5 Reasons Why the Manufacturing Industry Needs Web Conferencing Services Now

Summary: In response to the government’s efforts to curb social interactions, businesses are increasingly adopting digital ways of work. Although a manufacturing company must have a few workers in its plants and warehouses, it can minimise contact between people with strategic automation and virtual collaboration tools. By deploying an audio and video conferencing system, such an organisation can enable its teams to be in real-time meetings without having to enter a boardroom physically.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in one of the worst depressions that the global economy has known. In addition to the closure of schools and the disruption of service-oriented businesses such as handyman solutions, salons, hotels and restaurants, it has also hugely affected the manufacturing sector at large.

As the government started imposing lockdowns, social distancing norms and work-from-home rules for most organisations, manufacturing companies had to find a solution for keeping their workforce connected.

A fair degree of automation for production is necessary to minimise human gatherings in factories. The regular coordination between those few workers and senior technicians working from remote locations is also essential for the efficiency of manufacturing operations.

Such organisations must also be in touch with their suppliers, vendors, logistics companies and other third parties that regulate the movement of raw materials and finished goods between regions.

In times when movement and direct meetings between people must be restricted for their own safety, a web conferencing system becomes the most effective solution to support business continuity for enterprises, including manufacturing organisations. It also eliminates or reduces the costs of business travel.

Here are five ways in which the feature-rich web conferencing solution designed by Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS) helps in structuring production and delivery processes:

Facilitates the design and development of higher quality goods

A manufacturing organisation’s reputation is only as good as the quality of the products it develops. The planning and conception of new products or the upgrading of old ones needs seamless collaboration between engineering teams, technicians and stakeholders.

With the TTBS web conferencing service , manufacturers can enable quality assurance from any location. The development, sales and other involved teams can instantly join any discussion through their desktop or mobile devices, from their homes. Product inspections, production tracking and validation tests happen online with crystal clear HD video quality, ensuring that no details get missed.

The TTBS web conferencing solution also comes with a user-friendly screen sharing facility and enables all participants to make presentations during a meeting.

Consequently, planning, visualising and improving production plans all become effortless with this digitally-powered meeting and communication service.

Streamlines operations and maintenance

Operational efficiency can make or break the business for manufacturers. However, fabrication and assembling do not always happen where chief developers can supervise and control the processes personally.

To guide their teams at technical processes and take timely actions for the maintenance of machines involved in the production, senior managers must communicate routinely.

By deploying the TTBS web conferencing system, they can coordinate tasks to improve the visibility of ongoing operations and shorten production times. With the engineers giving directions virtually for equipment maintenance, the organisation also saves time and money throughout the product-development life cycle.

Quality analysts and tech support executives can also speak to the factory workers from their remote locations to guide them on complex operations. They can review products manufactured at distant locations and give feedback for improvements.

Such synchronisation enables better decision-making in real-time, leading to improved manufacturing operations and optimal product quality.

Improves supply chain management

Supply chains were hit the hardest by coronavirus lockdowns. The transportation of raw materials and finished goods between geographically distant centres was severely disrupted. Restrictions on the movement of vehicles as well as the lack of direct coordination between people caused exigencies. Supply chains can also get impacted in an otherwise ‘normal’ world if companies do not have suitable facilities or budget to allow business meetings with vendors and suppliers.

With the TTBS audio and video conferencing solution, a manufacturing company gets lifelike, high-quality communication system with content sharing abilities to collaborate 24*7 with entities across the world. It helps in improved inventory management as also more accurate demand forecasting – this leads to faster market response and better customer experience.

Accelerates the time-to-market

While streamlining supply chains, web conferencing systems also allow manufacturing companies to take their products faster to markets.

The TTBS conferencing system gives manufacturers real-time access to their distributors across locations for more effective shipping management and product supply. Demonstrations through HD videos enable wholesale buyers to review products and place orders instantly, saving the time consumed in transporting products to locations and waiting for in-person feedback.

From procurement to engineering and final review, the TTBS web conferencing tool enhances manufacturing efficacy at every step of their products’ journey.

Helps to reduce business travelling and related costs

Time and cost savings with fewer business trips is the most apparent benefit of web conferencing solutions in any industry, and it applies to the manufacturing sector too.

As per a report by KPMG and FCM Travel Solutions, 31% of the companies in India spend INR 10 million or more on travel.¹ Such costs can be significantly reduced with an effective digital communication system, even after the fears of coronavirus phase out.

The TTBS audio and web conferencing solution redefines the digital collaboration experience by offering a realistic way to communicate without entering physical conference rooms.

It can take in up to 125 people into a virtual meeting space and has intuitive features to send invitations, lock a conference for security, mute lines and conclude the conference. Participants can make an unlimited number of domestic audio calls and also get international dial-in access.

Such bespoke elements help manufacturing companies save costs while also facilitating the development of better products with intently managed operations.

The lockdowns imposed to stop the spread of COVID-19 might have been for a limited time, but the way businesses work has been transformed in this period. Digitalisation is the new normal and the future of work across industries.

At Tata Tele Business Services, we have always observed the business environment closely to design the customised products that our clients need. Our conferencing solution supports the new BYOD, browser-based calling and remote working trends seamlessly. It also saves costs and allows companies to record meetings for future reference.

To know more about the service, please call us at 1800-266-1800.