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The Future of Headhunting in Supply-Chain Management

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The Future of Headhunting in Supply-Chain Management

The industrial revolution was a major revelation to the whole world back in the 19th century. It changed people’s perspectives of the working industry holistically. The fast-paced revolution was sort of like an eye-opener to the public. It was a race to the future, and no one saw it passing so fast.

In 2019, the game is different in all aspects. Machines and modern equipment are not new. Technology, with a brisk run, has caught up with the lives of all the people, and they are dependent on it. There are tribal hamlets without big changes in villages and forests still, but technology is surely catching up. It won’t be long before you get mobile signals inside all dense forests.

Where is business heading then? The global research and advisory firm Gartner predict that within a year, at least 50% of major business systems will have IoT in it, in one way or the other. IoT is the internet connectivity extended into physical devices and everyday objects, and we would already know how big a role IoT plays already in our daily lives. To see a person not using Google maps for navigation in a major city would indeed be a sight of rarity.

If you think this is the pinnacle of technological advancement, then count it only as the beginning.  We are about to witness some more action. Gartner also predicts that up to 36 million inter-connected smart devices will be installed in a decade and that it would generate over $300 million in revenue. This means IoT will have a huge role to play in how the supply chain operates for business enterprises.

SCM Revolution

Supply-chain management is the effective management of the flow of goods and services, involving movement, storage and delivery of finished goods and services from the point of origin to the point of consumption.  SCM calls for an integrated approach in design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of supply-chain activities. IoT has a big role to play here.

Many global firms recognize the transformation role played by the IoT in the manufacturing, retail, and service sectors. Most of the organizations depend on IoT solutions for locating objects, containers, and personnel. Smart mailboxes are used by postal services in some remote areas to find out if the boxes are empty. This saves unwanted journeys. Some pharmaceutical companies use sensors to monitor their temperature-sensitive products. When you order a product online, you get an online tracker to monitor its delivery. All these setups increase the productivity of the organizations. This is business intelligence in its higher echelons.

The IoT devices have revolutionized the supply-chain systems.  It is much easier to know the whereabouts of the products/goods in storage or movement. It also helps the companies to stay competitive in the market. Let’s talk about some of the major operational efficiencies of IoT, and you will know about the main advantages in the field because of it.

 

 

 

Asset Tracking: Bar codes and tracking numbers were usually used to manage the goods in the supply chain.  However, IoT has changed the entire game plan. The old methods are no longer the best. There are plenty of methods using which the whole process can be expedited.  RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is used nowadays as the main method of communication.  RFID and GPS sensors can be used to track the products. It’s not just a matter of simple tracking here. These sensors can be used to calculate and arrange a wide array of data. Fetching granular data like the temperature of storage is an example. The amount of time spent by cargo and the exact location of the goods and products is priceless information. This way, the companies can use the data as leverage to minimize the flaws next time. The labor and time can be easily managed. In business, excessive time and headcount mean money lost, and through IoT, the companies get to save a lot of it.  In a nutshell, the organizations have a wide array of data that they can use to improve and take their business to the next level. Quality control, on-time deliveries and product forecast – It all becomes easier and much better.

Vendor Relations: When we talk about healthy relations with vendors, it doesn’t mean a friendly handshake or how good you are in talking them into a good deal. It is much bigger than that. Data shows that over 60% of the value of a company is derived from its suppliers. It’s a huge share and that is exactly why it is important to have healthy vendor relationships. The information available through IoT plays a crucial role here. When asset tracking improves, the companies get a good chance to tweak their production schedules and charts to improve their overall productivity. This way, it’s easy to zero in on poor vendor relationships that cost the company money. How are the vendors handling the supplies they are sending you? How are they handling them once the product is made? The quality of products is important, and it reciprocates as good relationships with customers, helping in customer retention as well.

Forecast and inventory: When data gets messier, the whole system crumbles. When there is an expert way to handle data, then there is more clarity. The accuracy of IoT in handling inventories is commendable. The speed and accuracy of the operations are better than any human who can do the same tasks at his prime. Instead of a human, when there is a robot to scan the QR codes or handle the data, then the speed increases manifold. This is already a custom in most of the multi-national companies like Amazon who are experts in Supply Chain Management. The inventory can be tracked easily, and the supplies for stock and future can be managed much more productively. Who wouldn’t want error-free efficiency and preciseness in handling data?

Connected Fleets: People used to wait for ages for a mail to come and fall on their doorsteps. But gone are those days. It’s faster, and forget predictions and hope, you can easily pinpoint the exact time of delivery and location of a product. It is imperative in supply chain management to have a connected network of containers, trucks, vans, or any vehicle in that case used for the transportation of goods. Nothing is lost and all information is just within the reach of your fingertip. Where are the containers? How long will it take to reach the destination? What are the possible contingencies and how can it be handled without losing time and manpower? There are questions aplenty, but a connected fleet with IoT is the answer to most of these questions. Data is the key, and there is an improvement in every step forward. Manufacturers, vendors, retailers, customers and all elements in the operational structure can reap benefits using IoT.

Maintenance: A faulty system or machine costs a lot for companies when it’s supply chain they are dealing with. For this reason, it is important for the companies/manufacturers to constantly keep an eye on maintenance. Smart sensors through IoT have the power to keep everything inter-connected and intact. This prevents downtimes and blackouts. Prevention is better than cure, and that’s exactly what scheduled maintenance through IoT can do to your network.

Why is IoT a Game-Changer? Let’s Summarise

  • It’s reassuring that goods can be precisely located, both in rest and motion
  • Problems with the goods lost, or delay in delivery can be easily identified and rectified
  • Stakeholders get to know when they can expect to receive and process goods
  • Real-time shipment and tracking
  • Visibility and transparency of stock/inventory
  • Quality management and optimization
  • Efficiency in storage and distribution of goods and products
  • Time-management
  • Healthy vendor-relationships

Impact on Recruitment

All these developments act as a precursor to a new generation where all the activities and operations will be aligned using a technological handle that’s both easier to manage and good for business. The future is coming quicker than we can anticipate. An inventory on a ruled A4-sized notebook – those days are history. We need more skills and in another decade the market will be filled with millions of jobs that we have absolutely no clue about. It is kind of scary, but it can also be exciting if you are ready to adapt and change according to the evolving environments all around you.

When there is a technological improvement or new methodologies of actions in place in a company, it will surely call for a better scale of operation and the employees should be well aware of it. The skills required and key roles will change invariably.

Cyber Security is one such area that will play a huge role in the effective handling of all these companies. With most of the data and information controlled and managed through the inter-connected IoT, it is easy for a rival to use the same as a scourge to create a huge ruckus. As technology finds its way higher up the ladder, there will be hackers aiming to bring it down as well. Security is a big issue, and all data should be safe. Count this as a synonymous industry that’s growing with IoT.

 

When it comes to supply chain management, most of the transactions happen online nowadays. Social Selling isn’t new, but it is really important for recruiters. Sales professionals will have to research their leads and candidates to build a good rapport with the system.  Like social selling, there are many foreseeable changes and things that can never be predicted galloping towards us.

 

The Future of Jobs in SCM

IoT, 3D printing and big analytics are already playing a key role in changing the dynamics of the Supply Chain Market. In the wake of ever-changing patterns in the market, what jobs can we expect?

The future of demand planning: It could be all about cloud-based planning systems. The real-time drill could be different from how they are before. Online transactions and algorithms will change the entire mechanics of demand planning. The demand planner can become a business creator.  At the transaction level, the executive will be able to prioritize, analyze and solve supply-demand balancing problems. The commercial impact will play a huge role.

Production Planning: A production planner of the yesteryear will have to collaborate with robots than be programmed in the wink of an eye. Thousand of working pathways can be simulated and all the permutations and combinations can be tested within seconds. The IoT equipped machinery is from the future and just being able to push a button or turn the handle or knob on time, are the skills that wouldn’t matter to anyone.  The production planner has to be an expert craftsman. There is no need to manufacture long runs of low unit costs, and it can effectively improve business and increase the company’s profit.

Logistics Management: To a large extent, it will all be about dealing with customer satisfaction. The options for planning on building a load, making a route map and checking customer’s availability will be quite easy. There will be plenty of options available, and analytics and automation will ensure that it happens on time. Logistics could become the next uber-cool thing of the future. Custom-packing, drones, and pods will change the entire landscape of the delivery of the goods. Customer satisfaction and directing these automated machines in the right course will be the future of logistics management. Numbers and combinations won’t be a problem. It’s all about becoming a Logistics director.

Resource utilization: It’s all about sustainability. Optimal consumption of the resources and sustainability are the marks of the future. The executives will require machine learning for optimal resource utilization. The Supply Chain leaders of the future will have to reinvent themselves.

All the Skills Needed:

  • Strategic Planning and Big Thinking incorporating IoT and AI
  • Technological expertise and ability to adapt and apply Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and the IoT in the supply chain
  • Collaboration, networking and relationship management
  • Control Tower leadership and single-point management skills
  • Ability to learn, adapt and use technological resources
  • Risk management and mitigation
  • Data analytics and high-level decision making
  • The ability to work seamlessly across all boundaries of culture, geography, and trends
  • Ability to quickly improvise and read the current trends
  • Lean and business process re-engineering
  • Machine-learning

Role of Headhunters

Due to the tectonic shift in the market, there is an increased need to educate and constantly be aware of the technological advancements. Big Data, Telematics, Warehouse and Workforce Management, IoT, AI, and Robotics – there is quite a lot that’s happening and changing in the supply chain industry. To effectively be able to select candidates who are aware and knowledgeable of these changes can be a daunting task.

Specialist recruitment services can make a big difference here. For functions like IoT, IIOT 4.0, Connected Devices, Telematics, Warehouse Management Software, and Workforce Management Software, there are headhunters who can get the right manpower with adequate knowledge.

Role of Headhunters for Supply Chain

  • To find the right candidates who are aware of the growing changes in the market
  • To find manpower who are adept and equipped with machine learning
  • To spot the right talent according to the changing environments in the industry
  • Hire the right candidates according to varying requirements
  • Educating the candidates about the requirements of the company
  • Assess, monitor and prepare a talent pool
  • Increase in productivity for the company by right placement
  • Act as a resourceful bridge for the candidate and client

It can be a daunting task to have a set of people working and get them to learn the alphabets from A to Z. Instead of that, the headhunters help in readying the right talent for all jobs in the chain. No second thoughts whatsoever! Headhunters play the role of talent agents for corporate companies.

The changing Course

It is always about adapting to the conditions that keep on changing all around us. Someone with decades of experience won’t be able to survive if he is unaware of the technological shifts around him. Someone good at his job will not survive if he is not ready to learn. IoT and AI are going to take over the operational cycles, and as much as it is good for profit-making and error-free operations, it also calls for high levels of flexibility and adaptive approach from the employees. The world is changing fast and it is imperative to keep on running.

Headhunters play a major role without any doubt. It helps the candidates and employees get what they deserve, and act as a mediator. It directs both the parties in the right direction. For corporate clients, it’s about a painless selection process. For candidates, it’s about the right job! They act as a bridge. In a way, you can call them game-changers.

 

The Future of Headhunting in Supply-Chain Management

Personnel consulting E-commerce

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Personnel consulting E-commerce

Electronic commerce or E-commerce is growing so rapidly across the world that it takes the top position when it comes to the average salary of employees and attrition rate. This makes the job of HR professionals very difficult to get candidates who perfectly fit in the e-commerce industry. In this industry we come across many start-ups and it has become really challenging to draw public attention and quality employees toward such start-ups. Moreover, it is an astounding task to control the disintegration of E-commerce companies in this highly competitive world. Therefore, there is little doubt that HR specialists have become one of the most important stakeholders in this business.

