“Starting a little with the next tech step is better than not starting at all”
- Smart and proactive maintenance - are you ready to take the next step? That was the name of a course given by Produktion2030 during the spring, in collaboration with RISE and FKG, targeted at people working with maintenance in the industry. Organizer Sandra Mattsson, Tech. Dr, researcher at RISE IVF, tells what you missed if you did not attend the course.
On two different occasions during the spring, 24 course participants, the majority from small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), gathered and took part of the latest within smart maintenance.
Today’s success in technology, access to cheap sensors and cloud services have made it possible to implement new smart technology. The technology that is available today provides automatic access to data that previously one needed to spend time on gathering. But in order to take the next step, a holistic approach is required where one needs to collect different types of data, identify critical downtime and logically calculate which solution is most profitable.
Taking the next tech step simply means using new tools to make maintenance easier and more efficient. This can, for example, be about using QR codes or sensors. It doesn’t have to be about using what is the most high-tech, but rather the smartest for your company, says Sandra Mattsson.
The interest among SMEs in implementing the possibilities of digitization within their production Sandra Mattsson experiences as great. Nonetheless, many people do not know what it means and how to start. Step one, she means, is that the leaders know what it implies for their business and that they can see profitability as a result of digitization. Although implementations of some things will cost more than they give back at the beginning.
Anders Skoogh, Associate Professor at Chalmers, who was one of the lecturers of the course, expressed it so well when he said that maintenance is the future – that it is where the great potential lies. But it is a traditional industry where we must actively work to bring in a new workforce who wants to work with this and increase the attractiveness of these types of jobs, says Sandra Mattsson.
After the completed course, Sandra Mattsson believes that most people realized that there are great opportunities and it is necessary to ask for external help because you cannot cope with everything yourself. Due to the positive response to this spring’s course, the same course is planned to be held again this fall in Borås. Look for the Produktion2030’s website for more information.
Sandra Mattsson’s best tips for SMEs who want to take the next tech step;
- Start a little, start where you are, start with the simple – the most important thing is that you start!
- Involve the staff from the start, especially if comes to a change in the technology
- Get a good picture of where you are and where you are going – what is the purpose of the change you want to make?
- Have a long-term plan for skills supply and attractive work
Read more about what subcontractors think is a good start to your digitization trip (in Swedish) here >
Sandra Mattsson
Tech. Dr, researcher at RISE IVF
