At a high level, collaboration is seen as a soft-skill – a fundamental piece of good teamwork that has a nebulous effect on productivity.

The right technology can change your business. It can have an immediate impact on your bottom line, empower your front line to work smarter and faster, and help achieve longstanding organizational goals. But selecting a new technology tool and actually implementing it are very different. 

Detroit, MI, September 17, 2019 - Andonix, the developer of Smart Work Station™, is being showcased by Harvard Business School as a live business case highlighting innovation, entrepreneurship and the future of work. Andonix CEO, David Salazar, presented at Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on September 14th, emphasizing the process by which the company has developed Industry 4.0 solutions for the front line in leading manufacturing companies.

Between 2016 and 2020, the automotive sector will experience a 3.9% reduction in costs per annum in large part because of the implementation of advanced automation and industry 4.0 initiatives. With estimated productivity gains of as much as 30% and a significant drop in maintenance costs, early IIoT adopters are reaping the rewards of their investments. 

Process improvements have accelerated in the last decade, driven by the implementation of advanced, highly configurable software. Industry 4.0 initiatives are making it possible to empower the frontline like never before, and few tools are more impactful than digital work checklists and work instructions.

Job openings in manufacturing have grown at double-digit rates since 2017 and are very near the all-time high recorded in 2001. Despite public perception that American Industry is in decline, a recent study by Deloitte shows that between 2018 and 2028, an estimated 2.4 million positions will remain unfilled.

Manufacturing companies have long struggled to find, hire, and retain qualified talent. It hasn’t gotten easier with record low unemployment and a persistent skills gap for STEM jobs. A 2015 report by the Manufacturing Institute estimated that as many as two million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2025.