The success of E-commerce projects largely depends on the skills of an individual or as a group. So, for an HR professional in this industry, you should be well aware and have broad concepts about the functioning of E-commerce. You should know the management and staffing in E-commerce as well as the process of organizing a project work. If you gain the skills in managing the staffs in a project and measuring the outcomes, you can achieve your HR goals in this field.

Qualities required in a successful HR professional in the E-commerce industry

Given below are the qualities desired in an HR professional in the E-commerce industry-

  1. The HR professional should be able to keep their employees happy and satisfied-

While working for a fast-growing company, or in an atmosphere of tough competition, the HR managers come across quite a few challenges in retaining the best talents in the organisation. In such cases, HR professionals should follow strategic planning and keep a focus on giving an open work culture. They also need to provide good work-life balance and foster friendly relationships among the employees.

 

  1. The HR professional should be dynamic and flexible–

HR professionals do not follow any definite processes/standards in the E-commerce industry. Their objectives changes according to different hierarchies and growth plans. The growth of E-commerce companies depends on their seamless and 24/7 operation throughout the year. Also, E-commerce companies are synonymous with a fast working culture. To be accustomed to this culture, HR professionals have to be flexible. At times, there might be abrupt changes in the recruitment policy and HR operations and the HR professional should adapt to these quickly.

  1. The HR manager should be well-versed with technology and logistics operations-

The working profiles of HR managers in the E-commerce sector are quite different from that of other industries. The E-commerce companies use progressive technology and systems in their operations. The HR managers must be capable of hiring qualified candidates who possess relevant technical know-how and are experts in the field of E-commerce. In the E-commerce industry, the HR managers should work in collaboration with business heads of various fields to find the most eligible employees. They need to use innovative ways to hire the best talents to fit the needs of the company. Successful HR managers of today are selecting candidates through social media as well. In some cases, the HR managers are taking the help of recruitment specialists too. Such methods are not only helping the HR managers in concentrating on their employee development programs but are also fulfilling their hiring needs in the most efficient and economical way.

In the field of E-commerce, back-end supply chain management is one of the essential components for businesses. A third party is essential for storing or shipping of products if there are no brick and mortar storehouse. This is also necessary for basic time management. Thus, The HR managers in the E-commerce industry should have adequate knowledge of logistics as well. Then only they will be able to hire talents to suit the organisational needs perfectly.

  1. The HR team should be able to implement employee development programs–

In this fast growing E-commerce industry, relentless changes are also seen in terms of innovation and disruption. Hence, there comes a need for regular employee training and development programs. This will help the employees to upgrade their skills and keep themselves updated to the latest developments. The old-school methods of training and development policies will not work in this sector. Rather, the HR managers should take responsibility in inviting relevant experts who can provide thorough training for enhancing the skills and aptitude of their employees. Knowledgeable sessions with the industry experts/experienced professionals will broaden their outlook and bring some much-needed variations into their thoughts. Hence, HR managers should care about employee development programs to nurture the employees. This will also make the employees more loyal to the organisation.

How work scheduling is done in E-commerce

Before knowing about how to engage staffs in the E-commerce industry, it is important to have knowledge about the scheduling and assignment of work among the staffs. For every department, there will be a different set of workers assigned to carry out their scheduled tasks. There are a definite set of rules that the workers from every department have to follow.

As an organizational unit, the E-commerce industry holds the responsibility for creation and maintenance. The capabilities of the E-commerce industry cannot be explained in terms of project activities as happens with IT organizations. No such definite organizational work pattern is observed in when it comes to the E-commerce industry. The different set of projects /programs/work assigned in different departments depends on the overall E-commerce objectives of the organisation. The nature of E-commerce sites also varies according to the mode of work or the type of projects being handled. These sites are dynamic in nature and are prone to frequent changes.

There is not a single pattern that describes the method of hiring employees for the E-commerce industry. Selection is done on the basis of their capabilities. However, depending on the type of projects, the nature of requirements differs. For example, the IT-based E-commerce industry will be more concentrating on the employees having greater knowledge in the field of technology. However, the success of any project not only depends on technology but also on the business skills of the company. The combination of both business talents and technology can contribute to the successful completion of a project. In most cases, the organization forms new working operations for their new businesses. This can also be called as the hybrid behavior of the E-commerce industry. It will be great to observe if the recruitment programs of an e-commerce project resemble the other either in structure or content without considering parameters of departmental governance. The type of governance is selected on the basis of the skills of the employees, project needs, the mode of work done and the outcomes required from a particular set of projects.

 

Challenges in personal consulting in e-commerce

Though the E-commerce industry has evolved as a fast-growing industry, it has to overcome a few challenges in personal consulting. These are described below-

  1. Technology challenges- For an e-commerce firm to achieve success in today’s highly competitive world, technology is the most important factor. So, the firm should be able to accept new innovations and technological expertise, which will allow them to overcome threats/hurdles in time.

 

  1. Uncertainty challenge– There is no specific model for an e-commerce firm to get going. The already settled E-commerce organizations also do not have ‘strait-jacket’ corporate mind-sets that hold them back from fulfilling their dreams. There will always be an uncertainty challenge for this industry. This challenge can be overcome if they are able to invest in new innovations, experimentation and also if they are able to tolerate failures.
  2. Integration challenge– To meet the demands of this fast-paced consumer-centric world, the e-commerce industry needs to integrate various systems, the people working therein and different processes in a seamless manner. The personal consulting processes in this industry need to keep this in mind while formulating their HR policies.

 

  1. Speed challenge– The speed of a firm increases very rapidly with the changing demands of people and technology. The traditional businesses consume more time to adapt to these changes but not the ecom businesses. Therefore, the HR operations in the e-com industries need to be more pro-active than their other business counterparts and should be able to adapt to these changes much faster.

 

  1. Project structure challenge– No two projects in the e-commerce industry are the same. Hence the firm should be able to construct a perfect group of individuals for a particular project to ensure efficiency. This may involve constant shifting of people from one project to another. This is bound to put an extra burden on the HR team.

The success of the E-commerce industry not only depends on its demand but also on how it will be able to withstand the HR challenges that are so unique to e-comm operations.

Logistics and of E-commerce: their inter-dependence

The term Logistics means management of the path through which various resources are obtained, gathered and then shipped to their respective destinations. Well-managed plans need to be in place for controlling the mobility and placement of the goods. All these plans and processes come under a system that is designed to obtain the desired organisational goal.

A proper logistics management can help the e-commerce industry in the below-mentioned ways-

  • To find out capable suppliers and distributors.
  • To determine their accessibility and efficiency for the need of business production.
  • To form valuable relationships and discover the most economical solutions for the success of the business.

 

Role of HR personal consulting in logistics/supply chain organizations

Here we will discuss how crucial the role of HR personal consulting can be in different facets in a logistics/ supply chain organization-

  1. Keeping an eye on the overall performance parameters–

The role of supply chain management is to bring the goods in and to keep them ready/forward them for the next phases in the pipeline. In the same way, it is the duty of an efficient HR management to ensure that every employee gets the inputs in a proper manner so that he can execute his assignments properly. This will make both the organization and the employee to grow together in their respective operational areas while keeping a close bond with the values and culture of the organisation. HR does the important function of supervising this entire process. He also ensures that each and every manager is competent enough to understand various processes prevailing in the organization. The HR prepares a periodic MIS on the performance of the employees and also that of the ongoing processes in the organization.

 

  1. HR Role in streamlining the hiring process–

We are well aware of the critical role played by the SCM department in bringing in and sourcing out raw materials. In the same way, HR has to take the responsibility of bringing in outstanding talents which are very essential for ensuring smooth operation of the business. HR teams need to carry out the necessary brainstorming with other departments to make sure that all the significant processes are taking place as per the schedule designed before the functional department makes the all-important final selection. The critical task the HR needs to do here is to make sure that a well-designed and standard capability framework is followed across the organizational lines. The HR needs to keep an eye so that the hiring of deserving talents moves through a consistent process, adhering to the well-established benchmarks of cost-effectiveness.

 

  1. Play the role of a quality checker

 

In a logistics business, it is absolutely essential that the goods should go through a proper quality test before the all-important delivery to their respective destinations. It is the duty of the SCM team to ensure quality assurance before the goods are transferred to the next step in the pipeline.

In the same way, the HR team has to check whether the entire transformation of input to output is happening as per the prescribed design and expectation of the organization. It needs to assume the role of a quality enforcer in some critical business checkpoints. In this way, it can increase the efficiency of every individual.

 

  1. As a Conscience keeper–

HR plays another important role as a conscience keeper of the organisation. It keeps an eye on the organisational operations and does a periodic assessment on whether they are carried out in conformity to the stated organizational values. He should use his authority and intimate all concerned if there is a marked diversion from established organisational objectives. The HR function should be given the authority required so that it can work in close collaboration with the CEOs /top management/leadership teams and convey its findings in a ‘no-nonsense’ manner.

  1. To keep pace with the industry compensation benchmarks 

HR plays an important role in keeping a track of the compensation benchmarks in the industry and to keep the organizational policies in sync with them. It is also their responsibility to implement policy changes in a seamless and consistent manner.  Overall, the HR functionalities in logistics and e-commerce are largely multi-dimensional and are not restricted to their core competencies alone.

Benefits obtained by SCM after applying effective HRM methods

In the above section, we have seen that there are some similarities between the HRM and SCM functions. Some benefits of implementing effective HRM practices can be as follows-

  1. SCMs can use ‘people’ in a more efficient way-

The supply chain is a highly complicated structure which includes the raw materials distributors, suppliers of raw materials, the service providers etc. It is a well-settled fact that the success of a logistics organization depends heavily on the success of the people involved in every step of the supply chain management. The evolving field of HR has initiated some effective methods and processes that not only help the people but also the organization as a whole. These methods and processes can also be applied in the supply chain management as well so as to attain their desired goals in every phase of their operations.

  1. HRM methods can make the supply chain systems more collaborative-

Today’s business environments have become highly complex. This may be due to the globalization of the inventory market, products having smaller life-cycles, product generation and so on. Effective HR methods can ensure high-degree of collaboration between different SCM stakeholders, foster better inter-firm alliances and design valuable knowledge sharing techniques. By this process, the organisations can have a more up-to-date and organized supply chain and achieve the competitive advantage they are vying for.

 

  1. To receive proven benefits of HR strategies

HR strategies are concerned about establishing highly flexible organizational policies and systems and to strengthen the business actions of the company. An amalgamation of these HR strategies in SCM will provide significant benefits such as better coordination with SCM associates, better prognosis of the supply or labor demand across the logistics operations and many more.

Organizations have realized that chalking out a clear career path and providing diverse development opportunities for employees can help a great deal in retention of quality employees in today’s competitive environment.

 

 

HR Consulting in Industry 4.0

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HR Consulting in Industry 4.0

 

 INTRODUCTION

 

The industry is an integral part of any economy.  The mechanization of industry started with the First Industrial Revolution. The Second and the Third Industrial Revolution actually introduced the use of electrical energy, along with electronics and automation. However, driven by social, economic, political and technological changes, today’s economy is said to be facing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This type of industrial revolution is known as Industry 4.0, which is credited to have brought a wide range of digital transformations in every existing industry or business. This has also brought important changes in the current processes replacing the manual business operations by digital computer structures.

The concept of Industry 4.0 was first introduced in 2011 at the Hannover Fair. Originally, it was a proposal for the growth of a new idea of German economic policy based on high-tech manufacturing plans. Many industries have since embraced the concepts Industry 4.0 and have extended these smart changes into diverse areas such as logistics, smart buildings, oil and gas, smart healthcare and even to smart cities.

The main concept of Industry 4.0 is that the industrial business will be built by global networks in the future which will connect their machinery, manufactures and warehousing facilities as cyber-physical systems and will also control each other intelligently by giving out information and data processing that will head suitable actions. These cyber-physical systems will take the shape of four smart changes which is smart factories, smart machines, smart storage facilities and smart supply chains.

