5 ways manufacturing operations teams are leading the charge for mobile apps

5 Ways Manufacturing Operations Teams are Leading the Charge for Mobile Apps

1. Making it F.U.N. (Focused on User Needs)

Five Ways Manufacturing Operations Teams are Leading the Charge

1. Making it F.U.N.

The first critical step to tackling mobile app creation for users is to focus on specific needs

•  What devices are your users carrying today?

•  What systems do they need access to on a daily basis?

•  How can you develop apps that help them get the job done, and then out of the way?

Android

Manage labor and material costs in one place

iOS

1. Making it F.U.N.

Actionable Tip:

Uncover a small, but meaningful pain point in a user’s business process (paper form usage, phone calls)

Consider automating it with a very simple, one-to-two function mobile app

2. Making apps faster


2. Making Apps Faster

With new app platforms, manufacturing operations teams can create apps in the cloud without coding


Utilize an agile tool to create your first mobile app in days for iOS and Android devices.

•  Focus on small, but meaningful

issues that could be solved with mobile apps

•  Take one issue, solve it, and move to the next


Actionable Tip:

Start the conversation with your team. If they could have a set of mobile apps to help them through their day at work, what would the top three be?

3. Breaking down data siloes


3. Breaking Down Data Siloes

A good mobile app simplifies.

New mobile platforms include the capability to pull data from multiple back-end systems, and use simple web interfaces to perform what used to be complex integrations with a few clicks


By providing manufactured inventory data in real-time, and the ability to order new products remotely in the hand of a field sales rep, you can improve customer responsiveness


Actionable Tip:

Talk to your team and ask them how challenging it is to get data in a timely manner from other departments when they need it

4. Keeping it IT-friendly



Try to anticipate IT requests and maintain their strict standards for security particularly

Utilize a platform that can still deliver apps that don’t store data on the device

If storing data on the device is a must for the user’s role, make sure to utilize a secure container


By keeping security top-of-mind from the beginning, you can anticipate any potential IT roadblocks down the road


Actionable Tip:

Talk to IT about existing policies and procedures that might be applicable to mobile app deployments. Keep them involved as you evaluate and research potential mobile app platforms

5. Responding faster to business requests


5. Responding Faster to Business Requests

When you make an app you rarely miss by a mile, you miss by an inch

By using a more agile approach, business requests can be addressed in days rather than months

Look to social development, a more iterative approach that brings the user closer to the app creation and change process

5. Responding Faster to Business Requests

Actionable Tip:

Talk to IT to understand how business feature and app requests are handled. Identify areas where you improve, and see if an agile app creation tool could help

With Catavolt’s manufacturing mobile app platform, business and IT analysts can create easy to configure, pre-built apps personalized for their people and processes.

Key Benefits of Catavolt’s Platform

•  Customized mobile apps for every worker’s specific job

•  Codeless platform helps make apps, no programmers required

•  Works with SAP, Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics, or any other custom system

Why Invest in Mobile Apps?

Because it’s easier than ever.

New, cloud-based graphical user interfaces allow IT and business analysts the ability to build apps without a single line of code

Ready to get started?

Click here to visit the Catavolt Manufacturing Resource Center for demo

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