Data can be the fuel for better operations within a company of any kind – but this process isn’t automatic. If you want to improve your manufacturing business through data-driven insights, it’s time to set up the information infrastructure that will enable high-quality data to flow between departments. Modern analytics tools can help employees be more precise in the way they handle everyday processes including Enterprise Labeling. The accumulated value from these practical improvements can be considerable.

 

 

Data-driven decisions: A modern approach to business

The digital nature of modern manufacturing, and operations of all kinds, has given organizations the raw materials they need for process improvements. This fact means there are only two categories of companies today: those that are using their information to enhance their workflows and those that are missing this opportunity.

Responsible and constructive use of data means focusing on every step of the process, from capturing vital data at endpoints to storing the content effectively. Couchbase CEO Matt Cain told The Data Warehousing Institute companies should break down the silos that have traditionally held their content and make use of bleeding-edge analytic techniques such as machine learning to derive valuable insights from their masses of raw data.

Responsible data use is handled as part of an overarching data strategy, TechTarget noted. Companies focusing only on governance or analytics aren’t making the most of their rich information resources. Businesses should set goals for what they hope to accomplish with their data two to three years at a time, and work toward those objectives with every tech implementation and process change.

One of the most important facts to realize about improving operations through data use is that changes likely won’t be sweeping or immediate. Companies that implement small, manageable changes to their processes are on the right track. Industry Week pointed out that in manufacturing settings, an effective use of data could take the form of more accurate responses in the contact center or better demand forecasting. One such project which is both manageable in scale and significant in its impact is creating a more efficient Enterprise Labeling process. A new level of insight into your Enterprise Labeling will enable you to be better informed and drive improvements to your labeling processes.

Better labeling effectiveness through integration

Enterprise Labeling systems that are connected to single sources of enterprise data truth – such as enterprise resource planning tools – can become parts of an analytically driven workplace, empowering employees to make better and more accurate decisions and ensuring that labeling processes go smoothly, with lessened potential for human error or drops in efficiency. Enabling these upgrades to everyday labeling scenarios is one of the prime reasons to select an updated labeling solution rather than sticking with an outdated legacy one.

True data-driven labeling is a powerful asset for a company to possess, and allows organizations to create workflows that automatically react to the changes made to information in companies’ systems of record. As with other processes on the shop floor, in the contact center and elsewhere in the organization, the connections between various data resources allow the use of highly automated processes that require minimal hands-on input from users to create new label designs.

A change to the base data within an ERP solution can be immediate and related to multiple finalized labels, whether the inciting reason was a new regulation or an internal design revision. Employing smart templates that reflect new inputs from shared data sources is an effective way for organizations to cut down on their overall number of labeling templates. This act of simplification is one way to limit the chances of errors or oversights in enterprise labeling, keeping manufacturing running smoothly.

Though this kind of integration between databases and labeling outcomes seems complicated on the surface, the actual actions completed by employees should be simple. When users without a background in data management are able to create and update business rules within the labeling solution, the organization saves time and effort. The need for constant input from IT experts is a potential bottleneck in the Enterprise Labeling process, so it pays for new solutions to be simple and straightforward as well as powerful.

 

Ideal Enterprise Labeling Solutions

When companies select their Enterprise Labeling Solutions today, they should be thinking in terms of improved business processes – what can they do with the new system that was impossible with older options? Data-driven elements and increased automation are some of the practical considerations that can contribute to such a decision. Since Enterprise Labeling is an essential part of manufacturing – and a potential bottleneck when handled poorly – there is a lot of value at stake.

Integration between the Enterprise Labeling system and single sources of data truth is one of the most important qualities to look for. A labeling solution that seamlessly exchanges information with SAP, Oracle and other ERP tools is less likely to create additional headaches than one that lacks such capabilities. Companies today have data to spare, and the challenge lies in making the content flow smoothly.