This is a paper for manufacturing and service companies looking to improve the flow of information and move to a paperless shop floor.
Many manufacturing business practices and information systems are still designed
around paper documents. These practices and systems create and track paper
documents that travel through the course of manufacturing, ending in the archive
cabinets. Technology advancement and affordability enable the delivery of the paperless
shop promised more than thirty years ago. However, reengineering of business practices
is required to take full advantage of technology and eliminate the barriers that are
created by paper. The reengineering effort should challenge traditional doctrines and
encompass processes that extend beyond the boundaries of the shop floor, such as
Quality Assurance and Process Planning. Besides eliminating paperwork, such process
reengineering may include improvements to the user interface, streamlining of processes
for continuous flows, elimination of nonvalue-added steps, and empowerment of the
workforce. Companies do not overhaul their business systems often, so when they do,
they should not miss the opportunity for quantum leaps in performance while eliminating
the paper on the shop floor.