How to Prepare Your Workforce for Industry 4.0?

Manufacturers are facing ongoing pressure to change their business and production models. Industry 4.0 and the adoption of tech initiatives take centre stage, but you also need to remember the people who will use them.

Most information you’ll see will focus on the mechanics of a cyber-physical environment, illustrating how you’ll integrate artificial intelligence and enhanced network connectivity into your processes and systems. But while this is happening, you still need to sustain your day-to-day activities and operations. To achieve this effectively, you need to know how to manage your workforce during the transition and to prepare them for the changes brought about by Industry 4.0 

Preparing For Change

You may not be fully aware of how much your organisation will have to change with your adoption of Industry 4.0 technology. First, you’ll have to undertake a thorough research initiative to understand all the necessary steps and their implications. Then, you’ll need to communicate this knowledge to your personnel so they know why you need these applications.

 It’s not a question of requiring more staff but of reskilling them to cope with a different type of workforce issue. If you do it right, you’ll increase labour productivity while simultaneously cutting costs and time wasted.

Effective workforce communication means articulating clearly the connections between successful implementation and new modes of working. You’ll need to set out achievable goals and define what success looks like. Once you’ve implemented new initiatives, you’ll need to track the progress of adoption until you’ve achieved sustainability and supplanted old habits. 

Here are some pointers on how you can improve your chances of succeeding with a business transformation based on Industry 4.0 technology:

Start With Your Vision

Start by formulating a strategy for achieving your business goal. You must be able to communicate a clear vision that aligns with and resonates across the entire organisation. This vision must incorporate your company’s core values – and what precise actions will be required to achieve them. These actions must be directly linked to achievable goals for every department.

You’re not just replacing your equipment with intelligent machinery here. You’ll need to formulate a series of initiatives that address specifics like dealing with legacy machines or upgrading viable equipment. You’ll need to understand data collection and analysis and how to manipulate it to your business advantage. Most importantly for the workforce, you’ll have to determine how to deal with the disruption in their everyday routines. You must outline a clear path to success, including retraining and upskilling for the new types of operation. Always emphasise the positive benefits of additional knowledge and skills, both for the individual and the company.

Underscore The Urgency

You need to tread carefully here, making sure your people understand why change is important. You should underline the risks of not evolving with the times and focus on the positive aspects. Demonstrate how risks can represent opportunities so that workers feel inspired rather than threatened. Use your passion and sense of purpose to help workers breach their comfort zones and take on new challenges.

Before you broadcast your intentions, gather feedback from key personnel and stakeholders. Be open and honest with these pillars of your organisation and help them resolve their concerns. Ask them to reveal what challenges they think they’ll face and how they think they’ll benefit from the change. Ensure you address any problems that need to be resolved together and stay on track to achieve your ultimate goal.  

Coping With Barriers

Industry 4.0 adopters face barriers in three main areas: technological, organisational and financial. You’ll face a complex choice of digital platforms to adopt and will require expert advice. You may have to invest in new talent and maintain strong leadership to carry through the digital transformation. All of this, plus a large capital outlay with no prospect of immediate returns. 

You’ll have to adapt your processes and organisational structures to accommodate technology adoption. It’s a good idea to establish an inter-departmental task force to figure out how it’s all going to work together and how quickly the new processes can be integrated. It’s pretty likely that some people will resist the significant changes you’ll be asking them to make. They’ll be comfortable in their existing routines and find new technology difficult or threatening, so they’ll need reassurance. 

Short-Term Wins

Some disruption will be inevitable, but it helps to give your workers incentives and acknowledgement of their efforts, especially those who first embrace the changes. A comprehensive digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight; many aspects could take months or years. You should celebrate early achievements, even if they seem minor, to provide momentum and help people recognise value. It helps if you can break down long and complex developmental stages into chunks or measurable activities that you can celebrate. Share the achievement and rewards whenever you reach a defined stage on the way to your final goal.

Keep Up The Momentum

There is such a thing as initiative fatigue – and losing momentum could be critical.

You can prepare your workforce for their Industry 4.0 journey by starting at a single site or initiating small-scale projects. You’ll gain credibility with each achievement, creating the motivation to scale up and push ahead with the next objective. Maintain your positivity and demonstrate a solid commitment to pressing forward. 

Adopting Industry 4.0 technology takes significant effort, and you will encounter technical and external setbacks, such as market shifts. You can help to counter such disruptions by maintaining focus and discipline, connecting change consistently to success. 

Achieving The Transition to Industry 4.0

Any transformation involves a series of dynamic changes. Some of these will impact the business directly, such as productivity, cycle time, costs or quality. Others will be internal, so you’ll need to monitor and adjust how new systems and processes are performing and reinforce and reward new workforce behaviours. You’ll be investing lots of time, money and patience. So, your organisation must be prepared and inspired by purposeful leadership to achieve its goals. 

If you need help in implementing new technology, register with the government-initiated Made Smarter Adoption programme to receive information and support.