ILMA Compoundings - August 2020 - 14

INDUSTRY RUNDOWN

Manufacturing's Digital Divide -
The Real Issue at Stake
Manufacturing is on the brink of Industry 4.0, yet,
according to a report by the National Skills Coalition,
nearly 1 in 6 manufacturing workers have no digital
skills. They may have never operated a computer or
cannot perform basic tasks, such as using a mouse or
highlighting text on a screen. Is this so-called "digital
divide" holding manufacturing back, or is there a more
significant problem?
Jeff Korsyn, technology advisor at the
Delaware Valley Industrial Resource
Center (DVIRC), regularly works
with manufacturers to find the areas in
their operations that would benefit by
implementing technology. He feels it
isn't just a lack of technical skills holding
companies back from successfully
transitioning to Industry 4.0. What is
holding companies back is something far
more systemic.
Korsyn believes that, in many cases, technology is ahead of
the small to mid-sized manufacturing market. Organizations
are not sure where or why technology fits into their process,
and much of the technology available can be cost-prohibitive.
He also feels a company needs to get its house in order before
trying to transform into a high-tech operation.
"Before technology is implemented into operations,
fundamental business practices such as lean manufacturing,
continuous improvement, quality management system,
leadership, etc., must be in place to be successful," he said.
Korsyn listed a variety of accessible resources, in addition
to manufacturing extension partnership (MEP) partners
such as DVIRC, for developing tech skills. Options include
free webinars from MEP partners, e-courses such as
Rockwell's digital manufacturing courses, online offerings
such as MIT's 10-week Industrial 4.0 course and even local
community college classes.
Andreas Hassold, i4.0 connected industry consultant for
the U.S. at Bosch Rexroth Corp., said that there is a significant gap in both digital skills and how technology is applied
in manufacturing organizations of all sizes.

AUGUST 2020

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For Hassold, the common denominator in companies
that have successfully bridged the divide is tech-savvy
leadership. The progressive companies are those with leaders
who are investing in new technology to keep up with the
day-to-day operations and meeting the changing demands
from their customers. Hassold finds that in these cases, the
employee skills gap becomes non-existent.
To be a tech success, Hassold's advice is threefold. First,
don't get blinding by the shiny stuff or implement technology
simply for the sake of technology. "Successful companies
have a good plan in place and an understanding of what
they're doing, why they're doing it and how they will go about
implementing it," he said. "It's a leadership topic."
Secondly, Hassold said, it's critical that you involve your
people on the ground. Let them have a voice when there are
changes that affect their process. Then you can address the
skills gap by identifying it and creating a training plan.
But Hassold said not to think of training as voluntary.
There needs to be a clear understanding that it is required.
"We all get so caught up in our daily work," he said. "That
next thing you know, it's five o'clock, and well, I don't want
to do any training anymore. If I do training, I'm more and
more behind in my regular duties that I'm being graded on."
Only once you have addressed steps one and two can you
begin the third step of actually implementing the technology deployment.
When Bosch Rexroth built a new manufacturing line that
utilized technologies such as augmented reality, guidance
technology, RFID and automated guided vehicles, it
followed those simple rules. "We brought those employees
in as a collaboration partner, and they had excellent ideas
along the way to developing this manufacturing line and
how to utilize the technology," Hassold said. "They love it.
They embrace it."
He added, "When we do tours for our customers, those
collaborators stand proudly at their stations. They explain
to the customer how the technology helps them to do a
better job for the company, how they can still be relevant
with their knowledge and how they can now focus on the
essential and important items."

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ILMA Compoundings - August 2020

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