 

 

  1. Significance of Industry 4.0

 

The major significance of Industry 4.0 lies in the creation of a communication pipeline for the constant and real time informational exchange with retailers, manufacturers, health care workers, co-workers, customers themselves etc. Its main mechanism is the dependence on machines that will stream data via wireless sensors and then sending these data to smart services or product providers and decentralized multiple small centers, where large amounts of data are analyzed. The benefit of such automation is the individual customer-oriented transformation of products and services that increases the value for both the concerned organizations and customers. With the use of electronics and information technologies in manufacturing and services, all processes have become fully atomized and digitalized during the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Small and medium industries have been significantly transformed by new age technologies such as 3D printing and new sales online services. But if we look through the customer point of view, the main benefit is personalized service or product in real time, which leads to satisfaction and loyalty benefit in case of provider companies. On the other hand, companies have to understand how associated consumer products and services can perform as a critical basement in their decision-making process.

There is a common misunderstanding that Industry 4.0 benefits only the manufacturing industries but it will also benefit the manufactures. Manufacturers are the prime focus of Industry 4.0’s but it will also influence its other contiguous areas. It not only has an impact on the local cyber-physical systems and local industrial processes but also on the entire value chain, including the producers and manufacturers, suppliers, and workers.

Two of the main tools that accompany the Industry 4.0 revolution are the smart factory and smart manufacturing, which is also known as intelligent factory or factory of the future. In this field, the manufacturers are well equipped with sensors, actors, and autonomous systems. The introduction of new technologies, machines and equipment will improve all the technological processes autonomously through self-decision making and optimization. This will result in self-organization of the manufacturing process which will change the logistics and production chains.

Another important idea of Industry 4.0 is the smart city concept. A smart city is also known as the city of the future which consists of six components such as the smart economy, smart living, smart people, smart governance, smart mobility and smart environment. It should be an outcome of seemingly faster development of the ‘next-Gen’ IT and traditional economy. It will be related to the effective assimilation of the Internet, broadcast network, telecommunication network, wireless broadband and other sensor networks with the Internet of Things (IoT) technology at the center.

In addition, Industry 4.0 involves the attainment process of materials and describes as to how a product moves through the production and delivery process to the customer. Deep analyses of the current execution of new technologies were made in the production sector to comprehend the evolution of the industrial workforce with that of Industry 4.0.  Nowadays the main focus of the future industry is on the interaction of its constituent elements in production and the final products are created with as much automation as possible, to go with the present technological progress. New technologies are an integral part of our daily life. It is also important for expanding more with further development of the Internet and technologies such as 3D printing, customized products, greater online sales services etc.

 

 

The added advantage will be seen more in the new products and new solutions in a foreseeable future. Each of the objects produced can be possibly connected and networked. As a result, different business will be designed that involves the use of the Internet and connectivity. Industry 4.0 manufactories will increase their productivity and competitiveness which in result will enlarge their industrial workforce. Many technological changes will occur which may include execution of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) for production, smart manufacturing, embedded actuators and sensors, augmented reality, networks of microcomputers, and linking the machines to the value chain and so on.

 

Once these changes are implemented into a business, manufacturers will be able to create new jobs with the adoption of Industry 4.0. Although the type of job and the required skills will vary depending on the manufacturing process and the use of new technologies, the demand for new skills (catalyzed by new technological changes) will help the emergence of new jobs. Apart from the manufacturing industry, Industry 4.0 has impacted the oil industries a big way of late.  Many giants in the energy sectors have also embraced the Industry 4.0 processes into their operations and they have found immediate results, particularly in the areas of energy storage and the deployment of renewable energy.

Thus, it is only sufficient to say that Industry 4.0 will definitely bring about significant transformations into the economic sector and also to the social and political landscape as a whole.

 

 

  1. Industry 4.0 and HR practices

 

Because of the benefits of globalization and increased collaboration between EU, US and Japan and other countries, the industries have changed a long way, with the global spread of Industry 4.0. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has been able to give a complex vision on future of the industry that includes the use of Big Data Analytics, interconnected machines, connected devices, cyber-physical systems, cloud computing, software and Industrial Internet of Things (IoT). The HR domain of organizations has not been resistant to this phenomenon either.  HR practices have also taken a leaf out of the global smart practices shown by Industry 4.0 and a new area called Smart HR 4.0 has got evolved. Smart HR 4.0 portrays a bright canvas for digital transformation in the HR functions of recruitment, learning and development, social sharing etc.

Smart Human Resources 4.0 is a new idea which is growing as a part of the overall 4th Industrial Revolution and is distinguished by the innovations in digital technologies such as Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and fast networks such as 4G and 5G. With significant changes due to come into effect in the future, HR 4.0 will have its own set of execution challenges and sets of benefits. These benefits will, of course, depend on how the concerned organization adopts it.

The benefits of Smart Human Resources adoption are:

  • To attract, develop and employ new age talent.
  • Systematic and faster HR operations.
  • Slender HR departments.

The HR department of any organization is responsible for handling all the related aspects of the employee life cycle, from recruitment to exit. HR plays a key role the in organizational growth. However, most of the departments in HR across different organizations today are seen to be playing only an operational role. This resulted in highly inefficient processes which are further worsened by inadequate technology infrastructure. On the other hand, technology is experiencing rapid changes. The new age technology such as the Internet of Things is enabling the digital world to be connected to physical things. This resulted in the generation of a huge amount of real-time organizational data which is guided by massively scalable storage capacities simultaneously using cloud technology.

Not only technological innovations, but the industry is also witnessing vast changes in employee generations joining the organizations.

Smart human resources 4.0 is powered by the new generation employees and new technologies. The employees have the potential to transform all the HR processes taking into account the aspects of talent onboarding, talent development and talent off boarding.

 

Just like any other concept, the incorporation of Smart HR 4.0 practices is not without its fair share of challenges. Smart Human Resources execution challenges can be explained as follows:

  • Firstly, in selecting the correct set of new technological tools.
  • Dealing with the present organizational culture.
  • Handling employees’ expectations.

 

Another important point to consider here is the changing nature of HR practices due to the influence of Industry 4.0 processes. If we take the example of the industrial production sector, we will observe that significant changes have taken place in the industrial production processes during phases of industrial revolutions. Firstly, we saw the advent of steam power generation; then came the use of electricity and now is the time for automatization. However, we need to keep in mind that the technological waves did not decrease the overall employment rate at all, in spite of the widespread preference for automatization. Instead, it has experienced a gradual growth during this time. Although there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of manufacturing jobs, new jobs came into existence to suit the new skills demanded by the new processes attached to the Industry 4.0 practices. It is expected that HR practices in the manufacturing and industrial production ( along with all supported business) will see major changes with the advent of upcoming digital disruption. The production business will become increasingly capital intensive and the labor cost advantages attached earlier to the traditional pockets of low-cost areas will be reduced significantly. This is going to impact the HR consulting in this industry a big way.

Industry 4.0 has been able to bring in important changes into the industries, more particularly into the way jobs are executed by the industrial workers. As a result, scopes of certain jobs have got completely changed, while some kinds of jobs have totally disappeared. Some companies have also developed plans to replace some of the human workers totally with robots to assist the workforce. There will be a significant decrease in the number of routine or physically demanding jobs as well.

While there will be an increase in jobs that require problem-solving, flexible responses and customization-investments and constant change are the main challenge faced by industry HR 4.0 as there is a need to build a complex value network that produces and distribute quality HR products.

 

 

  1. Conclusion

An organization, on the other hand, requires a successful Smart Human Resources 4.0 strategy so that it can cope up with the Industry 4.0 transformation challenges. Big Data and AI are such emerging technologies that will automate most of the HR processes in an efficient and leaner HR team. The next generation talent will be attracted towards the organization through smart mobile apps along with AR/VR. This will also facilitate smart remote interactions between teams. The changes in both the organizational structure and leadership style would be required for efficient Smart Human Resources 4.0 implementation. This will also allow the HR departments to play a more planned role in the growth of the organization.

 

 

 

HR Consulting in Industry 4.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Future Trends in Supply Chain and Logistics

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Top 10 Future Trends in Supply Chain and Logistics

From the first wheel in the Neolithic age to the modern automated driver less automobiles, the logistics segment is ever evolving. Wheel was definitely one of the greatest invention made by men after the invention of fire.  The invention of the wheel evolved transportation and has given rise to the modern day logistics industries and to the ever growing dimension of the supply chain management. Advanced technologies, globalisationand digitalisation of processes has resulted in immense metamorphosis of the supply chain cycle. Today, we shall discuss 10 future trends that will definitely make an impact on the supply chain segment in the coming years.

  1. Customer segmentation:Logistics industries have shifted from the traditional approach of segmenting customers on the basis of age, gender and occupations. The trends predict that customers must be now segmented on the basis of their purchasing and delivery needs and requirements.
  2. Risk Management: Reduction and mitigation of risks will remain a top priority for Supply chain managers. Legal requirements, risk screening and elevated diligence by interested parties have created immense pressure on the supply chain industry to prioritize risk management.
  3. Digitalization: The application of digital gadgets to redesign the supply chain management operations will remain a popular trend in the logistics industry. Reliability on automated digital applications minimises human intervention and error.
  4. Robotics: Widespread adaptation of advanced technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics will increase across the supply chain cycle. Robotic process automation or Artificial Intelligence allows the logistics companies to cut down on costs, eliminate errors and relieve the workforce from strenuous and repetitive physical tasks.
  5. Reverse Logistics: The supply chain industry has shifted from a linear supply chain to a circular supply chain. Used products are now sent back to the supplier for re-use via reverse logistics. This has brought about higher sustainability and increased customer loyalty in the supply chain industry.
  6. Real time inventory management: Sensors and POS machines can capture inventory at real time. This streamlines the supply chain process and reduces inventory hold time. When everything is tracked through internet sensors, it also minimises loss of products.
  7. Visibility and transparency: Futuristic supply chain leaders can incorporate better visibility into their supply chain process and create transparency to enhance the customer delivery experience. Transparency provides strategic foresight to the business and allows innovation with the suppliers.
  8. Real time tracking: Real time tracking of the cargo and transportation enables the manufacturing plant, warehouse and supplier to work in collaboration and plan their business needs accordingly.
  9. Block chain technology: With the ever expanding global economy, there is bound to be a resource scarcity at many levels. Logistics companies will utilisedecentralised block chain technology as an advanced alternative to substitute for the same. Block chain technology can be used to store records, manage expense statements and verifycustomers at the receiving end by storing their IDs through block chain technology.
  10. Data driven approach: Demand anticipation is now done on the basis of data analysis and not just market prediction. Predictive analysis backed up with data captured from the current buying trends in the market will provide deeper insights into the market demand and supply ratio.

The supply chain industry is highly competitive and fast paced. The wheel has to keep moving forward. Business leaders must plan in advance and apply these trends to keep ahead in the global market.

Top 10 Future Trends in Supply Chain and Logistics

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting

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Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting

 

The trend of lean specialized personnel consulting is growing rapidly in today’s commercial world. Typically, in lean specialized personnel consulting, the task or specializations accomplished the consultants need to execute various responsibilities associated with the lean management of commercial setups.

In the lean specialized personnel consulting, the consultants ensure that the client cut down on the wasters and makes sure that the existing process can be made more efficient. While doing it, the organizations also look at increasing its profit margins along with the expansions of business horizons.

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting: An Efficient Team Work

The lean specialized personnel consulting is basically teamwork, where each team members is assigned with certain specific duties. The overall and prime objective of lean specialized consulting is to achieve various specific goals of projects.

While offering lean specialized personnel consulting, the consultants or the consulting agencies are guided by a specific set of effective and time-bound guidelines.

