussion for meeting notes
• Your phone or tablet’s camera can be used as a scanner
• Summarize action items before concluding
• Solicited feedback via survey
  • Limit to 3-5 questions
  • User friendly format
  • Request completion prior to leaving session
  • Utilize input for continuous improvement

Security

During the pandemic, vulnerabilities in virtual security became very clear.  Instances of unauthorized attendees in confidential meetings and cases of “Zoom-bombing” were all over social media.  Care needs to be given to protecting the integrity of your online session.

• Be cognizant of unauthorized attendees (Zoom-bombing)
• Restrict unauthorized calendar invite sharing
• Verify attendee identification for confidential sessions or virtual exams
  • Require use of work email addresses for calendar invites
  • Visual identification can be established by having the attendee hold-up their picture ID to the webcam
• Use passwords
• Don’t publish the meeting link on social media, magazines, newspapers, website, whitepapers, etc.
• Appreciate that different companies have varying levels of control and specific security stipulations
• Lock session

Clear communication is imperative for business meetings, trainings, and everyday correspondence.  Although circumstances have forced wide-spread adoption of virtual interactions, this remote communication will likely continue even after normalcy resumes.  Misunderstandings are easily prevented through thoughtful planning and consistent implementation.  These best practices can greatly contribute to increased engagement and effective communication, even in a virtual setting.

By Jennifer Stone and Wendy White, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership