The forms allow manufacturers to collect all kinds of data. Given the importance of industrial data, the forms used to collect them must be extremely efficient to avoid any loss. In the era of industry 4.0, the digitalization of work tools is the first step to take to cross this transition to the industry of the future. The digitization of forms is thus one of the first digital transformations to be planned. Let’s discover it!
Forms in the industry
In industry, forms are involved in the intervention planning, production and control process. They are completed by the operator and the technician to collect relevant information. Here are some examples of operational documents that may include forms:
- Progress sheets
- Improvement sheets
- The control sheets
- Safety data sheets
- Competence verification
- Sampling
- Continuous improvement sheets
- Non-compliance and adverse event reporting forms
- Etc.
Until then, industrial companies used paper to submit forms. They are printed in multiple copies and then filled in, collected, entered on a computer and archived. This classic procedure involves many risks of data loss or alteration. This is the first advantage of digitalizing forms.
The advantages of form digitization
The digitization of forms consists in abandoning paper and moving towards the use of applications dedicated to the collection of information. As the industry of the future is moving towards digital and paperless, the digitization of the processes involved in collecting information is at the heart of strategic planning.
Cost reduction
The absence of paper in the industry certainly helps to optimize costs. In addition to the costs of acquiring paper, there is also the costs of consumables (ink cartridges, pens and staples, etc.), printing equipment and its maintenance. Moving towards paperless paper thus allows industry to make significant savings.
Reduce environmental impact
As you know, paper production requires the falling of trees and specific processes. In fact, to produce 100 kg of paper, the paper industry must cut down the equivalent of 2.5 trees 2 m high. Thus, reducing paper consumption in industrial companies is at the heart of the ecological transition and helps to reduce the ecological footprint of plants. The digitization of paper forms thus contributes to improving the industry’s ecological performance.
Securing data
Paper can be easily damaged (moisture, stains, fire, tears, etc.), which puts the information collected at risk. Thus, the digitization of forms allows manufacturers to better secure the data collected.
Ease of data processing
The information contained in the forms must be kept in order to use them at all times. The paper format thus complicates the use of the data and can lead to errors due to handwriting. The digitization of forms therefore makes it easier to access the data, as they will be centralized in a database and accessible at any time via a multimedia device.
A considerable time saving
Collecting information in the industry of the future must be easier and faster. The digitization of forms thus makes it possible to save a considerable amount of time when filling them out. And as you know, “time is the gold of the wise”. This quote also applies in plants where time and energy savings are extremely beneficial for process optimization.
A brick of the industry of the future
The digitization of forms is a mandatory step for plants willing to join the industry of the future. They must therefore seek the solution best suited to their data collection needs, offering them a great deal of flexibility in creating and completing forms but also data accessibility.
Use tools dedicated to the digitalization of processes in industry
Digital work instruction solutions, such as Picomto, which we develop, are dedicated to the digitalization of operational documentation in the industry. To learn more about the solutions we are developing, please contact our experts.
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