• 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