The paperless factory is on the rise and unstoppable

Despite the fact that the advantages of paperless working are well known to many, we would like to list some of these pluses. Paperless working - read: fully digitized working - is first and foremost good for the environment. Less paper consumption reduces CO₂-footprint considerably. That it also helps the entrepreneur work faster, more accurately and more efficiently is another positive fact. Centralization of data, digital communication between the office and production, and the quick recall of important data while standing at the machine are just a few assets.

The great thing is that paperless working is present within MatrixKozijn Project.

Open to all

But how do you get to a situation where you can work paperless? We speak with Hans Storms, branch manager of the window frame industry at Nijmegen-based Matrix Software. "A paperless factory is high on the wish list of many companies, but people don't know how to achieve this. This is because people often do not have enough knowledge to proceed to this digitization step and they think too hard about it. This is where Matrix Software has a very elegant and low-threshold solution. With our Manufacturing Execution System -MES - all data comes directly into view. With it, you can make the start to a paperless factory just easy. All you need is the will to change. For a paperless factory, you really have to change and people have to have the discipline not to print anything anymore. For many - we are routine animals after all - that is quite a task. But it is completely possible with our MatrixKozijn MES."

Storms sees that companies that have now made the transformation to paperless working are so satisfied with it that there is no turning back. "The efficiency gains made are so great that returning to the 'paper world' is simply unmentionable. The benefits of going paperless are clear. In fact, paperless working is a process that includes all information flows from both the office and production. For example, you have the digital recording of hours and attendance. You can even register hours at the frame level. Employees can indicate per part in production how far along they are in the process, or where the product is. Damage to a product? That can immediately be fed back digitally to the office, where they can immediately order a new product - also digitally, of course."

No special hardware is needed to work this way, everything is built web based and runs on any device with access to the Cloud. Whether that's a PC, phone or tablet. (Image: Arnold Reyneveld)

Ready for the future

The great thing is that paperless working is present within MatrixKozijn Project. Storms: "You only have to decide to make use of it. Everything is digital, you have live data and you can enjoy digital two-way traffic between all stations, from the office, production to logistics. On top of that, you can set it up as extensively as you want. Suppose a production worker needs assembly instructions for fittings he is currently assembling. Via the screen, he can call up the manual in the system and go through it. No special hardware is needed to work this way, everything is web-based built and runs on any device with access to the Cloud. Whether that's a PC, phone or tablet."