Hence, in the process of lean specialized personnel consulting, the consultants and the consulting agencies should be shortlisted based on the fulfilment of the below three prime requirements.

  • The consultants must have requisite training and certification for the role
  • Requisite experience and successful track record
  • Have an efficient and qualified team

Prime Responsibilities of Lean Consultants

One of the prime responsibilities of lean personnel consulting is extending personal specializations. Further, lean consultants are also responsible for identifying the various best practices in the industry and implement them efficiently in a time-bound manner. The lean consultants are also responsible for access to the requirements of clients correctly and take the required necessary steps to address the issues and the challenges involved.

The primary goal of the lean management consultants is to eliminate the no value activities from the system and assist businesses towards the implementation of methodologies which can largely streamline the presently followed processes that do not result oriented and profitable.

In short, the basic role of the lean consultants is to reduce the wastage of time, effort and money which will, in turn, ensure that the activities undertaken are time as well as cost-efficient. Further, lean consultants also need to ensure that the outcomes meet the required industry standards and qualities.

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting: Experience and Expertise

For the organizations, figuring out the needed expertise and experience among the available lean consultants is a key challenge. The professionals offering specialized lean consulting services need to have the requisites experience and skills to drive the task entrusted. In such a scenario, the skill set of the lean consultants needs to be highly specialized for streamlining of the process towards driving improvements. Generic experience and skill set will not be enough for such a task.

Key is Providing Effective Guidance

Learn specialized personnel consulting always involves offering effective guidance. Such guidance is always based on the technical knowledge and expertise of the consultant. Such directions must be able to break down the complex tasks to simpler ones.

Thus, the accomplishment of the task involves a clear road map of pre-work and event planning; although the task accomplishment does not end here. The lean consultants further need to offer support and drive continuous improvement activities for the enterprise and their activities. All such activities must lead to the desired goal of cost economy in projected lesser efforts.

It is to be noted that there is a fundamental difference between coaches who imparts training on lean management and lean consultants. The roles of coaches are only to impart training whereas the lean consultants are like a friend, philosopher and guide to the enterprises and the executives; they lead them on a right path towards greater success and profitability.

List of Expectations for the Lean Specialized Personnel Consultants (Example: For the Industries Like Manufacturing)

If one is looking out for hiring lean specialized personnel consultants for a manufacturing enterprise; they should look out for the below points prior to making the hiring decision.

  • Do not always focus on the price point. Review the skill sets and experiences carefully
  • Prefer consultant who loves to discuss wrenches and drills instead of only pie and bar charts
  • Always try to treat consultants like a god. Ensure to follow their recommendations rigorously without challenging them. It is to be noted that defensiveness is self-defeating. If you are finding it difficult to trust your consultant, it is always good to opt for a right replacement
  • Remember that consults should not execute anything. To ensure that the new set of skills to take root in the enterprise, the in-house workforce must execute the responsibilities in the close supervision of the consultants. The goal of the organization should be the permanent implementation of lean skills within its system
  • Ensure to pull out everything from the consultants in terms of recommendations and ideas

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting: Rising Demand in Finance Domain

The role of financial executives continues to expand. There has been an increasing trend that is echoed on how enterprises work with lean consultants. Today, enterprises are increasingly looking at specialized assistance from the lean consultants from ERP upgrades to navigating period of accelerated growth. Further, firms are also seeking experienced project professionals for various broad ranges of activities.

Learn specialized personnel consulting becoming an area of growing emphasis is business systems. According to a recent study conducted by Robert Half Management had reported that more than 61 per cent of chief financial officers work with lean consultants. These consultants are primarily engaged with performance improvement initiatives of the enterprises.

The study has further excerpts that more than 55 per cent of chief financial officers expect these consultants to work for finance and accounting projects. In addition, more than 25 per cent of them wants to engage them in finance, governance, risk and compliance works. The study has also reported that the demand for consultant assistance for finance optimization project has been experiencing steady growth.

Today, organizations rely on lean financial consultants to lead key projects and senior level roles on an interim basis. Increasingly, consulting is becoming an attractive career option among experienced professionals, who loves to enjoy greater time flexibility and increased exposure to diverse challenges.

How an organization find or understand that they need specialized expertise from lean financial consultants. Answers to the below five questions will help in finding out the same.

Is there any high-level initiative that is of a finite duration or a onetime need for the organization?

Across small as well as large-scale initiatives organizations can collaborate with skilled and experienced professionals who have the requisite expertise to focus on the specific challenge in hand. For example, organizations can hire consultants both on an individual or team level to streamline various requirements such as business process improvement, financial systems upgrade and activities such as merger and acquisitions.

Is there an upcoming initiative in the organization, for which the required set of skills not available in-house?

For certain initiatives, the in-house staff may not possess the requisite skills and full-time hire may not also is the requirement for a shorter duration. In such a scenario, organizations always look out for short time consultant who has the requisite knowledge and skill set to fulfil the need. Further, organizations can direct such consultants to nurture the requisite skills and industry best practices among the in-house staffs and across various levels of the organization.

Is there any senior-level position vacant in the organization or there is a requirement of changing skill set?

There may be a time when senior level financial roles can be vacant in an organization which need to be staffed by a financially skilled professional. In some cases, the employer or an organization may not be ready to hire a fulltime replacement immediately.

In such a context, some organizations may have immediate short-time demands during various business stages, such as during their high growth cycles or during the stages of pre-IPO.

In such scenarios, organizations may need assistance from experienced executives to hold the post, until a full-time executive is confirmed or finalized. Financial consultants with specialized skills as required by a specific organization can fill such positions for an interim basis meanwhile the organization determine its long-term goals.

Are there any additional projects within the organization which need special attention and the internal staffs do not have requisite skills and capacity to handle it?

In certain cases, the workload of an organization can spike exponentially where the limited internal workforce is not sufficient to handle that. In such a scenario, the specialized lean consultants can step in immediately to address the rising business demand of the organization. This will allow the needed space for the full-time workforce to focus on the core competencies of the organization.

Are There Any Cyclical Demands Which Requires Any Additional Consulting Support?

Most of the financial and accounting activities are cyclical and they come with monthly, quarterly and annual deadlines. In such scenarios, external financial consultants can be hired to handle the additional cyclical pressure and responsibilities. Across such cases, the organizations usually look at various seasonal supports externally.

Hiring A Lean Specialized Personnel Consultant: What are the Pros & Cons?

It has been observed that organizations follow two types of growth models. A set of organizations highly relies on its internal workforce drive business performance to chase growth. On the other hand, a certain set of organizations plays lean and hires specialized consultants towards maximizing their business performance.

These specialized consultants are primarily the third-party entities who collaborate with the organizations when needed. As part of their collaboration, these entities understand the business operational flow of an organization, offer growth strategies and take it forward from what already achieved.

Instead of assigning a set of employees with the task of streamlining existing operations, the lean consultants work towards offering specialized assistance to optimize various business processes of the organization.

If an organization’s area of operation is manufacturing, hiring a consultant could be the move that the organization is looking at transforming its business and operation processes to achieve greater efficiency.

What do Consultants do?

Offer Growth Strategies: Growth is the prime goal for every organization or businesses regardless of the industry it’s operating into. For the various industries such as manufacturing, following sustained growth is highly difficult. Sustained business growth in the manufacturing industry highly depends on several factors such as in certain cases the innovations can be slow as well as risky.

In such scenarios, the hiring of growth consultants rightly pays off. In the cases, where an organization is aware of the limitations and has goals, but do not aware of the process of implementing a winning strategy to promote the growth, a consult can be handy with sound solutions.

In such organizations, the lean consultants can use multiple tactics to assist the manufacturers to innovate the new products faster while limiting the risk, effort involved and production costs.

 

 

Nurture the Workforce: As the experienced and older employees continue to retire, the younger workforce can become confused as they may not have an understanding of what the industry has to offer. Due to which attrition can become a challenge for the organizations. In such a context, the lean consultants become the key towards bringing organizational transformation by imparting customized training to the workforce on the new technologies and industry best practices.

To attract the younger generations in the traditional industries such as manufacturing, lean consultants streamline their efforts to recruit millennials by showcasing their industry. For example, some enterprises organize open events at their facilities and invite students and younger generations. Such efforts help in showcasing internal processes of a manufacturing-based organization and potential career opportunities for the future.

Implementation of Lean Operations: In manufacturing, the concept of continuous improvement is at its core. At a small or a mid-sized level, continuous streamlining of the operational process is usually simpler and easier. But, when an organization grows exponentially with offerings of multiple products and multiple production processes, it becomes difficult for an organization to streamline its various efforts.

In such contexts, the lean consultants can become very helpful in streamlining multiple operation processes towards continuous performance improvements. Specialized consultants work towards the implementation of lean operation by eliminating the waste across several areas starting from front office to distribution.

Optimization of Supply Chain: Constant optimization of the supply chain is the winning strategy for sustained business growth of the manufacturing-based enterprises. An experienced and highly skilled supply chain consultant strategically helps toward the improvement of product distribution at a better and lower price point.

Advantages of Consulting

Offers Assistance from a Specialist: An external consultant most likely to have experience from the exact field that you are into and also have past experience that may too mirror your current situation. Collaboration with such a consultant offer you peace of mind by knowing that the business is in the right hand who has been in a similar situation before.

Get an External View on Your Operations: Sometimes, there is a need for a neutral external perspective to understand the scope of improvements. In certain cases, it helps in operational improvements, instead of a known internal approach. With an outsider view, the current business challenges can get cleared up towards the achievement of desired goals and the improvement of overall efficiency.

The hiring of Consultants is Affordable than Hiring a New Employee: It is to be noted that hiring an employee usually cost more than hiring a specialized consultant. The hiring of a new comes along with the added cost such as the requirement of workspace, technology, benefits and more. On the other hand, consultants are hired specifically hired for a specific time-bound project. Thus, consultants come much cheaper than hiring a full-time employee. However, it’s too depends on the scale and magnitude of the project.

Disadvantages of Consulting

One has to note that hiring and steering an external consultant towards right direction does not come without any challenges. One should ensure that the role of consultants needs to be well defined and their prime role needs to revolve around the elimination of inferior practices which is slowing down the organizational growth but not to insult the organizational intelligence.

The working relationship between organization and consultant should be collaborative, friendly and professional. Else, in some scenario, a piece of advice may look like criticism.

The business collaboration should always remind the common goals, i.e. improvement of operational efficiency of the organization.

Final Thoughts

While the lean specialized personnel consultants are usually hired to focus on one project; but based on the success ratio in such assignments, organizations may like to extend their services for longer periods towards getting assistance in various other specialized areas. Such collaborations are always mutually beneficial.

Organizations should always evaluate the advantages and disadvantages linked with hiring a potential consultant such as specialization, skill and experiences before making a hiring decision.

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting

Internet der Dinge für Gen X, Y & Z

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Internet der Dinge für Gen X, Y & Z

  Internet der Dinge für Gen X, Y & Z Kompasse, Karten und Teleskope – Es gab mal eine Zeit, in der die Reise auf dem Land oder zur See, v... #headhunter #hiring #HR #industrie40 #industry40 #internetderdinge #internetofthings #interview #iot #RecruitingKompasse, Karten und Teleskope – Es gab mal eine Zeit, in der die Reise auf dem Land oder zur See, von einem Punkt der Welt zum anderen, als Wunder angesehen wurde. Es gab Forscher die in die Geschichte eingingen, indem Sie von einem Kontinent zum anderen reisten. Diese Reise konnte bis zu ihrem Ziel Monate, manchmal sogar Jahre dauern und wenn sie dann, meist nur durch Glück, wieder Zuhause ankamen, wurden sie wie Helden gefeiert. Damals war es wirklich schwierig und dank vergangener Generationen sind wir jetzt in der höchsten Position um diese Routen auf Arten zu genießen, die für die Ersteller dieser Karten damals undenkbar gewesen wären.  Wovon reden wir jetzt also?

