Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/145038
There's an app for that ( i n m a n u fa c t u r i n g ) c o n t i n u e d customer lifecycle. Wipfli Connect for Manufacturing simplifies complicated customer relationships by getting everyone on the same communication page. And it puts information in the hands of those who need it." Manufacturing currently represents approximately one-third of Wipfli's overall business, according to Kerscher, and he says that number is on the rise. "We have been experiencing double-digit growth in manufacturing with our consulting practice for a number of years," Kerscher says. Also on the rise with the technology trend is a critical aspect to any company's overall success: employee engagement. "When people understand how their job is connected to the overall company strategy, every employee becomes a player," Moore says. After implementing Red e App less than six months ago, Moore says Uponor has seen more than a 30 percent increase in the read rate of company transmitted information. "Roughly less than 50 percent of our workforce was seeing that information before Red e App," Moore explains. "Now we have 80 to 85 percent reading the information." The direct result of that improvement in communication, according to Moore, is higher employee engagement, which leads to better retention rates in a highly competitive employment market. Whether it's bringing workers closer to their company's strategy or merging multiple systems throughout the production process, the connections through technology are adding up. NSC, Inc. Software Solutions of Brillion recently helped a company streamline a cumbersome and outdated method of quality control. "What they had was a thick sheet of paper that they would have to 12 | / insight on manufacturing • July 2013 "What I've seen in manufacturing is a tremendous amount of shared best practices between manufacturers. There are all kinds of New North connections and all kinds of manufacturing networks popping up. We in the IT world invest a lot in being a part of that and participating in those leadership activities because that's how you keep up in your industry." – Mitch Weckop, CEO of Skyline Technologies pass around to multiple managers to check off on either samples or all the products," says Eric Nies, Larry Nies's son and NCS lead developer. "Within a year they ended up saving close to a million dollars from the use of the web application." Still, as helpful and profitable as it can be, even the experts will point out that sometimes technology is not the answer. "Sometimes technology doesn't solve the problem," says Larry Nies, NSC president. "What solves the problem is the fact that they took the time to go through the process to really see what is happening." That's where they say bringing in an IT consulting firm with an external viewpoint occasionally uncovers a solution that had been there all along. "Getting people together in a room and communicating is the big factor," Larry Nies explains. "It's just a matter of having the communication between various departments in the corporation and actually going through the whole process and saying, 'Yes, this is the best method for us to use. Now we can improve our bottom line by doing this.' You make one little change, and it may be technical or not, but it can just have a ripple effect on the whole corporation." In fact, that ripple is spreading far beyond individual corporations, according to industry experts, w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g .c o m