Industry is not immune to this development either. Companies can see this time as an opportunity and digitize their working model as far as possible.

Audit assurance: a clean slate

In the long term, there are some opportunities to map production more strongly using digital tools. However, we are currently in an economic crisis that requires rapid action. Quality assurance measures deserve special attention in order to continue to meet audit requirements. Due to the pandemic, production is taking place under more difficult conditions and companies must ensure that their hygiene regulations are adhered to.

As a quick fix, employees can be divided into shifts to avoid direct contact as far as possible. Manufacturing companies go one step further when they fully automate the documentation of process sequences digitally, thereby reducing the time spent by employees. Robotic process automation can play an important role here. Instead of manually created reports, an algorithm takes over and simultaneously reduces the susceptibility to errors.

Cooperation despite distance

In addition, there are now many tools for collaboration so that employees, especially in the areas of administration and management, do not necessarily have to be gathered in one place. Instead of long email threads, colleagues can communicate via messengers such as Skype for Business or Microsoft Teams with integrated video chat.

Collaboration tools such as Office 365 are suitable for ensuring efficient and structured remote collaboration. When introducing such tools, it is essential to support employees, offer training and define important rules for use, netiquette and code of conduct. How exactly can and should people talk to each other? For which tasks is the chat suitable for coordination, when is a video call in a larger group necessary? Internal coordination and deadlines should be observed with the same seriousness as deadlines with customers and suppliers. With clear rules that apply to all colleagues, harmonious and efficient collaboration can be achieved even when there is physical separation.

I'm sure there's an app for that

Special employee apps can also do more than just optimize communication between colleagues. They are also important aids as information tools for supply chain optimization. Descriptions of process flows, background information and contact persons within the app can cover a large part of the communication requirements that arise. As an out-of-the-box version, companies can purchase and install the apps quickly. For individual requirements, there are usually additional, ready-made features available as an app-as-a-service that can be booked for a defined period of time. In the current exceptional situation, many of these offers are even available free of charge.

Maintenance via augmented reality

Of course, not all activities in the workplace can be mapped completely digitally. Machine maintenance plays a particularly important role in the industrial sector. Nevertheless, digital solutions from the Internet of Things (IoT) can simplify processes here too and minimize the need to be tied to a specific location. Schwan Cosmetics, for example, uses augmented reality for remote maintenance.

This technology allows experts to connect with machine operators and maintenance staff and provide support in the event of problems. Using a desktop app that runs on smart glasses such as the HoloLens, employees on site can have instructions transmitted directly into their field of vision. Experts and on-site employees can both see the same thing through the HoloLens and communicate accordingly. Even machine settings and notes can be displayed in the field of vision so that communication difficulties caused by different languages or dialects do not arise in the first place.

As many work processes migrate to the digital world, the obligation to be physically present is becoming increasingly obsolete. Companies ultimately benefit from this on several levels. On the one hand, it is easier to find qualified employees, as the question of location can be solved much more flexibly and individually. On the other hand, more and more processes can now be automated and digitized, which in turn frees up employee capacities that they can invest in the active further development of the company and business model. The current crisis is accelerating this process and can therefore be both a curse and a blessing - if companies use the time wisely.

Ulrike Volejnik, Member of the Management Board of T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH