Are your production schedules still being circulated via email, are you still using T-sheets, or are you still printing on A4 paper? Your operators’ skills are tracked in an Excel file that no one updates. And when an auditor asks for a list of valid authorizations, it’s a race against the clock.
If this situation sounds familiar to you, you're not alone. According to BpiFrance, 34 % of Executives at Industrial SMEs and Mid-Sized Companies cite complexity as the primary obstacle to their digital transformation. However, companies that structure their approach see efficiency gains of 20 to 35 % in their operations (McKinsey).
The digitization of industrial processes is about more than just replacing paper with a screen. It involves rethinking how information flows through the factory, how skills are managed, and how decisions are made on the shop floor. There’s no need to revolutionize everything all at once. Here are 5 steps to make this transition gradually, without disrupting your production.
Why Should You Digitize Your Industrial Processes?
The first question to ask isn't «which tool to buy,» but «which problem to solve.».
The reasons why an industrial site decides to digitize its processes are often the same. Production costs that spiral out of control without any clear explanation. Operator skills tracked in scattered files that are never up to date. Time wasted every week reconstructing staffing schedules after unexpected absences. Insufficient traceability that puts the site at a disadvantage during quality audits.
A production manager who wastes half a day each week juggling substitutions—that’s a problem the entire executive committee understands. An Excel spreadsheet of tracking critical skills which also exposes the plant to a discrepancy during an audit. These everyday situations are the best reasons to launch a digitization project.
Once you've identified the irritants, set measurable goals. Some SMART goals, precise enough to evaluate the outcome at 6 or 12 months. For example:
- Reduce the time spent preparing schedules by 50 % as soon as the solution is implemented.
- Achieve 100 % up-to-date authorizations that are accessible with just a few clicks for the next audit.
- Cut the onboarding time for new operators in half through digital training.
These objectives serve as the project's compass. They help keep the project on track when technical complexity or internal resistance slows down momentum.
Get the teams on board with the digitization project
When changing processes that have been in place for years, resistance to change is a real risk. According to the Gartner CIO Survey, fewer than half of all digital initiatives achieve their business objectives. The human factor is often the main cause.
The first people you need to convince are the members of senior management. Without their support, the project will lack resources and legitimacy. To get them on board, speak their language: cost savings, reduced quality risks, and measurable productivity gains. Numbers speak louder than promises.
But convincing senior management isn’t enough. Front-line operators and managers are the primary users of the new tools. If they don’t see the value in them on a day-to-day basis, the tool will be bypassed or underutilized. Change management must begin well before the technical rollout.
How do you go about it?
By identifying ambassadors in the field.
These are operators or team leaders who understand the challenges and are willing to be the first to test new processes. Their feedback carries more weight with their colleagues than any presentation from management.
At companies such as Bonduelle and Collins Aerospace, this ambassador approach has helped accelerate adoption and reduce friction during deployment.
Don't underestimate the time required for this phase.
Training teams, gathering their feedback, and adjusting processes based on the realities on the ground—all of this takes time. But it’s an investment that’s essential to the project’s success. *
The interim management, for example, is often an oversight: these roles change frequently, need to be up and running quickly, and require rigorous authorization tracking.
Map Out Your Processes Before Digitizing Them
We now know why we need to digitize, and we have the support of our stakeholders. It’s time to take stock of the situation.
To digitize industrial processes, you first need to understand them in detail. This step is often overlooked because it seems tedious. However, according to industry feedback, companies that start with detailed process mapping reduce the implementation time for their tools by 25 %.
The goal is to identify and describe all the processes that we want to digitize.
- What resources are needed?
- Which operators, with what skills?
- What types of machines, and what regulatory requirements?
To produce a pharmaceutical batch, for example, authorized operators are required to use specific equipment in compliance with strict quality standards. Every step in this process must be documented.
Prioritization
Which processes should be digitized first?
Rank each process based on its operational impact and the complexity of its implementation. The "quick wins" are your first projects.
Skills and clearance management
Work Schedules
Quality Traceability
Training follow-up
Predictive maintenance
Quick Wins
Significant impact, managed complexity
Structural Projects
Significant impact, high complexity
To be addressed next
Limited impact, managed complexity
To be postponed
Limited impact, high complexity
Assess the current level of digitization for each process
Some may already be partially covered by an ERP system (tracking production orders, inventory). Others still rely entirely on paper or Excel files shared via email. A skills matrix Digitization, for example, replaces dozens of scattered files with a centralized, always-up-to-date view of each operator’s expertise.
Not all processes have the same potential for profit.
Focus your efforts on those that combine a strong operational impact with a reasonable level of deployment complexity. Managing skills and authorizations is often a top priority with a high return on investment: it affects compliance, team versatility, and the ability to respond to unforeseen events.
A digital maturity audit can help you organize this prioritization.
Draft a set of specifications tailored to your needs
Digitization involves managing digital data, which raises issues that must be anticipated. The project specifications are the tool that structures these considerations and defines the scope of the project.
Here are the three fundamental dimensions
The Functional Scope
Which processes will be prioritized?
Skills Management, assignment schedules, training, quality traceability?
Defining a realistic scope for the first phase helps avoid the «overly complicated» situation that field teams fear.
Technologies
An industrial digitization project may involve various types of tools: ERP for overall management, MES for real-time production control, and specialized platforms for skills and authorization management.
The choice depends on your priorities and your current situation.
The challenge is not to simply stack technological building blocks but to select those that address the pain points identified in the first step.
Data Security and Governance
- Who has access to what data?
- Where are they hosted?
- How can we ensure their integrity?
A pharmaceutical or aerospace facility is subject to strict regulatory requirements (ISO 27001, NADCAP, GMP) that determine the choice of solutions.
Check your service providers' certifications: hosting in Europe, GDPR compliance, and regular security audits.
Tools for Industrial Digitalization
The digitization of industrial processes relies on several categories of tools, each of which addresses a specific need. Understanding their respective roles helps you make the right choices.
Comparator
Which brick is best for which need?
ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning
Role
Manages the company's overall operations: purchasing, inventory, finance, and production orders.
Its limit
Doesn't go into enough detail about the workshop's day-to-day operations.
When to prioritize it
When the foundation of the industrial information system does not yet exist or remains fragmented across multiple tools.
MES, Manufacturing Execution System
Role
Manages production in real time: tracking of work orders, in-process quality control, and batch traceability.
Its positioning
It bridges the gap between the ERP system and the field—right where the ERP system ends.
When to prioritize it
When the site lacks visibility into what is actually happening on its lines.
IoT and Connected Sensors
Role
They collect data directly from the machines (temperature, vibration, speed) and feed it into predictive maintenance.
The Trap
The temptation to collect everything. At SKF, out of 300 possible data points on an automotive production line, only 25 were selected. Smart Data rather than Big Data.
When to prioritize it
When unplanned machine downtime takes a heavy toll and the relevant measurement points are clearly identified.
Skills and Team Management Platforms
Role
Map skills, track authorizations, automate staffing schedules, and manage training.
The gap they fill
This is often the missing link in factories that have digitized production but not human resource management.
When to prioritize it
When scheduling, authorizations, and cross-training still rely on Excel and the team leaders’ memories.
On more than 300 industrial sites equipped, these tools help save up to one day a week on schedule management and reduce training time by a factor of four.
The challenge isn't to deploy all these building blocks at the same time.
The key is to choose the one that addresses the most urgent problem and gradually integrate it into your existing environment.
Find out how a dedicated platform integrates with your existing tools (SAP, Oracle, ADP).
Self-Diagnosis
Assess your digital maturity in just a few minutes
Five questions to assess your website and identify which project to tackle first.
Initial High School Diploma
The answer is being calculated.
Roll out gradually and measure the results
You have a clear understanding of the situation, a well-structured set of requirements, and the necessary tools identified. Now it’s time to move forward with implementation.
It's very tempting to want to roll everything out all at once across the entire site. That's the surest way to fail. Industry best practices all agree on one thing: start small, prove the value, and then scale up.
Digitization projects that start with a specific use case begin to show results within a few weeks. This positive momentum is the best way to convince stakeholders to expand the scope.
Choose a pilot use case. A process that is representative enough for the results to be meaningful, but limited enough in scope to allow for rapid deployment. For example, digitizing skills tracking on a production line or automating staffing schedules in a workshop.
Assemble a multidisciplinary project team. Ideally, it should include a senior management sponsor, the production manager for the pilot scope, an IT professional or CIO, and frontline operators. This diversity ensures that the solution will meet the needs of every user profile.
Measure the pilot’s results using the KPIs defined in the first step. Time saved on schedules, the rate of up-to-date clearances, response time to unexpected absences… These metrics provide tangible proof of return on investment. Manufacturers such as Saint-Gobain, Guerlain, and Valrhona have followed this phased approach to roll out digital management of their skills and teams at their production sites.
Depending on the complexity of your challenges, working with a partner that specializes in Industry 4.0 can accelerate your rollout. Dedicated support—from defining the roadmap to large-scale deployment—reduces risks and shortens timelines.
Transform Your Industrial Processes for the Long Term
The digitization of industrial processes is a gradual process that begins with the right drivers, relies on the right people, and deploys the right tools at the right pace.
Industrial sites that successfully navigate their transition share one thing in common: they didn’t try to revolutionize everything at once. They started with a specific use case, demonstrated its value, and then expanded the scope. Skills management, work schedules, and training tracking: each digitized component frees up time for what really matters—managing production and building teams’ skills.
