Paperless operations literally mean eliminating paper and managing all information by digitizing it.

The manufacturing industry has long been calling for paperless operations, but in factories where a "paper culture" is deeply ingrained, it's difficult, and many people hesitate to adopt IT, wondering if the benefits of doing so would be minimal.

This time, we'll introduce the benefits of going paperless in your factory, key points to check before implementation, and the steps involved in implementation.

1. Reasons why factories should go paperless

First, let's look at the benefits that going paperless brings to factories.

Saving time, resources, and space

One major advantage of managing factory information using electronic devices is the savings on resources used for paper and the costs of paper and ink for printing.

Furthermore, since the shelves where documents were stored can be removed, the factory can be used more spaciously to build production lines. In addition, if the storage location of the documents you want to check is far away in a spacious factory, you will waste time just traveling there, but if it's data, you can check it on your electronic device, so there is no need to go to the storage location.

If your business partners also use the same system, you can share information without having to mail it, which is another advantage of going paperless, and it leads to cost reductions in all areas.

Can cover labor shortages

According to the 2019 White Paper on Manufacturing, securing skilled personnel is a particular challenge for Japanese companies.

With population decline and aging, labor shortages are expected to become increasingly severe, but going paperless may be a solution to this labor shortage.

For example, it can reduce tasks such as entering information written on paper into a computer system, searching for necessary information from past documents, and errors caused by human orders, thereby reducing the amount of work that is dependent on individuals and thus reducing the amount of labor required.

You can find the information you want anywhere.

By digitizing and managing information, you can quickly retrieve the data you need, even while on the go or in business meetings with clients. Keyword searches are also available, eliminating the need to sift through thick stacks of documents to find the information you need.

For managers, being able to approve proposals and expense claims while on the go is a welcome benefit. Faster application processing will likely lead to faster decision-making throughout the company.

Security is reassuring.

Some people worry about the risk of information leaks when digitizing documents, but considering the risk of theft or loss of physical documents, digitizing is considered to be more secure.

In fact, cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive have strengthened their security measures, and their safety has improved in recent years.

2. Things to check before going paperless

While the benefits of going paperless in factories are significant, rushing the implementation could lead to situations where paper usage remains the same or even incurs additional costs.

Let's look at some points to check before going paperless in your factory.

Estimate of implementation costs

Implementing paperless technology inevitably incurs costs. These include not only the financial expenses for computers and security software, but also the time required to train employees on how to use the new system.

In addition, time is needed to digitize the information that has been stored on paper. Taking this effort and human cost into account, it is necessary to consider the cost-effectiveness by comparing it with the costs that can be reduced by digitization.

Can it handle system failures and equipment malfunctions?

Electronic devices are prone to malfunctions and failures. While regular backups can prevent problems, there are cases where network issues prevent access to the cloud, halting your work.

Ideally, you would have employees who can handle such unexpected problems, but even if you outsource, it's reassuring to have manuals in place on how to deal with system failures and physical malfunctions of electronic equipment.

Staff IT literacy

If many employees are unfamiliar with computers, going paperless could actually lead to a decrease in work efficiency. There's also the possibility of employees with low IT literacy leaking information externally, or ultimately reverting to managing information on paper.

If you have concerns about your employees' information literacy, it would be a good idea to hold a meeting to exchange opinions before going paperless and incorporate their feedback to create a user-friendly system.

3. Steps to implement a paperless system in the factory

Once the preparations for going paperless are complete, the next step is to actually implement a paperless system.

In this chapter, we will introduce the implementation flow, which is divided into three main parts.

Step 1. Visualize the business workflow.

First, we'll list the work processes at the factory and check if there are any tasks that are currently managed on paper that can be digitized.

For example, if you're managing your inventory using paper sheets, and someone periodically transfers that information to Excel for storage, you might consider whether it's possible to digitize those paper inventory sheets.

In this way, we conduct an inventory of our operations, checking each one to see if there are any parts that can be made paperless, and then consider how to change the operations that can be made paperless.

Step 2. Gradually transition to a paperless system.

Once we identify tasks that can be digitized, we will gradually implement a paperless system. A sudden shift from paper documents to electronic devices is difficult and prone to operational errors and other problems.

First, we'll implement paperless processes starting with the highest priority steps. In the meantime, we'll hold informational sessions to help employees understand the necessity of going paperless.

Step 3. Training workers on how to operate the equipment.

If we digitize the parts that were previously handled manually, some workers may not know how to use the new system, which could slow down their work speed.

Therefore, let's hold training sessions tailored to the IT literacy of the workers and educate everyone so that they can use it.

５．まとめ

Implementing paperless practices in factories, such as digitizing paper documents, offers various benefits, including cost reduction and addressing labor shortages.

However, since implementation also incurs costs, it is essential to carefully consider whether you can handle malfunctions and whether your employees will be able to use the system effectively.

When actually implementing the system, visualize the work processes and gradually transition tasks that can be made paperless to data management. It is also recommended to hold training sessions so that all employees can use the digitized information.