Von der allerersten Reise, bis zu einem Punkt, an dem Reisen auf See oder in der Luft in der Freizeit zum Spaß gemacht werden, sind hunderte Jahre vergangen. Wir leben in einer Generation, in der die Anzahl von Menschen die um die Welt reisen so hoch ist, das man sie nicht mehr Zählen kann. Veränderung ist überall. Normale Briefe sind jetzt Emails.  Aus Basaren wurden Online Marktplätze. Wir leben in einer Zeit, in der wir Produkte über den Land- oder Luftweg für persönliche oder geschäftliche Zwecke an verschiedene Orte der Welt schicken. Produkte werden an einem Ort der Welt hergestellt, dann verschifft und überall auf der Welt verkauft. Die Globalisierung hat die Welt im Sturm erobert und mit nur einem Fingerdruck auf das Handy geschieht Handel jetzt Zuhause, im Ausland und auch sonst überall. Wir haben das alles so lange besprochen, damit jeder genau versteht und sich vorstellen kann, wo wir waren und wo wir jetzt sind, sowie die Natur des Wachstums im Bereich der Logistik und des Supply Chain Management, wo es nur um geschäftliche Arbeitsabläufe  für den Transport der Dinge von A nach B geht. Jedoch ist die Art wie dieser Prozess auflebt fast schon ein Wunder. Er hat ganz klar die Gedanken und Vorstellungen aller Visionäre der Vergangenheit übertroffen. Er wächst schneller als je zuvor.

Zeit das Handwerk zu erlernen

Für Menschen über 50 Jahre sind das Internet und soziale Netzwerke immer noch etwas neues. Für sie ist das ungewöhnlich und sie finden immer noch Gründe um über das Konzept zu schmunzeln. Jedoch ist die kommende Generation anders und einfache Internettätigkeiten werden schon bald veraltet sein. Im Bereich der Logistik und des Supply Chain Managements nimmt der Stil der Arbeitsabläufe eine steigende Kurve und bald schon müssen Gen X und Z mit bahnbrechenden Ideen und fortschrittlichen Techniken aufwarten, um den Chain effektiv zu bedienen. Sieht man sich mal das Internet der Dinge und seine positive Laufbahn an, dann erkennt man die Notwendigkeit sich anzupassen und gut vorbereitet zu sein.

Internet der Dinge

Alles mit einem An/Aus Schalter ist Teil eines miteinander verbundenen Netzwerks. Im Grunde gesehen ist IoT eine Sammlung miteinander verbundener physikalischer Geräte, die Daten überwachen, untereinander austauschen und darüber Berichten können. Das hört sich jetzt so einfach an, ist es auch.  Jedoch sind die Mechanismen, die das ganze zum laufen bringen, es nicht. Diese gut miteinander verbundene Einheit hat ihren ganz eigenen Stil und man muss das entsprechende Fachwissen besitzen, um mit den Systemen in einem Arbeitsumfeld, das vollkommen von IoT abhängig ist, zu arbeiten. Wenn wir an das Internet der Dinge denken, dann geht es hier nicht nur um einen Arbeitsraum, der voller Maschinen und KI ist. Das IoT beinhaltet auch Menschen, die Geräte nutzen um es zu Bedienen, damit der Kommunikationskreislauf zwischen Mensch und Maschine vervollständigt wird.

IoT Geräte nutzen für gewöhnlich Sensoren um etwas zu messen. Sie besitzen ein System, um wichtige Parameter zu kontrollieren. Die Geräte messen Aspekte wie Standort, Temperatur, Luftfeuchtigkeit, Lichtstärke, Bewegung, Handhabung, Geschwindigkeit, Effizienzfaktoren, Fehler-Wahrscheinlichkeiten und auch andere Umgebungsfaktoren. Die Liste beinhaltet alles und es ist wahr!

Ein Teil der Veränderung die sich überall ausbreitet

Industrie 4.0 ist in vollem Gange und es gibt keinen Grund, über die Entwicklungen, die überall aus dem Boden schießen, schockiert zu sein. Der momentane Trend von Automatisierung und Datenaustausch bei Produktionstechnologien wird als Industrie 4.0 bezeichnet und es beinhaltet Cyber-physikalische Systeme, Cloud und kognitives Computing, sowie das Internet der Dinge. Die Revolution will eine intelligente Fabrik fördern, bei der die Wahrscheinlichkeit für Fehler geringer und die Arbeitseffizienz höher ist. Es gibt modulare Fabriken, die dezentralisierte Entscheidungen treffen können. Dies kann zu einer richtigen Bedrohung für die arbeitenden Menschen auf dieser Welt werden, jedoch ist es schwer die Revolution zu stoppen, wenn sie bereits in vollem Gange ist. Wie ein populäres Sprichwort in der Malayalam Sprache in Indien besagt, “Naadodumbo naduve odanam”, was soviel bedeutet wie „wenn das Land fortschritte macht und stetig wächst, dann müssen wir aufholen und mitlaufen oder wir verlieren die Zukunft aus den Augen“. Die Fortschritte in Industrien wie Logistik und Supply Chain Management bedeuten nicht, das viele Menschen bald ihren Job verlieren. Es bedeutet nur, das Gen X, Y und Z flexibel und bereit zu lernen, sich anzupassen und sich weiterentwickeln müssen, denn auf dem Pfad der Innovation haben Gebräuche keine Chance. Die vierte industrielle Revolution geschieht bereits und Länder wie Deutschland, Kanada, Japan, Australien und die Schweiz sind schon im Rennen. Von einer Zeit, in der jemand zum ersten mal das Meer überquerte, zu einer Zeit in der eine Armbanduhr über das Meer oder durch die Luft den Kunden erreicht – all das nur über ein Handy – Also sollten Sie sich die Geschwindigkeit vorstellen können, mit der Veränderungen in der Welt geschehen.

IoT im Supply Chain

IoT ist ein Teil der industriellen Revolution, der die Welt im Sturm erobert. Es ist ein effektiver Weg, die Logistik und den Supply Chain mit der neusten Technik zu verfolgen und zu authentifizieren. Konnektivität durch IoT bringt Daten, die zu nützlichen Informationen umgewandelt werden können. Durch gute Informationen läuft ein Supply Chain besser. Wenn der Supply Chain gut überwacht wird, dann steigt sicherlich auch die Effizienz. Wenn man sich die Möglichkeiten der Veränderungen ansieht, dann erreicht es ein hohes Maß an Optimierung, wobei die gesammelten digitalen Daten dem System helfen, schneller zu arbeiten. Wenn diese Informationen verarbeitet sind, wird der Datentransfer digital beschleunigt und die Entscheidungszeit wird dadurch erheblich verkürzt. Zusammenfassend wird es Arbeitsabläufe wie nie zuvor verbessern. Es gibt auch Methoden, über die man die Verhältnisse der Produktlagerung überwachen kann.

Die Überwachung eines Supply Chain, verfolgen von Fahrzeugen, Bestandsführung, sicherer Transport und Automatisierung – diese Schlüsselkomponenten von miteinander verbundener Logistik durch IoT, werden die Standards der Industrie voran trieben.

Was ändert sich hier?

Es ist automatisch: Es geht nur um den nächsten Level der Arbeitsabläufe. Die Anlagentechnik kann je nach Bedarf automatisch gestartet und gestoppt werden. Es gibt noch mehr. Die Flottenaktivität kann effizient überwacht werden und Faktoren wie Treibstoff, Reisezeit für das betroffene Personal und Energie können gespart werden.

Minimale Ausfälle: Bei kritischen Maschinen kann der Status und Trend des Betriebs, sowie Effizienz einfach überwacht werden. Dadurch können Probleme bei möglichen Ausfällen ganz einfach erkannt werden. Wenn wir etwas in kurzer Zeit reparieren können, dann reduzieren sich die Chancen auf Ausfälle ebenfalls. Wird ein maschineller Ausfall festgestellt, dann kann die vorbeugende Wartung mit geringen Auswirkungen auf Produktion und Logistik ausgeführt werden.

Bestandsverfolgung: Barcodes und Sendungsnummern waren durch den gesamten Supply Chain die Standardmethoden. Durch das IoT werden diese Methoden jedoch überholt. Wenn es methodischere und sicherere Systeme gibt, wieso sollten wir dann noch die alten nutzen? Es gibt Sensoren die in diesen Bereichen definitiv eine Veränderung bewirken können. Radiofrequenz-Identifikation und GPS Sensoren können Produkte von einem Markt zum nächsten verfolgen. Durch dieses System können sogar die spezifischsten Details wahrgenommen werden. Temperatur, die Zeit die das Produkt  als Frachtgut verbringt und wie lange es dauert, bis es abgeladen wird; all das sind Informationen, die blitzschnell beschafft werden können. Es ist als ob Rohmaterialien und fertige Produkte sprechen könnten. Durch das verbundene Netzwerk, kann man den Bestand ganz einfach wie ein offenes Buch lesen.

Händlerbeziehungen: Die Anzahl der Produkte die auf Lager sind ist eine wichtige Information für jedes Unternehmen, um den nächsten Kauf zu planen. Die Bestandsverfolgung ist hier wichtig, da sie Unternehmen erlaubt ihre Produktionsplanung zu optimieren. Dadurch entsteht wiederum ein gesundes Verhältnis mit den Händlern. Technologie spielt eine wesentliche Rolle beim Wert der Produkte und Services eines Unternehmens, jedoch sind die Zulieferer hier die Hauptakteure. In der Hierarchie der Renditen ist das eine der wichtigsten Level, das sich aus dem Geschäft ableiten lässt. Besitzt man hochwertige Waren, dann kann man auch bessere Beziehungen zu seinen Kunden pflegen. Die Überwachung dieser Waren kann effektiv mit dem IoT durchgeführt werden.

Vorausschauende Analyse: Wenn große Mengen an Supply Chain Daten gesammelt werden, dann sind die Chancen für Verbesserung höher.  Es ist lange her, seit eine einfache Excel Tabelle genutzt wurde, um als Strichliste für den Bestand und verschickte oder erhaltene Produkte zu dienen. Durch ein dezentralisiertes System das dabei hilft, effizient die Waren und Services des Unternehmens zu überwachen, sind die Chancen für Fehler geringer. Supply Chain Manager haben die Verpflichtung, hier schnelle und harte Entscheidungen zu treffen. Somit steigen die Chancen für menschliche Fehler. Mit dem IoT wird das alles viel einfacher. Die Manager können die Informationen nutzen und schnell zu einem Ergebnis kommen. Dadurch gibt es weniger Risiken und das Zeit-zu-Produktivität Verhältnis der Mitarbeiter und des gesamten Unternehmens wird verbessert.

Zeitmanagement: Selbstfahrende Fahrzeuge und Drohnen-Lieferungen sind bereits ein Teil der Familie. Das ist wirklich aufregend und vor allem spart es Zeit. Die vorausschauende Analyse von Daten, Bestandsverfolgung und Automatisierung in der Funktionsweise der Maschinen spart dem Unternehmen sehr viel kostbare Zeit. Vom Fahrzeugmanagement bis zur Lagerung der Produkte; das IoT spielt hier eine wichtige Rolle.

Wachsende Chancen im Supply Chain

Wir erleben eine enorme  Ausweitung des Handels. Der Logistik und Supply Chain Markt durchlebt eine Revolution. Das sind gute Neuigkeiten für diejenigen, die eine Karriere  in dieser Industrie beginnen möchten. Laut Fachexperten wird es in den kommenden Jahren noch Millionen von freien Arbeitsstellen geben. Deloitte sagt voraus, das bis 2020 über 70% aller Unternehmen weltweit vorausschauende Analyse und tragbare Technologie in ihren Supply Chains nutzen werden. Jedoch gibt es eine weitere Voraussage, die größtmögliche Bereitschaft für diejenigen, die bereit sind, in diesem Bereich Karriere zu machen, erfordert. Handelsanalysten haben die Voraussage gemacht, das  bis 2020 die Anzahl an verbundenen Geräten von 20 Milliarden auf erschütternde 40 Milliarden ansteigen wird. Business Insider  prognostiziert, das die weltweiten Ausgaben für diesen Bereich sich auf 6 Billionen US Dollar belaufen können. Diese Verschiebung wird große Auswirkungen auf die Rollen und Fähigkeiten, die von den Kandidaten in der Zukunft erwartet werden, haben. Dies bedeutet, das dass Unternehmen nach Kandidaten suchen wird, die neue und kommende Technologien vollständig verstehen. Sie müssen die Fähigkeit besitzen, diese technischen Fortschritte zu assimilieren und versuchen, den Wert des Supply Chain zu steigern.

Headhunter

Jedoch ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit für große Talent-Lücken auf dem Markt auch sehr groß. Das Einstellen von Kandidaten kann sich als schwierige Aufgabe erweisen. Telematik, Lagerverwaltungssoftware, Personalmanagementsoftware und das wissen über andere IoT Geräte und Anwendungen – es ist wirklich nicht einfach. Die Anforderungen haben sich verändert und das gebot der Stunde ist anders. Jemand der schon jahrzehntelange Erfahrung in der Industrie hat muss flexibel genug sein, um sich an diese wechselnden Umgebungen anzupassen oder er wird es schwer haben. Entweder überlebt man nur oder blüht auf. Ebenso müssen wir verstehen, das der Aufwand der Überwachung eines Produkts von einem anderen Kontinent, das innerhalb von zwei Wochen auf unserer Türschwelle erscheint, hinter den Kulissen enorm sein muss!

Von Cyber Security zum Wissen über die Handhabung von automatisierten Geräten; die Teammitglieder sollten über alles im Unternehmen gut Bescheid wissen. Ein Kandidat, der eine Karriere im Bereich Supply Chain und Logistik anstrebt, sollte alle New-Gen Techniken und Fähigkeiten besitzen und nicht nur das übliche Wissen aus Lehrbüchern. In IoT gibt es Identifikationssensoren, Umgebungssensoren, Erkennungssensoren und Temperatursensoren. Was auch immer man will, alles ist da.

Da es automatisierte Maschinen und fortschrittliche Überwachungssysteme gibt, sind die Chancen für Fehler geringer. Vom Standpunkt eines Mitarbeiters ist es auch einfach, da durch das IoT die Wahrscheinlichkeit für Fehler geringer ist. Wenn die Daten und Technologie jedoch nicht sinnvoll gehandhabt werden, dann entstehen nur noch mehr Probleme. An diesem Punkt kommen die Headhunter ins Spiel.

Wieso Headhunter?

Nichts ist mehr altmodisch. Die Qualität der meisten Arbeitsabläufe weltweit steigt stetig. Wir befassen uns beim Bauen, in der Forschung und der Entwicklung nicht mehr mit der üblichen Technik. In einer Welt die sich jeden Tag rapide verändert, ist alles neu. Um bei solchen Fortschritten auf dem neusten Stand zu bleiben, können Headhunter wirklich hilfreich sein. Sie können sicherstellen, das die Kandidaten genügend Training erhalten. Dadurch bleiben Sie auf dem Markt konkurrenzfähig.

Ein Arbeitgeber hat keine Zeit für Versuche und Irrtümer. Es muss Präzision geben. Ein Unternehmen will das seine Mitarbeiter über alles, das im Unternehmen vor sich geht, Bescheid wissen. Die Arbeit wird aufgeteilt, wenn es aber jeden Tag innovative Entwicklungen gibt, dann haben die Kandidaten es oft schwer sich das neue Wissen schnellstmöglich anzueignen. Hat man Headhunter, dann ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit für Fehler geringer. Es gibt spezielle Arbeitsvermittlungen, die auf IoT und anderen, die mit großen Datenmengen hantieren, spezialisiert sind. Wenn ein Kandidat ausreichend ausgebildet wird, dann hat das Vorteile für Mitarbeiter und Arbeitgeber.

Diese Experten, die auf den end-to-end Supply Chain spezialisiert sind, machen einen großen Unterschied bei der Effizienz des Unternehmens. Vom leitenden Supply Chain Angestellten zu Logistik Managern; sie trainieren und helfen dabei, die besten einzustellen.

Wie findet man die richtige Talentfirma?

Eine Firma die dabei hilft, Kandidaten zu rekrutieren, sollte in ihrem Team einen gewissen Umfang an Erfahrung besitzen. Sie sollten eine tiefe und breite Supply Chain Anwerbungserfahrung haben, mit der Fähigkeit den Supply Chain eines Unternehmens zu verstehen, weil jedes Unternehmen ein anderes Muster dafür nutzt. Dadurch wird wiederum sichergestellt, das dass richtige Talent, basierend auf den Kriterien des Klienten, mit der richtigen Identifikation und dem gewünschten Engagement gewählt wird.

Es gibt verschiedene Arten von Unternehmen und jedes hat sein eigenes Arbeitsmodell. Es gibt viele Kandidaten die nach ihrem Abschluss auf Jobsuche gehen. Das Training für jeden dieser Kandidaten basiert auf der Dringlichkeit des Unternehmens sie einzustellen und ist dadurch jedes mal anders. Aus der Sicht eines Kandidaten muss er/sie am richtigen Ort  sein, vor allem es sich hierbei um einen Anfänger handelt. Selbst wenn die Kandidaten die benötigte Erfahrung besitzen, muss man sie erst in die richtige Umgebung bringen. Eine Talentfirma stellt sicher, das ein robuster Kandidat-Assessment Prozess durchgeführt wird, um Kandidaten zu liefern, die den Erwartungen des Kunden entsprechen oder diese übertreffen. Dadurch kann eine Person, die nach einem Job sucht an der richtigen Stelle landen!

Veränderung ist die einzige Konstante und Träume sind die Gestalter von allem, das sich um uns herum verändert. In einer stetig voranschreitenden Welt, können Herausforderungen groß sein, jedoch kann man sie mit Stil bewältigen, wenn man den richtigen Gemütszustand besitzt um zu lernen, sich anzupassen und auf jeder Etappe der Karriere zu verbessern. Mit IoT ändert sich hier die gesamte Arbeitsformel des Unternehmens und Gewerbebetriebs. Schnallen Sie sich an, denn eine Revolution kommt auf uns zu.

MAKE WAY FOR INDUSTRY 4.0

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MAKE WAY FOR INDUSTRY 4.0

In a fast-moving generation, where new technological advancements happen in the wink of an eye, there is only one constant – change. We have to learn the art of walking hand in hand with everything new and adapt to the ever-changing environments to draw a progressive trajectory in our careers and personal lives. Everything around is changing, and there is nothing that’s permanent. ‘Improvement & growth’ are the two key words that drive people towards innovative ideas and solutions and Industry 4.0 is a testimony to change on a gargantuan scale.

 

Miracle on the move

 

New discoveries are made daily, and it’s certain that there won’t be any dearth of it in the days to come as well. But things around us are rapidly changing. The IoT (Internet of things) is ever expanding and it has started to play a major role in the field of production. The manufacturing industry is taken over by machines and the awe-factor here is that these machines have an internal intelligence and advanced interfaces that allow them to communicate with other machines. Sounds interesting, isn’t it?

 

It’s surprising, but it will not be new anymore considering the pace at which the industries are moving forward. You won’t be wrong if you can call it the future!

 

Industry 4.0 is a title for the current trend of automation and data exchange that’s taking the world of technology by storm. Cyber-physical systems, cloud computing, the IoT, and cognitive computing – it’s a ‘smart factory’ where the cyber-physical systems have the ability to take decentralised decisions. Over the IoT, these cyber-physical systems effectively operate and communicate with each other, and with humans. It sounds like a miracle, and you don’t have to doubt – it is indeed one!

 

Pillars of strength

 

It is like watching those Hollywood movies where it’s all about saving the world and future. Among the design principles of Industry 4.0, is interconnectivity.  Here, unlike the working patterns of the generations that passed by, the machines, devices, sensors, and people have the ability to connect and communicate with each other. This is achieved through the IoT (Internet of Things), or IoP (Internet of People). This brings forth transparency in the way it’s operated. The operators are loaded with useful information, and this makes it easier for them to take further steps and decisions.

 

Here the focus is on the establishment of intelligent products and production values. The system of interconnected network helps factories to cope up with rapid product development in complex environments. Within a smart factory, the products can communicate with their environment and influence the arrangement patterns through RMS (Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems). There are configuration rules from which case-specific topologies can be derived. This enables the manufacturing companies to adapt quickly to various requirements in the market. The flexibility is increased, while the task of co-ordination becomes much easier.

 

The functionality of the whole system is increased manifold and this helps in identifying and improving the areas that need further innovation and improvement. Major decisions are made by humans of experience. This will soon be replaced with high-end solutions which will not be prone to error.  The decision-making process will be assisted by self-optimised and knowledgeable manufacturing systems. This means there will be stronger technical assistance to people operating the system. These systems are capable of assistance & support by aggregating and visualizing information comprehensively to make better decisions and solve urgent problems on short notice. Cyber-physical systems have the capacity to support humans by conducting a wide range of operations that are either risky or too unpleasant to handle.

When the real and virtual world joins hands as one, innovation will begin to help the economy scale better heights. The convergence of affordable technology and exponentially growing data has the power to transform the entire economy. IoT plays a vital role in this transformation.  This provides sustainable mobility and enhanced services in all sectors alike.

 

Expected developments and labour

 

The manufacturing pieces of equipment in the industrial revolution will be something out of the ordinary. Highly automated machines, tools, and robots will enter the scene and precision will be a guarantee. There will be flexibility and as the requirements change, and it is much easier to switch. Robots will be seen working together with workers on joint tasks. There will be a radical shift in the labour market as well. Skilled workers in demand for their experience will be eliminated and for them, it will call for serious change to adapt and move with the trend. This brings forth some new opportunities for the working class to change their routine and smartly adapt to the new requirements in demand. The requirement profile in the industry is expected to shift from a normal production employee to someone with high levels of profound competence. The probability of the number of workers decreasing is high. The rest of the manufacturing jobs will contain more knowledgeable work which will be short-term and hard-to-plan. The workers will be required to monitor the automated systems which will be integrated into decentralised decision-making platforms.

 

When it comes to the structure of the organisation and the way it operates, the manufacturing systems cannot be henceforth operated from a nodal point. Instead of that, decentralised instances will autonomously use local information for decision-making. The decision will be taken by workers or types of equipment using AI methods.

 

Talk about the value creation, we are about to witness a whole lot of 3D printing. The costs of additive manufacturing have dropped rapidly and this calls for an increase in speed and precision. Geometries that are far more complex and strong will be designed at ease. This enables the industry to visualise and execute the ideas in a better way. When there are provisions to manufacture the product in batch size according to the requirements of the customer, the mass customisation integrates the customer easily into the value chain.

MAKE WAY FOR INDUSTRY 4.0

Business models and value creation

 

Most of the business models will use smart data for rendering new services. The new developments will be used for floating sustainable models that are unlike the ones in the past. These sustainable business models can create positive or negative impacts on the environment or society. But on the other hand, they can also contribute to solving an environmental or social problem as well. These models will have the power to stay, which means you won’t see them going obsolete in the near future. They will be competitive on the long-run. This will be technique and here, the functionalities and accessibilities will be sold instead of just focussing on the tangible products.

 

In a nutshell, through such advanced value creation networks, we can witness ‘Industrial symbiosis’. The cross-linking of value creation networks offers new opportunities for realising closed-loop product cycles. The product, material, energy, and the flow of water throughout the product life-cycles will be efficiently coordinated. This coordination can be achieved between different factories as well. Closed-loop product life-cycles as such can work on recycling too.

