3 Trends for Operations Management in 2018

In the manufacturing industry, operations management is the key component in achieving the highest level of optimized production, and with that, a hand-in-glove means of profit control. This goal is attained by transforming adequate labor and ample materials into a finished product without producing needless waste. Efficiency translates into profit; operations management controls the components whose sum of parts equates to efficiency (again, profit). 
Along with various other departments, the role of operations management is constantly evolving and broadening - which means that keeping up with the current production trends is vital. Whether it is competitiveness, cost reduction, waste management, or various other components of production, dialing-in on where operations management is heading in the future can put you ahead of the pack. So, without further adieu, here are three trends in operations management that can aid your production facility in 2018.

Mobile Accessibility

Utilizing mobile accessibility within your manufacturing operation has become an essential aspect of operations management. Without mobile accessibility, the operation misses out on core information from consumers such as potential leads or a target market plan for development. Along with the consumer aspect, employees also miss out on important production attributes such as mobile collaboration, utilization of third party apps, data sharing, monitoring and a growing list of coming functionality. 

Collaboration

Along with mobile accessibility, employee interaction is another key aspect in improving the overall work climate. Collaboration improves employee output more times than not - two heads are better than one kind of thing. Working together as a unit can increase morale and promote productivity by developing one-to-one relationships with various other project members.

Automation

Automation has allowed production facility to be able to effectively increase efficiency within operations management. Within the various disciplines contained within operations management, automation allows operations managers to be able to focus their undistracted efforts on other tasking, allowing employees to focus on other areas in flow such as customer service, quality assurance and product improvement/development.

Automation can have positive and negative sides to it.  With increased automation, obtaining more revenue through enhanced production efficiency is an upside, of course, but also, reducing the number of manual labor employees, should the automation go offline, then there is often not enough human labor to fill an order on time - and this can cost you a customer. Regardless of the upsides and downsides, automation has adequately increased the bottom line and systemic integrity for manufacturing and production operations around the globe.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is common for manufacturing operations that are looking to keep up with production while also reducing overhead and long-term legacy costs. Outsourcing is a viable option for production facilities that do not have availability of adequately-trained staff; or a company might not feel the need to hire permanent staff - sometimes it is just not cost-feasible to hire permanent staff for a short-term production contract. 

Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) & Operations Management

Advanced planning and scheduling (APS) software is becoming a top choice for manufacturing operations and can effectively be integrated into single or multi-plant facilities. Advanced planning and scheduling software can augment your ERP or MES operations management software through a variety of capabilities such as:

• Drag and Drop
• Capacity Planning
• “What-If” Scenario
• Real-Time Scheduling

These functions are just a few of the many capabilities that PlanetTogether’s Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) software includes. Implementing an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) system into your manufacturing operation is a step toward production optimization.