Top 5 Concerns for Central PA Manufacturing Firms
In the current highly digitized business climate, many manufacturing companies in Central Pennsylvania are adopting the latest technologies to improve their processes and stay competitive. Unfortunately, as the industry integrates more complex innovations and adopts a more digital and data-driven workforce, new information technology challenges continue to emerge, presenting multiple ramifications that impact business bottom lines. Let us look at the top IT challenges for manufacturers in Central PA and how partnering with a managed IT service provider can help.
Maintaining Uptime
Most manufacturers are struggling to keep their systems running optimally, free of any interruptions. Unplanned downtime can wipe your entire bottom line. Experts reveal the cost of downtime in business averages around $260,000 per hour. However, these losses could be much higher for manufacturers. A study reveals that automotive manufacturers lose up to $3 million per hour whenever their systems are down. Better IT is crucial towards reducing the risks of costly downtimes.
Lack of Robust Data Management
Modern manufacturing systems produce mountains of insightful data that could help in making informed decisions. Technological platforms continuously produce data on production lines, employee performance, supply chain, and more. Unfortunately, these data may not be integrated or organized in a manner that enables easy analysis. This makes it quite challenging for manufacturers to use the data to generate insights.
Integrating New Technologies
Most manufacturers in Central PA rely on outdated legacy systems prone to typical issues such as inefficiencies, breakdowns, and cyber-attacks. Notably, in the current highly competitive marketplace, you need to implement new technologies that enhance efficiency, boost security and reduce costs. Unfortunately, the increasing rate of change in manufacturing technology makes it a challenge for most manufacturers to leverage innovative solutions.
Finding and Keeping Skilled IT Professionals
Just like other industries, businesses in the manufacturing niche face challenges finding and retaining a motivated, knowledgeable, and experienced IT workforce for their operations. Studies reveal by 2019, most businesses in the US had challenges filling basic IT positions at the company level. The COVID19 severely exacerbated the skills gap, with experts revealing there is no end in sight. A recent 2021 report reveals the adoption of remote working forced 40% of companies to hire tech staff during the pandemic, with 66% more companies planning to add more in 2021. Business development and digital transformation within the manufacturing environment are impossible without the needed IT talent.
Managing Cybersecurity
With the increasing adoption of technological solutions in the manufacturing environments, the manufacturing sector is now among the most targeted industries by cyberattackers. A recent report reveals 32% of Ransomware attacks target the Construction and Manufacturing industry. Another study by the engineering and employers federation reveals over 45% of the manufacturers have recently faced a cybersecurity incident. Most attackers are leveraging emails, videos, and online chats to launch attacks. You should make sure your employees are well-trained on how to identify attacks and protect their devices and systems.
How Mainstreet IT Solutions Can Help
There are several innovative technologies available for the manufacturing industry today. However, most manufacturers lack the capacity, resources, skills, and experience to integrate these technologies and benefit from increased efficiency, improved safety, and optimized productivity.
In the current highly competitive field, partnering with a reliable managed IT solutions provider like Mainstreet IT Solutions can be an effective way to achieve substantial benefit from your IT environment. Mainstreet’s IT support team is well versed in providing custom IT services for your manufacturing needs.
Some of the services that we provide include:
Proactive Maintenance of Systems
At Mainstreet IT Solutions, our highly experienced IT experts are committed to proactively maintaining your systems and reducing the risks of costly downtimes. Our predictive maintenance services guarantee your machines are relaying data at granular levels to prevent breakdowns. We provide apps and software designed to send alerts whenever parts are malfunctioning and track wear and tear for timely replacements. Our approach is proactive and not reactive. Instead of waiting for things to break, we strive to prevent small issues from becoming big, costly ones.
Data Management Solutions
We provide unmatched data management solutions that help you leverage your production data to make intelligent decisions. Our solutions can help you gather, analyze and make sense of production data in real-time, so you get robust visibility on your production line and forecast and manage product demand and inventory. Our technologies allow granular and accurate tracking of your entire production line.
Integrating New Technologies
Innovative technologies for manufacturers are a catalyst for growth and development. Integrating modern technologies can be an effective way to unlock the full potential of your manufacturing environments for meaningful business outcomes. Our highly experienced experts are ready to help you integrate new systems to guarantee increased security, boost efficiency, and optimize your operations. We understand a poorly managed migration can disrupt businesses, put your data at risk and increase costs. Our solutions help you migrate safely and securely from your legacy systems, so you enjoy the benefits of innovative solutions without any risks. Some of the transformative manufacturing technology solutions that Mainstreet IT Solutions can help integrate include:
- Cloud computing
- Robotics technology
- 3D printing
- The internet of things
- Augmented reality
- Artificial intelligence
Managed IT Services
Mainstreet IT Solutions provides a range of managed IT solutions that guarantee continuous, comprehensive, and proactive IT management and maintenance. With our managed IT services, you can offload all your IT issues to our professionals, so you focus on running your core business activities. We monitor performance, resolve issues and ensure your systems are up and running so you can focus on delivering exceptional products to your clients.
Some of the services included in our managed IT service package include:
- Help desk: Our experts provide 24/7 remote and on-premise troubleshooting of your IT issues. We understand not all of your in-house team is as tech-savvy as you would have wished, and myriads of IT problems can throw a spanner in their productivity. Our solutions allow you access to a highly specialized team of engineers at affordable monthly rates.
- Managed network services: Our experienced IT engineers can fix issues and give you total control over your networks functionally. Whether you need network design, set up, installation, or maintenance, Mainstreet IT Solutions have you covered.
- Network monitoring: Mainstreet IT Solutions provides comprehensive real-time network monitoring solutions to guarantee optimal performance.
Managed Cybersecurity
Mainstreet IT Solutions’ highly experienced cybersecurity professionals have the tools, technologies, and experience to shield your business from increasingly complex, targeted cyberattacks. Our fully remote and onsite trained analysts and industry-leading experts in cybersecurity are ultimately your organization’s most trusted partners in cybersecurity. We undertake 24x7x365 monitoring and management of your network, systems, and data. Included in our managed cybersecurity solutions include:
- Managed firewall security
- Endpoint security
- Vulnerability scanning
- Email security
- Cloud security tools
- Intrusion prevention system
- Identity access management
Let the Experts Help You Maximize Your IT Infrastructure
Several manufacturing companies in Mainstreet IT Solutions are stagnating with IT issues that impact their productivity. Although most manufacturing IT issues are easy to diagnose, they can be very complex to address. If you need help to solve these challenges, contact Mainstreet IT Solutions. Mainstreet IT Solutions provides reliable IT support for manufacturing companies using an affordable managed service model designed to deliver proactive solutions. Contact us today to learn more.
