How Can Manufacturers Use Cloud-Based Intelligence?

Things are moving towards the cloud at an incredible pace. Many businesses find themselves falling behind because they haven’t yet adopted cloud-based intelligence. Manufacturing is one industry where cloud manufacturing software can make a huge difference when implemented correctly.

“In today’s increasingly digitized manufacturing environment and hyper-speed markets, it has become harder for manufacturers hamstrung by premise-based legacy systems to meet rapidly-changing consumer preferences and product development requirements,” says Dan Johnson, the president of Visual Business Solutions. “Enter the cloud…[which] seemed custom-made for manufacturers.”

Manufacturers experience infinite benefits from cloud-based intelligence. Here are some to consider.

Supply Chain Improvement

Businesses of every kind experience challenges with supply chain that can inhibit efficient operations. In the manufacturing industry, supply chain management issues could shut you down permanently.

Cloud intelligence turns data analytics into actions that can be used for the benefit of your business. You’ll be able to translate working capital into the supplies and equipment you need to stay operational. 

A manufacturing plant that has to shut down for a single day because they didn’t have the right supplies could result in millions in lost productivity. A good supply chain management tool connected to the cloud will prevent such challenges to productivity.

Infinite Scalability

The goal of any manufacturing plant is growth. As you implement successful financial and marketing plans to make that a reality, cloud computing creates an easy transition.  

“Scalability is the capability of a process, network, software or appliance to grow and manage increased demands,” says the cloud-based business Stonefly in a blog post. “This is one of the most valuable and predominant features of cloud computing. Through scalability you can scale up your data storage capacity or scale it down to meet the demands of your growing business.”                  

It is infinitely scalable because it’s not dependent on storage space or ram. The cloud has no limits, so any tools you use in this network will grow with you. You can scale manufacturing strategies faster than ever with better overall results. 

Broad Network Access

One of the biggest benefits of cloud-based intelligence for manufacturers is its interconnected nature. It’s accessible to many different people, giving them an edge that allows for flexibility and scalability.

It’s particularly beneficial for connecting those on the manufacturing floor with those in the office. Most manufacturing companies report an uncomfortable distance between these two floors, which leads to inefficiencies and presents challenges with employee retention.

When the bottom and top floors are on the same page, things work much more efficiently. Fewer mistakes are made and employees are more satisfied with their work.

Forecasted Demands

Customers have specific demands for your inventory and services, but it’s hard to plan for it if you don’t have an understanding of that demand – unless you use cloud-based intelligence, that is. Cloud computing delivers analytics that can be used to forecast the amount of inventory you need based on trends and timely demands, such as during holidays when production expectations will be up.

Additionally, you’ll be able to plan for the needs on the production floor. These forecasted supply demands will help you plan for the number of employees you’ll need and the floor capacity. You’ll identify gaps in efficiencies and repair them.  

Constant Updates

Things change rapidly in manufacturing, and cloud-based intelligence helps teams stay on the same page, getting products right with constant, real-time updates.

“Readiness reviews and the highest priority problems or bugs are fixed, and the schedule gets shifted to support higher quality,” says Louis Columbus of Manufacturing.net. “Cloud-based applications are integrating product development, engineering, supply chain management, and production planning teams on a single platform and on a global scale to reach higher product quality levels.”

Cloud-based intelligence is a miracle tool for those in the manufacturing industry. When used correctly, your manufacturing business can show infinite possibilities for scalability and profitable growth.