How Technology Shaped the Modern Automotive Supplier Workforce
Standardization has always been a cornerstone of automotive supplier manufacturers to ensure consistent quality and efficiency across production operations. The automotive supplier industry has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, presenting new challenges that traditional approaches to standardization do not efficiently address when it comes to training a new generation of frontline workers. With the auto industry in overdrive, suppliers face a new set of labor challenges that traditional approaches struggle to keep up with.
Automotive suppliers are constantly under pressure to meet tight deadlines, navigate intricate processes (complete with audit trails), and satisfy the high standards of OEMs. Suppliers must consistently operate at peak efficiency to meet stringent quality standards, often dictated by guidelines set by the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). For suppliers, adhering to AIAG guidelines is usually a prerequisite for doing business with major OEMs and maintaining a healthy partnership.
Traditionally, automotive supplier frontline workers specialized in a limited number of repetitive tasks and had considerable amounts of tribal knowledge from their years of experience. As current employees age out of the workforce, automotive suppliers are faced with unprecedented labor challenges pertaining to attracting and retaining the next generation of frontline workers. Without effective onboarding and an ongoing training program, you’re at a significant disadvantage in meeting your labor needs and improving efficiency across your manufacturing processes.
What Automotive Supplier Manufacturers Need to Consider about the Next Generation of Frontline Workers
Your frontline employees are typically required to perform a wide range of jobs, often switching between them throughout the day. The addition of technology throughout the manufacturing process creates exciting new opportunities to attract younger talent. However, without a modernized training strategy, manufacturers will continue struggling to attract, train, and retain workers.
Experienced workers with years of tribal knowledge are hitting the brakes on their careers, leaving a skills gap wider than ever. While conventional training methods relied heavily on employee knowledge, static paper manuals, or time-consuming and resource-heavy training sessions, the next crop of workers has much different expectations. Millennials and GenZ workers have expressed positive views on frontline manufacturing jobs. However, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) research shows that 65% of executives view attracting and retaining talent as their largest business challenge.
The new generation of tech-savvy workers are expecting more from their employers. They’re digital natives who thrive on technology, craving interactive experiences and instant access to information. Automotive supplier manufacturers know that new workers are digital natives who thrive on technology and crave interactive experiences with instant access to information.
Shifting Gears with Digital Work Instructions for Automotive Suppliers Frontline Workers
Millennials and Gen Z workers are ready to roll up their sleeves and work in automotive supply manufacturing, but they need the right tools and training to succeed in the fast-paced world of automotive supply. To win the race for talent and meet the demanding requirements of your OEMs, automotive suppliers need to embrace digital work instruction software. Digital work instructions are not just a new tech upgrade; they are a complete transformation of how you onboard, train, and empower your workforce to standardize processes and meet strict quality requirements.
Here’s how digital work instructions can put your workforce in the driver’s seat:
- Standardize and Streamline: Say goodbye to inconsistent processes and hello to a single source of truth for every task. Digital work instructions help you turn standard operating procedures (SOPs) into step-by-step instructions to ensure each worker is on the same page, from the assembly line to quality control, helping you meet AIAG guidelines and OEM expectations.
- Engage and Empower New Workers: Ditch the boring manuals and outdated processes for interactive, multimedia-rich instructions that keep frontline workers engaged and accelerate learning. Multimedia within digital work instruction can include videos, 2D or 3D models, and real-time feedback loops that are tailored to the digital learning styles of the new generation.
- Boost Productivity and Quality: Reduce errors, minimize downtime, and improve quality with step-by-step guidance that’s accessible anytime, anywhere. This increased efficiency is vital for meeting tight deadlines and exceeding OEM quality standards.
- Meet OEM Compliance Requirements with Ease: Demonstrate compliance standards and audit trails with detailed, traceable procedure processes that help with even the toughest auditors. Digital work instructions provide the necessary documentation and audit trails to showcase adherence to AIAG guidelines and OEM-specific requirements.
- Drive Continuous Improvement: Gather data, track performance, and identify areas for optimization with built-in analytics and feedback mechanisms that support up-leveling your worker’s skills. A data-driven approach allows for continuous skill and process improvement, a key element in maintaining AIAG compliance and strengthening relationships with OEMs.
Meet CDS Mentor: Digital Work Instructions for Automotive Suppliers to Onboard, Train, and Retain New Talent
CDS Mentor extends beyond simply digitizing your work instructions. It enables a more efficient, resilient, and future-ready operation that ensures continued innovation at speed while maintaining and improving the quality of your components.
With CDS Mentor, you can quickly onboard workers on new processes and technologies, minimize errors, and ensure consistent quality with standardized step-by-step instructions that leave no room for worker interpretation. You will increase your agility to change OEM process demand and audit requirements and facilitate communication and knowledge sharing across your workforce.
CDS Mentor is your secret weapon for achieving operational excellence, exceeding OEM expectations, and driving innovation. It’s time to take control of your operations, empower your workforce, and accelerate your journey toward a more efficient, resilient, and future-ready automotive supplier manufacturer.
Contact us today to see a demo and learn more about how automotive suppliers are implementing CDS Mentor for digital work instructions to attract and train talent, optimize operatives, and improve manufacturing quality.