At Eluxis, we participate in an inspiring program focused on services in the manufacturing industry. The goal of this program is to help manufacturing companies increase their revenue by not only selling products, but also offering services alongside them. Of course, services require customers. During a workshop last week, one such customer shared a compelling story. It involved an asset manager who oversees a large industrial plant and is responsible for ensuring that it operates properly and reliably.
What problems arise when knowledge is not properly safeguarded?
It was fascinating to hear his perspective on services and suppliers. I listened very closely when he mentioned his main challenges. Of course, budget constraints and facilities played a role. But more importantly, there was a shortage of knowledge and people. Due to an aging workforce, essential knowledge is literally leaving the organization and disappearing permanently. At the same time, it is difficult to attract new employees, and they often lack the specific knowledge required for the company. He also explained that their prior education does not always provide the right foundational knowledge at the required level anymore.
How can knowledge be properly safeguarded?
These are challenges we recognize well from other industrial companies. They are very familiar in practice, and we help organizations solve them. What does such a solution look like? Below, I outline several key components.
Create a helicopter view of the organization
It starts with ensuring that employees have a clear overview of what takes place within the company. What products and business processes are there? Who is responsible for what? Which installations are in place? What are their functions, how do they operate, and how are they controlled? How does everything connect?
Employees need this helicopter view of the organization in order to perform their work properly and with motivation. I already noticed this years ago. I once asked an operator in a new factory why he was performing a certain action. “I have no idea,” was his answer. “We are not told anything.” That operator was clearly frustrated because it was not clear to him what his place, role, or task was within the company. He lacked the helicopter view.
Safeguarding knowledge therefore starts with creating this helicopter view of the organization. To achieve this, we help companies develop clear process descriptions and installation documentation.
Working according to learning, doing, and reference
Developing instructions and reference materials
Next, procedures and work instructions can be created for different employees, roles, and tasks, explaining how to carry out the work. Where necessary, additional reference documentation can also be developed. This includes background information in which installations, control systems, processes, and activities are described in more detail. We always work according to the proven and effective principle of learning, doing, and reference.
Setting up software
Creating and structuring all this documentation becomes much easier when there is a clear helicopter view of the organization. If you want to use software such as PDM, PLM, ERP, or document management systems, setting these up also becomes significantly easier when this same helicopter view forms the basis.
Defining training needs
Based on this helicopter view, it also becomes much easier to determine which competencies, knowledge, and skills employees need to perform their work effectively. Once this is clear, you can decide which company-specific training programs should be developed. You may even need a company school or your own academy. In addition, you can choose to work closely with formal education institutions such as vocational schools, universities of applied sciences, and research universities. More and more companies are seeking these collaborations to develop the specific competencies their organization requires.
How can Eluxis help you safeguard knowledge?
There is clearly a lot to be done. However, from a helicopter view, everything becomes much more manageable and easier to structure. Interested in learning more? Feel free to contact us to exchange ideas. We will be happy to start by taking a helicopter flight over your company together, to explore how you can best safeguard the knowledge within your organization.
P.S. The servitization program we participate in is facilitated by Garden of Kairos. This is a community for the manufacturing industry in which businesses and educational institutions work together on digital transformation. Eluxis is one of the founders and an enthusiastic member of this community.
Warm regards, Peter van Bart
info@eluxis.com
Linkedin: Peter van Bart
