Beware of the “armchair” 1C analyst on your integrator’s team

Why, in manufacturing automation, it is especially important for the integrator’s analyst to have hands-on manufacturing experience on the client side.

This experience really matters, and without it the following problems can arise:

Poor understanding of real business processes

Analysts without a manufacturing background often do not fully understand how production really works, including:

• the specifics of shops, work centers, and shift patterns;
• the nuances of routings, calendars, and equipment load;
• the real role of quality control, procurement, and technical support;
• how planning interacts with production on the shop floor.

As a result, the analyst “draws” the automation scheme for a business process the way it is described in a textbook, not the way it actually works.

The project loses touch with reality

Without manufacturing experience, the analyst has no feel for what works in reality and what does not. This can lead to:

• overly “theoretical” solutions that are hard to apply in practice;
• ignoring important production constraints (for example, changeovers, raw material stocks, sequencing);
• automating “pseudo-processes” that in reality are not performed at all or are done differently.

Difficulties communicating with production staff

Shop floor workers, foremen, and process engineers immediately sense when an analyst is speaking a “different language.” This leads to:

• distrust of the project;
• poor staff engagement;
• the risk that the implementation will be sabotaged or simply not accepted.

Errors in designing and implementing MES/APS functionality

ERP is not just about the warehouse and finance. The production side (MES, dispatching, planning, time tracking, process routings) is the most complex and critical part. Without hands-on experience, the analyst:

• does not understand the importance of correct standards;
• cannot set up planning properly;
• makes mistakes in routings and bills of materials;
• does not take real “bottlenecks” into account.

Wasted time and budget

When the integrator first “does it the way it knows how” and it then turns out that everything has to be redone, the result is:

• schedule delays;
• budget overruns;
• loss of the client’s trust and a demotivated team.

So what works better?

It is better when the analyst:

• has worked in manufacturing (as an engineer, cost analyst, planner, or logistics specialist);
• understands the real pain points and constraints;
• can speak the same language as the client and act as a bridge between IT and the shop floor;
• sees not just individual processes but the system as a whole: from raw material purchasing to finished goods output.

That is why our analysts and functional architects have worked in manufacturing as production managers and engineers.

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