 

Traditional versus 4.0

 

If you look at the current market, providing the best of services and product quality at the least price is the key to success. There is no denying that. Unless you look at the brand value of things, this is the formula that works for the common man. The industrial factories are trying to achieve just that – they are trying to increase their performance and profit. There are plenty of data sources available for the factories to avail information about the various aspects of profit making. The data has to be used to understand current operating conditions, and detecting faults and failures of the existing system. This is an important topic to research and there are plenty of commercial tools available to provide overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) values to the factory management. This will help in hogging the spotlight on the root causes of problems and possible faults in the system.  Moreover, the added advantage here is that the components and systems in Industry 4.0 will have self-awareness, which will effectively improve the efficiency of the factory.  Through peer-to-peer comparison and fusion of health comparison, a precise health prediction is attained and this enables the factory management to maintain the systems intact. This sort of stability was missing in the traditional factories.

 

Logistics and supply chain

 

Innovation in logistics is not entirely associated with modern IT solutions. But there are things that can change. There are some innovative solutions that can manifest through this industrial revolution.

 

There is room for continuous improvement. Whatever work happens around, it will be continuously verified and the team will have huge benefits out of it.  The latest advancements also help to keep vigil over all the activities and its quality. Team-work can be effectively coordinated like never before. The entire focus will be on implemented practices and shared values. Through Industry 4.0, there will be continuous activities running round the clock to constantly search and come up with better ideas to increase productivity.  There is no dearth of communication, plus work-satisfaction and elimination of old habits – there are changes aplenty when the entire system is improved.

 

There are some other factors as well that showcases the kind of change that’s about to hit the field of logistics. There will be a big change in the structure of regional networks, flexibility and risk management. When it comes to the lead time delivery services, customer satisfaction is guaranteed. The system is more reliable and updated. As the services are rendered according to the needs of the customers, the rapid approach and problem-solving techniques will increase reliability and trust-factor to the next level. The segmentation of the supply chain will be focussed on demand and specific needs of the customers. This will help in great reduction of the volume of stocks, and bring forth cost-effective remedies. Safety requirements and potential hazards in the supply chain can easily be spotted. Combine all these factors and you can guess how a factory or a set of factories will benefit from these changes.

 

The Internet of Things

 

The idea of the Internet of Things was formulated by British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton in 1999 to describe a system in which the material world communicates with the computer. Two decades later, it stands in front of us in the form of reality.   Today, there are areas where IoT solutions can potentially revolutionise the entire industrial standards.

 

The IoT focuses on Smart environment where the entire anthropogenic emissions will be monitored and cut down to produce eco-friendly solutions. Smart water management is an area where this can be achieved. The impacts of water resources on the environment, their regulation and protection against floods, waterways, and hydropower is a key area of study using IoT that can change the entire game plan. In a way that supports the economy, soon there will be smart and better ways of transport, production and energy resources. Smart cities are another such wonder where IoT can play an important role. Traffic congestion can be monitored and regulated, parking spaces, intelligent roads, weather-monitoring and much more – the IoT can work magic. Smart health will cover a wide range of physical activities and monitor them to tune us into perfect health conditions. Health-centric homes are becoming a reality.

 

The future

 

Industry 4.0 has the potential to make an impact on a lot of areas around the world. Talk about better services and business models, it will be served. When we deal with productivity, it’s about to become more reliable and competent. Machine safety, risk management, better communication, product lifecycles, transport and logistics, and more – everything will be improved using cutting-edge technology.

 

If you consider a machine, with time it will be affected by wear and tear. When networking becomes confusing cobwebs, there is a loss of time and productivity. Industry 4.0 will address all the issues and bring out the best in everything. The vast majority of businesses are determined with the implementation of product, technical, technological, and organisational innovation.  The focus is on creating value for the customer who is aware of everything happening around. Solutions such as the Internet of Things, Big Data and Industry 4.0 create more opportunities to meet such customer requirements. Logistics is better, and supply chain management is stronger than usual. Business is better, and work is much easier. Welcome to the revolution.

MAKE WAY FOR INDUSTRY 4.0

 

References

 

[1] Persaga

https://www.persaga.ch/stellenwandel-dank-industrie-4-0/

[2] Science direct, T. Stock, G Seliger. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705817313346

[3] Science direct, Krzysztof Witkowski; Internet of Things, Big Data, Industry 4.0 – Innovative Solutions in Logistics and Supply Chains Management

[3] BGH Consulting. https://www.bgh-consulting.de/de/lp/industrie4.0-personalberatung/

[4] Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_4.0

[5] Waset. http://waset.org/publications/9997144

[6] Springer. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-658-05014-6_2

 

 

Lean Specialized recruitment company

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Lean Specialized recruitment company

The trend of lean specialized personnel consulting is growing rapidly in today’s commercial world. Typically, in lean specialized personnel consulting, the task or specializations accomplished the consultants need to execute various responsibilities associated with the lean management of commercial setups.

In the lean specialized personnel consulting, the consultants ensure that the client cut down on the wasters and makes sure that the existing process can be made more efficient. While doing it, the organizations also look at increasing its profit margins along with the expansions of business horizons.

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting: An Efficient Team Work

The lean specialized personnel consulting is basically teamwork, where each team members is assigned with certain specific duties. The overall and prime objective of lean specialized consulting is to achieve various specific goals of projects.

While offering lean specialized personnel consulting, the consultants or the consulting agencies are guided by a specific set of effective and time-bound guidelines.

Hence, in the process of lean specialized personnel consulting, the consultants and the consulting agencies should be shortlisted based on the fulfilment of the below three prime requirements.

  • The consultants must have requisite training and certification for the role
  • Requisite experience and successful track record
  • Have an efficient and qualified team

Prime Responsibilities of Lean Consultants

One of the prime responsibilities of lean personnel consulting is extending personal specializations. Further, lean consultants are also responsible for identifying the various best practices in the industry and implement them efficiently in a time-bound manner. The lean consultants are also responsible for access to the requirements of clients correctly and take the required necessary steps to address the issues and the challenges involved.

The primary goal of the lean management consultants is to eliminate the no value activities from the system and assist businesses towards the implementation of methodologies which can largely streamline the presently followed processes that do not result oriented and profitable.

In short, the basic role of the lean consultants is to reduce the wastage of time, effort and money which will, in turn, ensure that the activities undertaken are time as well as cost-efficient. Further, lean consultants also need to ensure that the outcomes meet the required industry standards and qualities.

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting: Experience and Expertise

For the organizations, figuring out the needed expertise and experience among the available lean consultants is a key challenge. The professionals offering specialized lean consulting services need to have the requisites experience and skills to drive the task entrusted. In such a scenario, the skill set of the lean consultants needs to be highly specialized for streamlining of the process towards driving improvements. Generic experience and skill set will not be enough for such a task.

Key is Providing Effective Guidance

Learn specialized personnel consulting always involves offering effective guidance. Such guidance is always based on the technical knowledge and expertise of the consultant. Such directions must be able to break down the complex tasks to simpler ones.

Thus, the accomplishment of the task involves a clear road map of pre-work and event planning; although the task accomplishment does not end here. The lean consultants further need to offer support and drive continuous improvement activities for the enterprise and their activities. All such activities must lead to the desired goal of cost economy in projected lesser efforts.

It is to be noted that there is a fundamental difference between coaches who imparts training on lean management and lean consultants. The roles of coaches are only to impart training whereas the lean consultants are like a friend, philosopher and guide to the enterprises and the executives; they lead them on a right path towards greater success and profitability.

List of Expectations for the Lean Specialized Personnel Consultants (Example: For the Industries Like Manufacturing)

If one is looking out for hiring lean specialized personnel consultants for a manufacturing enterprise; they should look out for the below points prior to making the hiring decision.

  • Do not always focus on the price point. Review the skill sets and experiences carefully
  • Prefer consultant who loves to discuss wrenches and drills instead of only pie and bar charts
  • Always try to treat consultants like a god. Ensure to follow their recommendations rigorously without challenging them. It is to be noted that defensiveness is self-defeating. If you are finding it difficult to trust your consultant, it is always good to opt for a right replacement
  • Remember that consults should not execute anything. To ensure that the new set of skills to take root in the enterprise, the in-house workforce must execute the responsibilities in the close supervision of the consultants. The goal of the organization should be the permanent implementation of lean skills within its system
  • Ensure to pull out everything from the consultants in terms of recommendations and ideas

Lean Specialized Personnel Consulting: Rising Demand in Finance Domain

The role of financial executives continues to expand. There has been an increasing trend that is echoed on how enterprises work with lean consultants. Today, enterprises are increasingly looking at specialized assistance from the lean consultants from ERP upgrades to navigating period of accelerated growth. Further, firms are also seeking experienced project professionals for various broad ranges of activities.

Learn specialized personnel consulting becoming an area of growing emphasis is business systems. According to a recent study conducted by Robert Half Management had reported that more than 61 per cent of chief financial officers work with lean consultants. These consultants are primarily engaged with performance improvement initiatives of the enterprises.

The study has further excerpts that more than 55 per cent of chief financial officers expect these consultants to work for finance and accounting projects. In addition, more than 25 per cent of them wants to engage them in finance, governance, risk and compliance works. The study has also reported that the demand for consultant assistance for finance optimization project has been experiencing steady growth.

Today, organizations rely on lean financial consultants to lead key projects and senior level roles on an interim basis. Increasingly, consulting is becoming an attractive career option among experienced professionals, who loves to enjoy greater time flexibility and increased exposure to diverse challenges.

How an organization find or understand that they need specialized expertise from lean financial consultants. Answers to the below five questions will help in finding out the same.

Is there any high-level initiative that is of a finite duration or a onetime need for the organization?

Across small as well as large-scale initiatives organizations can collaborate with skilled and experienced professionals who have the requisite expertise to focus on the specific challenge in hand. For example, organizations can hire consultants both on an individual or team level to streamline various requirements such as business process improvement, financial systems upgrade and activities such as merger and acquisitions.

Is there an upcoming initiative in the organization, for which the required set of skills not available in-house?

For certain initiatives, the in-house staff may not possess the requisite skills and full-time hire may not also is the requirement for a shorter duration. In such a scenario, organizations always look out for short time consultant who has the requisite knowledge and skill set to fulfil the need. Further, organizations can direct such consultants to nurture the requisite skills and industry best practices among the in-house staffs and across various levels of the organization.

Is there any senior-level position vacant in the organization or there is a requirement of changing skill set?

There may be a time when senior level financial roles can be vacant in an organization which need to be staffed by a financially skilled professional. In some cases, the employer or an organization may not be ready to hire a fulltime replacement immediately.

In such a context, some organizations may have immediate short-time demands during various business stages, such as during their high growth cycles or during the stages of pre-IPO.

In such scenarios, organizations may need assistance from experienced executives to hold the post, until a full-time executive is confirmed or finalized. Financial consultants with specialized skills as required by a specific organization can fill such positions for an interim basis meanwhile the organization determine its long-term goals.

Are there any additional projects within the organization which need special attention and the internal staffs do not have requisite skills and capacity to handle it?

In certain cases, the workload of an organization can spike exponentially where the limited internal workforce is not sufficient to handle that. In such a scenario, the specialized lean consultants can step in immediately to address the rising business demand of the organization. This will allow the needed space for the full-time workforce to focus on the core competencies of the organization.

Are There Any Cyclical Demands Which Requires Any Additional Consulting Support?

Most of the financial and accounting activities are cyclical and they come with monthly, quarterly and annual deadlines. In such scenarios, external financial consultants can be hired to handle the additional cyclical pressure and responsibilities. Across such cases, the organizations usually look at various seasonal supports externally.

