Manufacturers must change their view point and go from product facing to service facing. If you face the customer instead of facing inside your facilities, you will be able to communicate when something new is available in materials, processes, and quality.
Face the customer instead of facing inside your facilities…
Based on past orders, ask your customers how these new materials, processes, and improvements in quality can save your customers time, money, and steps in their process.
Instead of developing your new products or lines, then offering them to your customers, talk with your best customers first. Find out what they want, and let them know it’s available to them first.
When you start collecting all the data in the Factory of the Future from sensors and computer tracking, you can offer your best customers a snapshot of were their orders are in real time.
Offer your best customers a snapshot of where their orders are in real time.
If any quality issues arise that can impact delivery or use, communicate with them immediately so your clients have maximum time to react to these new issues.
Treating customers as a partner will be the new normal or the new black. Develop a partnership with customers vs. pushing products at them. Have them pull what they want, when they want, with requests for new products becoming part of your R&D. This pulling by the customer is the essence of Lean thinking.
Customer “Pull” is the essence of Lean thinking and more reachable now, than any other time. It will be central to the success of the Factories of the Future.
Following FactoryoftheFuture.Org is the best way to stay in touch with the latest in future trends.
Robert Kravontka
a.k.a. The Maintenance Geek
http://www.maintenancegeek.com
Image source: TopHat Consulting
