• Start small and find the low-hanging fruit. With any process improvement initiative there are usually small things that float to the top and are easily changed or implemented and this is no different. Study your processes to figure out what those may be and do those first to get some immediate benefit and start off on the right foot.
For example, on the manufacturing side, one area that we’ ve learned fits into this is material handling. Whether it’ s the automatic feeding of materials into a machine, automatic unloading of materials off a machine, or automatic storage systems we’ ve discovered that the technology advancements in this area often allow for solutions to integrate into existing processes without much headache and disruption.
• Consider how automation might fit in a variety of areas for your business. Whether you are a manufacturer or service provider there are a lot of other pieces and processes to your business other than producing a product or providing a service – such as the sales process, purchasing, accounting, HR, etc. Often there are opportunities in these areas as well to better leverage technology and become more efficient.
• Commit to the future of your business. As mentioned before there will often be investment and capital expenditures that will need to take place as you move forward. This means that money will need to be spent to achieve the results that are desired. If the commitment is not there to devote the resources that are needed and appropriate it is likely the results that are desired will never be achieved.
If you have questions about automation, or want to find out more about how automation can fit into your business, our team of Rea experts can help. by: Andrew Geiser, CPA Senior Manager
212 North Washington St. Millersburg, Ohio 44654-1122
( 330) 521-4562 andrew. geiser @ reacpa. com