Hiring A Lean Specialized Personnel Consultant: What are the Pros & Cons?

It has been observed that organizations follow two types of growth models. A set of organizations highly relies on its internal workforce drive business performance to chase growth. On the other hand, a certain set of organizations plays lean and hires specialized consultants towards maximizing their business performance.

These specialized consultants are primarily the third-party entities who collaborate with the organizations when needed. As part of their collaboration, these entities understand the business operational flow of an organization, offer growth strategies and take it forward from what already achieved.

Instead of assigning a set of employees with the task of streamlining existing operations, the lean consultants work towards offering specialized assistance to optimize various business processes of the organization.

If an organization’s area of operation is manufacturing, hiring a consultant could be the move that the organization is looking at transforming its business and operation processes to achieve greater efficiency.

What do Consultants do?

Offer Growth Strategies: Growth is the prime goal for every organization or businesses regardless of the industry it’s operating into. For the various industries such as manufacturing, following sustained growth is highly difficult. Sustained business growth in the manufacturing industry highly depends on several factors such as in certain cases the innovations can be slow as well as risky.

In such scenarios, the hiring of growth consultants rightly pays off. In the cases, where an organization is aware of the limitations and has goals, but do not aware of the process of implementing a winning strategy to promote the growth, a consult can be handy with sound solutions.

In such organizations, the lean consultants can use multiple tactics to assist the manufacturers to innovate the new products faster while limiting the risk, effort involved and production costs.

 

 

Nurture the Workforce: As the experienced and older employees continue to retire, the younger workforce can become confused as they may not have an understanding of what the industry has to offer. Due to which attrition can become a challenge for the organizations. In such a context, the lean consultants become the key towards bringing organizational transformation by imparting customized training to the workforce on the new technologies and industry best practices.

To attract the younger generations in the traditional industries such as manufacturing, lean consultants streamline their efforts to recruit millennials by showcasing their industry. For example, some enterprises organize open events at their facilities and invite students and younger generations. Such efforts help in showcasing internal processes of a manufacturing-based organization and potential career opportunities for the future.

Implementation of Lean Operations: In manufacturing, the concept of continuous improvement is at its core. At a small or a mid-sized level, continuous streamlining of the operational process is usually simpler and easier. But, when an organization grows exponentially with offerings of multiple products and multiple production processes, it becomes difficult for an organization to streamline its various efforts.

In such contexts, the lean consultants can become very helpful in streamlining multiple operation processes towards continuous performance improvements. Specialized consultants work towards the implementation of lean operation by eliminating the waste across several areas starting from front office to distribution.

Optimization of Supply Chain: Constant optimization of the supply chain is the winning strategy for sustained business growth of the manufacturing-based enterprises. An experienced and highly skilled supply chain consultant strategically helps toward the improvement of product distribution at a better and lower price point.

Advantages of Consulting

Offers Assistance from a Specialist: An external consultant most likely to have experience from the exact field that you are into and also have past experience that may too mirror your current situation. Collaboration with such a consultant offer you peace of mind by knowing that the business is in the right hand who has been in a similar situation before.

Get an External View on Your Operations: Sometimes, there is a need for a neutral external perspective to understand the scope of improvements. In certain cases, it helps in operational improvements, instead of a known internal approach. With an outsider view, the current business challenges can get cleared up towards the achievement of desired goals and the improvement of overall efficiency.

The hiring of Consultants is Affordable than Hiring a New Employee: It is to be noted that hiring an employee usually cost more than hiring a specialized consultant. The hiring of a new comes along with the added cost such as the requirement of workspace, technology, benefits and more. On the other hand, consultants are hired specifically hired for a specific time-bound project. Thus, consultants come much cheaper than hiring a full-time employee. However, it’s too depends on the scale and magnitude of the project.

Disadvantages of Consulting

One has to note that hiring and steering an external consultant towards right direction does not come without any challenges. One should ensure that the role of consultants needs to be well defined and their prime role needs to revolve around the elimination of inferior practices which is slowing down the organizational growth but not to insult the organizational intelligence.

The working relationship between organization and consultant should be collaborative, friendly and professional. Else, in some scenario, a piece of advice may look like criticism.

The business collaboration should always remind the common goals, i.e. improvement of operational efficiency of the organization.

Lean Specialized recruitment company

Final Thoughts

While the lean specialized personnel consultants are usually hired to focus on one project; but based on the success ratio in such assignments, organizations may like to extend their services for longer periods towards getting assistance in various other specialized areas. Such collaborations are always mutually beneficial.

Organizations should always evaluate the advantages and disadvantages linked with hiring a potential consultant such as specialization, skill and experiences before making a hiring decision.

 

Understanding the Relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) on Supply Chain Management (SCM)

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Understanding the Relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) on Supply Chain Management (SCM)

While supply chains have been playing a crucial role in several industries for many years, it is only in the past few years that supply chain management (SCM) has been treated as a separate strategic branch which can be improved to benefit businesses.

As soon as SCM started receiving its due importance, there began a search for the factors that affect supply chain and its functioning. While factors like inventory control, product design, industry standards, procedure costs, and distribution strategies were some of the few that were initially discovered to abundantly impact SCM, human resource management (HRM) is the latest to join the list.

While there have been a few studies done in the past to understand the impact of HRM on SCM, the research by the Department of Business Administration of University of Barcelona, Spain, clearly pointed out the relationship between the two.

The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of HRM on SCM which in turn also impacts organizational performance (OP) and customer satisfaction (CS), factors which play an important role between SCM outcomes (SCMO) and HRM.

The study used the previously validated structural equation model (SEM) which is based on five attributes including SCM implementation (SCMI), HRM, organizational performance, customer satisfaction, and SCMO. A survey was conducted on the basis of this model and 231 responses were recorded.

The study confirmed the significant impact that HRM, directly and indirectly, has on the SCMI and SCMO. Overall, the study suggests that successful implementation of SCM can not only help improve SCMO directly but it indirectly also increases OP and CS.

These findings make a very strong case for organizations to apply proven HRM practices to their supply chains to improve SCM to an extent where it starts functioning as a competitive edge. While businesses never thought of SCM as something that could be impacted by HRM, understanding the relationship between the two is simpler than it looks.

Working of a Supply Chain

If the complicated terminologies are sidestepped for a minute, supply chains are nothing but people. The entire chain is a group of organizations which work in downstream or upstream flows of services and products to deliver the final product to the customers.

This ‘group’ of organizations can be within a single company where delivery or supplies and production of products occur or can also be a very complex network of 3rd party suppliers, distributors, sales outlets and service providers. SCM aims to enhance the overall performance of the supply chain along with that of individual firms.

While several organizations have now started recognizing how important SCM is, most of them are yet to understand the fact that successful SCM relies on the people who are part of the supply chain. It is on the basis of the efficiency of the members of the supply chain that the supply chain would function.

There are already several studies that have confirmed that impact of HRM on the performance of the employees. The same practices can be adopted by the human resource department for the people who are part of the supply chain to improve their efficiency and performance.

From recruiting and selection, training and development, to compensation and incentive there are several practices in HRM that can be successfully used to improve the overall SCM.

If all of this is to be said in simple words, it basically means that the performance of the supply chain relies in the hands of people who are part of the chain and HRM is an efficient tool to improve the efficiency of the supply chain members and ultimately improve the supply chain and overall functioning of the organization.

 

Understanding the Relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) on Supply Chain Management (SCM)

 

Improving Customer Satisfaction with HRM

While the positive impact on SCM through successful HRM practices is clear now, how the same can also help in improving customer satisfaction as the University of Barcelona study suggests?

This relationship too if pretty straightforward. Supply chains are only as strong as their weakest link. For instance, let us assume that you run a business in the USA and import products from China. You’ve selected an exporter and have successfully moved the products through customs and then to the distribution center sooner than expected.

But what if the distribution center delays the delivery to the customers? Your customers would surely be unhappy and this means that the supply chain of your company has failed. It is not difficult to understand that the retail industry relies mostly on customer satisfaction. In other words, the success of your supply chain has a deep relation with how happy your customers are.

So, you see there is an indirect relationship between HRM and CS too. With the help of successful HRM practices, you can improve your supply chain which in turn will help you improve customer satisfaction. There are a few time-proven ways in which supply chain can be improved for better CS. Some of them are-

  • Selecting the right transportation partners
  • Improving logistics planning
  • End-to-end supply chain analysis
  • Using technology for improving visibility and tracking inventory
  • Linking back-end and front-end deliveries
  • Measuring supply chain performance on a consistent basis

While all of these steps revolve around SCM, HRM is indirectly involved in implementing them and making sure that they deliver the expected results.

Conclusion

HRM was always considered a strategy of managing the workplace culture and environment. It is with the help of studies that its impact on other crucial business processes has come to light. With businesses now focusing on SCM to gain a competitive edge, improvements to HRM seems to be an efficient way to directly improve the supply chain and gain added benefits with respect to organizational performance and customer satisfaction.

With the rising competition across every industrial sector, businesses are now searching for innovative ways to improve their performance. Working on SCM is a new and effective way to not just bring more transparency to the business practices but also improve your reach through better customer satisfaction.

Even the traditional HR practices like recruitment and planning, training, and performance appraisal can be applied to the supply chain in order to attain larger benefits which would help organizations gain significant benefits over time.

 

 

 

The Similarities between Human Resource Management and Supply Chain Management

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The Similarities between Human Resource Management and Supply Chain Management

Human resource management is an effective management of the workforce in an organisation. This is the backbone of any business that gives it a competitive edge over others. The quality and productivity of the workforce determines the progress and sustainability of the business. A human resource management system is very similar to a supply chain management system because human resource management handles a chain of inter related departments with diverse job responsibilities working with an aim to achieve a common objective.

Recent times have noticed great developments in the supply chain industry in terms of automation, cost cutting, software aided operations, automated vehicles, etc. The introduction of these new concepts can be beneficial for the Human Resource department too. There is a lot that the human resource management system can imbibe from the supply chain management system.

Supply chain management system works on modularization. This means that the links within a supply chain management are commutable, interchangeable, compatible and exchangeable. The supply chain management system cannot allow any breakdown in the movement of goods and services. Similarly, the human resource management system must also incorporate the concept of modularization in their workforce. This will enable the human resource management system to ensure a continuous flow of workforce and prevent scarcity of manpower. Just as the demand for products is a regular affair so is the demand for talented manpower.

It has to be kept in mind though, that no matter what, humans and products cannot be equated in the same manner and so, the principles and metrics of supply chain management may not necessarily fit in to the human resource management system. The human resource management system will definitely hold its own defined techniques, procedure and practices. The modus operandi is bound to be different for both the systems. However there are certain common modularization practices that the human resource management system can incorporate in its operations:

  1. Outsourcing: Supply chain management involves a lot of channel or outsourced partners. Many HR functions can be outsourced too. Third party deployment can be done for security services, housekeeping, web development, etc. Even a part or all of the hiring requirements can be outsourced to job consultancies.

 

  1. Automation:

    Video Interviews or Interactive Voice Questionnaire can be used to select and filter candidates in the first round. This increases the efficiency of the operations, minimises biasness and saves time on the part of the recruiter. Automated mails can be used to notify candidates about job openings and also to share feedback of the interview to the candidates.

 

  1. Creating Human Inventory:

    Most job openings witness a large number of applicants compared to the number of vacancies. As a result, many good candidates are waitlisted for the next opening. These waitlisted candidates can be kept as reservoir or human inventory. A human inventory will consist of a pool of shortlisted applicants who are qualified and suitable for future openings. This minimises time and effort of the selection process.

The Similarities between Human Resource Management and Supply Chain Management

Every process is unique in its own way. We can derive many useful concepts for every process, be it supply chain or manufacturing. These concepts can be further modified and modulated into process specific approaches and used for overall growth of the business.