Digitising a small factory — step by step
Where to start, what to measure first and how to digitise production without stopping it.
Digitisation doesn’t mean robots and new equipment. For most small factories it simply means that the data now on paper and in Excel is accurate, on time and in one place. Here’s an order that works.
1. Map the flow
From order to delivery: who does what, where it’s recorded and where time is lost. Not as the procedure says — as the work is really done.
2. Pick one problem
Don’t start with “everything”. Pick the problem that costs the most: downtime, late orders, stock differences or slow complaint handling.
3. Measure before you change
Set up simple measurement on one line — machine status, a counter, downtime reasons. After a few weeks you’ll have numbers instead of impressions.
4. Paperless work orders
Once you know where time is lost, digitise the work orders: plan, priorities and progress on a tablet by the machine.
5. Connect the warehouse and traceability
Raw materials used on the order are deducted from stock; lots are recorded. A complaint becomes a matter of minutes.
6. Connect the rest
Accounting, e-invoicing, sales. Data is entered once and flows everywhere.
What to avoid
- Buying a system before you know which problem it solves.
- Rolling everything out across the whole factory at once.
- Dashboards nobody on the floor looks at.
- Systems that stop working when the internet drops.
We start with a plant visit and a pilot on one line. More about manufacturing automation →