No Fear of Digitization: Just Get Ready

BUSINESS No Fear of Digitization: Just Get Ready Miroslav Marek Digitization is a natural step that must be taken, and requires preparation. The process is similar to the introduction of reduced production systems in the past twenty years. New methods, tools, and instruments have appeared resulting from the emphasis on efficiency. Nevertheless, their implementation has been conducted in different ways, and the wrong implementation causes waste and demotivation. Standard practice has taught me three elementary things: • Reduced production process means shorter and simpler streams of material and information in a company, and a prompt reaction to a problem. • The implementation of tools and methods of reduced production is not the target, only a means of higher productivity, quality, and flexibility. • When improving any process, we must begin with the preparation and development of people to facilitate an efficient implementation of innovation, and to keep these changes in operation. The target of digitization is the shortening and/or elimination of material and information streams, and a quick response to a problem using new technologies: an on-site 3D printer, on-line processing of huge amounts of data for real-time management and instant decision-making. A product will carry its information on how to be processed, where to be dispatched; a system will adjust its digital twin to the same processing functions; a machine will announce the necessary maintenance steps with a good advance. The priority of introducing Industry 4.0 in businesses is to increase productivity, quality, and flexibility resulting in better competitiveness and a long-term increase in economic results. The preparation of people is a very important part of such transformation. Placing emphasis on their expertise and other competences, and placing higher expectations on their innovative approach will all demand people to keep growing: Industry 4.0, digitization, innovation: words used in countless speeches. Most people still find them too difficult and too abstract to comprehend. Some are worried, some anxious, only a few, however, actively put them into operation in particular programmes and system changes. • Focus on the outside, not the inside  cooperate with customers and partners to design new solutions. • Delegate, don’t control  distribute decision-making processes and competence across the organization in the sites where things happen. • Be bold, not careful  be fearless and allowed to take risks, promptly learn from errors. • Make experiments, not detailed plans  quickly and actively seek solutions and adapt to changes. • Collaborate, don’t force an individual’s will  communicate and collaborate with an open mind. When we choose the traditional ways and focus on the purchasing of new technologies and technical solutions, we will only get “expensive toys” for a limited number of employees to play with while most staff will not be able to operate them efficiently and may even find them off-putting. New Dimension develops steps which may support businesses in this transformation. We have become partners to small technological companies and start-ups, and enhance our knowledge, experience, and skill in digitization. We prepare and implement real projects of innovation and digitization for small and mid-sized companies. We help to define feasible strategies and digitize their products and processes. We also search for low-cost solutions. The greatest deal of work, however, always comes with people: we work with a competency model of Industry 4.0, which we have developed with fifteen companies and experts, our long-term customers. We mark the difference between what people nowadays are capable of and what that particular position requires concerning the coming digitization. Consequently, we prepare the necessary development and training plans. All these jobs already help our clients to smoothly and efficiently implement digitization. We have learnt that all we do in this field is painstaking, lengthy, and the result is not always obvious at first sight. Nevertheless, I consider it the only sensible way to approach digitization and the concept of Industry 4.0. Text: Miroslav Marek Foto: archiv New Dimension s.r.o. POSITIV 4/2019 ǀ 35