In the digital transformation process of a factory, change management is one of the biggest challenges that companies face. In this article, we offer three recommendations for you to successfully undertake the challenge of implementing an MES system.
People play a major role in a digitization project. Technology is useless if there is no human team behind it to support these initiatives and help unlock their full potential.
That is why, during the implementation of an MES system, one of the aspects that most concern industrial companies is change management.
Here are three tips to make the implementation of a solution like Mapex in your company a positive and motivating experience for your employees.
3 tips for a successful approach to change management in an MES project
1. Specific objectives, transparency and a lot of communication
In this article we already saw why it is so important for companies to specify their business and production needs during the search phase for an MES provider. And the role of this roadmap does not end there; once the company has chosen the software, these objectives will also guide the development of the project and its communication to the team.
If you are sure about what your company wants to achieve with the implementation of an MES solution, the next step is to leave behind the uncertainty and insecurities that the introduction of new technologies often generates among employees.
To overcome the resistance to change in your organization, let employees know that, far from being a threat, the introduction of an MES system in the factory can have a very positive impact in helping them to eliminate processes and tasks with no added value; share and make the most of their knowledge and experience to be more competitive; react quickly to problems; ensure their job security; increase the reliability of the data they previously recorded on paper, and make better decisions.
Real-world examples of good change management
As we can see in the following cases, opting for a strategy that prioritizes planning, communication and transparency is decisive in overcoming the initial reluctance of the workforce:
- “Before start-up, we defined a team of key-users per area and trained them intensively. We also involved area and shift leaders in the development of the project to simplify subsequent management. The implementation of the Mapex MES software was easy and fast,” says Juan Agüera, ICT manager at Walki Plasbel.
- “The involvement of the human team is vital in this type of project. It is very important that the staff feel the need for the system, create the habit, ensure that they do not know how to work without the software. In our case, everything has flowed quite well. The Mapex MES system takes the workload off the operator in data entry and motivates him to report comments for improvement. Therefore, we have started to see the first results very soon,” says Andreu Carol, Plant Manager at Delta Tecnic.
- “Change management was not a problem in our case; there was no resistance whatsoever from the operators. They all saw that Mapex is a very useful tool for detecting and eliminating problems on the production lines,” explains Alberto Avila, Digital Transformation Manager at Embutidos Monells.
2. Platform usability and effective training
To facilitate change management, when it comes to choosing an MES vendor, one aspect that most companies put above all others is the usability of the software. In fact, it is a highly valued quality by many of our customers:
- “At the Mapex demo we already saw that it was an intuitive system that our operators could adapt to quickly,” says Victor M. Ropero, ICM‘s Information Systems Manager.
- “Usability is something we always prioritize so that change management is smoother and because we cannot require an operator who has been with us for 40 years to be an expert in technology,” says Jose Ignacio Amo, head of Digital Transformation at Galletas Gullón.
However, even if your company decides to go with the most user-friendly tool on the market, you cannot overlook the importance of training the employees who will be working with the software.
A successful change management process requires continuous leadership and, above all, effective training. Mapex customers such as Aciturri and Angulas Aguinaga attribute much of the success of the implementation of Mapex software in their factories to this point. Download our success stories to learn more.
3. Progressive adoption of the MES system
The digitization of production processes usually follows a gradual approach, starting with the implementation of some of the main functionalities of the MES system in one of the most representative lines or work centers of the company.
This is the strategy we recommend at Mapex and is practiced by many of our customers. The pilot allows them to assess the feasibility, duration, cost and potential gaps in the project, and to identify new functional requirements before deploying the system on a large scale.
In addition, the progressive adoption of the software also has a positive impact on change management. It allows operators to gradually see the benefits of implementing this technology in their factory, especially in areas such as capturing reliable data in real time and monitoring indicators such as OEE.
We hope these three tips will help you ensure good change management in your organization. And if you still have doubts about how to approach the digitization project of your industrial company or are not 100% sure of the benefits that the use of an MES system can bring to your company, please contact us through this form.
