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How to build a data-driven workplace in manufacturing  

Manufacturing environments are notoriously busy, with their pace of operation unmatched in other industries.

Measuring data such as production volume, downtime, your Productivity Factor and Overall Operations Effectiveness (OOE) are key to measuring and improving overall performance – but did you know that this same data can also be used as a key performance motivator within your manufacturing teams?

Keeping your workers engaged with key metrics and effective messaging is proven to help maintain productivity. In this article, we'll outline the power of using data as a key performance motivator; and how to ensure sharing it doesn't involve unnecessary effort.

How data helps motivate peak performance

A Senior Advisor to Microsoft's CEO was recently quoted as saying "Data is quickly becoming the new raw material of business." But why is this? It's pretty simple: highly motivated employees build highly successful companies. And data is the key to that motivation.


Clever, targeted data sharing improves and builds psychological ownership

In layman's terms, performance metrics (such as information about deadlines, sprint goal progress, sales or budget goals) create a strong sense of ownership and belonging, including:

  • Transparency around the success and failure of the company
  • Individual contribution to company goals
  • Empowerment to make data-driven decisions (or empowerment to invest more effort in their role)



The importance of sharing what matters

Successfully sharing company data relies on both transparency and efficiency. In other words, it's key that your team has access to data that will both motivate them and positively influence how they do their job; without creating unnecessary messaging clutter or noise. The sales department doesn't necessarily need to see the rate at which products leave the conveyor belt, and vice versa. 

When it comes to deciding what to share, make sure you consider these parameters:

Align and motivate
Data should align and motivate your team by bringing them on the company's journey, such as remind them how the data relates to your company's vision and purpose!


Set performance expectations
Data should set performance expectations.
For example what's the baseline OOE that the current team on shift can compare their performance to?

Show real-time data
To be truly meaningful, data should be shared as close to real-time as possible.

Be meaningful
Key metrics should be presented in a meaningful way, easy to understand and act on.



Sharing complex data shouldn't be a complex task

Let's face it - data is powerful; but it's not easy to 'free' those benefits from spreadsheets, enterprise grade dashboards and data warehouses and hubs.

At Vibe.fyi, we're on a mission to take the headache out of sharing data with your manufacturing teams.

Years of working to help large organisations communicate with hard-to-reach workers (those who don't sit at their desks, like yours) has taught us that to achieve cut-through, messaging needs to stand out and be actively placed in front of the workforce. Data is no different – it has to be brought to life in a meaningful, visual and vibrant format.

Vibe.fyi has become an essential tool for many companies with a large workforce who need to present complex data to their teams. Vibe.fyi transforms data (in many cases automatically) into high impact visuals, presented in a snackable format, and with immediacy so that information is easily understood and retained.

Seamless integration within your digital workplace (i.e. SharePoint, Power BI, MicroStrategy and others) and customer satisfaction data (Ask Nicely, Customer Radar, Qualtrics and others) means content delivery can be automated and presented via digital screens and (if employees have them) screensavers and the default browser home page.

Using Vibe.fyi to visualise data insights allows you to:


What types of data are our customers sharing with their teams?

Production data
Keep your warehouse schedule
on-track with live updates on production.

Performance insights
Share progress on shift targets.

H&S KPIs
Motivate your employees to keep H&S top of mind.

We started with COVID messages, but after 6 months, we were communicating other business events on site.

We're using Vibe for EVERYTHING. Facebook groups, café menus, surveys (with a QR code), internal videos, welcoming our summer interns, Christmas messaging from our CEO + more!

- Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

We are now able to share general company information and specific site information to large groups of people.

It suits our teams and contractors in different locations, which in the past has been difficult to communicate with.

- Ryman Healthcare

Vibe helps us get internal messaging to staff in a fun, graphic format.

As well as the serious stuff, slideshows of staff events are very popular. Plus, promote our outward-facing social media content inwardly to staff and visitors.

- City Rail Link

We have found Vibe very effective as an implementation model for dashboard content.

It helps us visualise data. It’s a great system and I would definitely recommend it.

- Vulcan

You can just have it all on Vibe.

Even when you’re at home, you can have these snackable bits of content you can retain, instead of having to check an email, look at an announcement, go from one platform to another.

- Silverfin

It's very cool and a great way to communicate with and engage my non-wired employees.

The digital templates are extensive and the Vibe team support is outstanding. The feedback I get from my team tells me we're on the right track.

- Fletcher Steel

Really great for providing snackable and understandable content, it’s visually a great way to communicate.

The impact when people see our big digital wall at reception is great.

- Zespri International

This software has helped stop geographical office separation and team silos.

Meetings are shorter. We get immediate reporting to the whole business on performance without having to send more emails to get the data required.

- Marketing Specialist

Before Vibe there was a lot of 'printed flyers' which is both costly and environmentally unfriendly.

With Vibe's on-screen format it’s easy to make changes instantly on the fly without the need for a reprint. No more excuses from staff not reading internal emails. Messaging is right there, on the screen.

- City Rail Link

We easily share information to staff in all locations that isn't always available to them.

The different templates are a bonus - there's always a layout that works.

- DHL Freight Forwarding

Effective communication is visual communication.

Vibe will enable you to reach & engage everyone, everywhere.

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