FEATURE MANUFACTURING AUDITS AUDITING WILL EASE INDUSTRY INTO THE NEXT PHASE
Eric Stoop, CEO at EASE, says manufacturers need to take a flexible and proactive approach to the next phase in dealing with the effects of the pandemic, and says digital auditing holds the key to success
I
n such unchartered times, understanding how to continue operations but maintain
the safety of employees and customers is paramount for businesses to ensure their survival, as well as maintain brand reputation. Complete shutdowns are not uncommon in the manufacturing industry, but evolving practices to meet new government guidelines and coronavirus lockdown restrictions, has been a challenge for manufacturers. In recent weeks, as some factories have
begun to reach their pre-pandemic capacities, many have found their operations halted by coronavirus outbreaks once again, with reports that over 250 employees at food manufacturer Koba have contracted the virus, forcing the plant to shut down its operations completely. Whilst businesses get used to the virus being in circulation, until there is a readily-available vaccine, conducting safety and COVID specific audits has the ability to significantly limit the risks to employees and customers. Layered process audits (LPA’s) and VDAs
(Verband der Automobilindustrie) are already being used by manufacturers to verify controls and processes in order to ensure the quality of their products. By conducting daily shift-level checks they can address process non-conformances before a quality failure occurs, reducing the cost of scrap, rework, warranty costs and potential customer loss. However, in addition to quality-related
checks, many manufacturers also incorporate safety-related questions into these high frequency plant floor audits. Other manufacturers run separate safety or EHS specific audits. In both cases the objective is the same – to reduce the risk
on the plant floor. Shift-level process and safety audits lead to important conversations about safety, which ensures leadership teams prioritise health and safety in the workplace. Achieving this level of reliability,
however, doesn’t happen overnight. Organisations must first adopt a mind shift, whilst also taking a strategic approach to resolving instances where people don’t follow standards. This is the same attitude shift that is required to maintain safety when returning to operations in a post-COVID-19 world. Manufacturing environments often put
people in close proximity to one another, and even where employees do not interact closely, the potential is there for the virus to quickly spread among staff. By using an auditing system that is
capable of asking COVID specific questions, quality and plant floor managers, employees, visitors and customers can be confident that the organisation has their wellbeing at the forefront of their minds. The operational changes that are to be
faced by the manufacturing sector – particularly with supply chains that may have fallen through because of the pandemic – are beginning to highlight the old-fashioned way in which operations have been led. Returning to normal for manufacturers should mean embracing new assistive technologies and processes that will overhaul operations post-COVID. This is where auditing comes in. We
know that safety and EHS specific audits are already taking place, but by embracing technology this process could made significantly easier, and more reliable. Quality managers, and their superiors, are
The coronavirus pandemic has caused significant disruption, not only for the manufacturing industry but for life in general. With a reluctance for things to return to the way they were before the pandemic hit, and a greater preparedness by businesses who previously had no strategy for such a significant crisis to hit, the future of every industry is unknown. Returning to normal for manufacturers should mean embracing new assistive technologies and processes that will overhaul operations in a post-COVID world. Which is where auditing comes in...
already able to have some visibility of the operations of their plant floors, but by using one single platform that encompasses several auditing aspects as well as removing the risk of pen and paper auditing, the system could be more effective and accessible to operations, safety and other factory floor leaders. COVID-19 cannot be held responsible
for all of the risks within manufacturing. The threat of downtime costs, legal liability, customer loss and employee safety have and always will be present throughout the industry, but the pandemic has heightened these risks. By conducting short audits to verify
adherence to new protocols and identifying and fixing gaps in compliance, manufacturers will be able to ensure they are working in the best possible way. By adding safety and COVID-19 specific questions into already existing auditing processes, as well as digitally transforming the way in which audits are carried out, the manufacturing sector will have a greater chance of success. By providing valuable and organic data,
Digital audits using manufacturing-specific mobile audit platforms are the key to unlocking post-COVID success
34 NOVEMBER 2020 | PROCESS & CONTROL
manufacturing audits (of any type) can provide critical insights into what is actually happening on the plant floor. They provide those who aren’t present with the production line visibility to make the right, and sometimes legal, decisions by both their employees and their customers. As operations resume, and the fight against coronavirus continues there has never been a more critical time for business leaders to make the right, and not necessarily financially driven, decisions. Digital audits using manufacturing-specific mobile audit platforms are the key to unlocking this – verifying adherence to new safety protocols whilst identifying and fixing gaps in compliance through real-time insights.
EASE
www.ease.io
/ PROCESS&CONTROL
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