What is Paperless Manufacturing?

Paperless manufacturing refers to the execution of work across a shop floor and at remote suppliers connected via the Internet through electronic means.  Paper may still be needed as part of the production process, but in large measure paperless manufacturing uses electronic work instructions to complete work from design to shipping.

Why go paperless?

A paperless shop floor is a challenging journey with a large payoff.  Paperless shop floors accumulate annual, repeatable returns on their investment.  Savings in time on jobs and reduction in “runners” (people required to move the paper around the shop floor) are permanent reductions.  Companies see large gains in productivity as the shop floor is always building to the latest specifications and scrap and rework through parts being built to old shop orders is eliminated.  This increased productivity and cost savings enables the companies to be more competitive.

While it was thought to be affordable for only the largest manufacturing enterprises, paperless manufacturing is gaining momentum among smaller companies as there is now a mid-market paperless offering.  Mid-market companies gain the same advantages of a digitized shop floor as larger companies have; faster time to market, higher quality products and reduced costs.