Under otherwise equal circumstances, the success of an organization is determined by the attitude and behavior of its people. While placing people at the center of an organization is essential for a successful change or transformation, focusing solely on the human aspect—the “soft” side of the organization—is not sufficient.
The “hard” side, the operating model, is also a crucial component of the change or transformation program. Many challenges on the human side actually stem from a poorly structured operating model.
A successful change management or transformation therefore requires an integrated “hard-soft” approach. With increasing digitalization, technology has become a necessary component of any change management or transformation initiative.
The way Axisto Group supports its clients is fully tailored to the specific situation: An experienced Axisto interim executive provides you with guidance and hands-on support. Alternatively, the executive formulates the approach together with you and then leads its execution—possibly supported by one or more Axisto consultants/specialists.
In everything we do, we ensure that the client’s people feel ownership of the change/transformation process and its results. The outcomes of the transformation are sustainable, and the organization gains the knowledge and drive to continuously improve.
When everyone understands why change is necessary and why it must happen now, it becomes easier to mobilize people within the organization. A turnaround or restructuring requires speed and clear leadership. The professionals at Axisto interim help you implement this effectively.
Our Turnaround & Restructuring team has a strong track record and knows what it takes to get the job done. This includes a combination of refining the vision, aligning the operating model, optimizing technology, and developing the right mindset and behavior.
Our experienced managers can take on the role of CEO, COO, CFO, or Change Manager for the following challenges:
Execution and guidance of reorganizations/restructurings,
Recovery and turnaround projects,
Financing and refinancing matters,
Restoring trust with financiers/banks.
Where necessary, we collaborate with strategy consultants, M&A advisors, accountants, and other specialists.
What is Intelligent Document Processing?
Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) revolutionizes the way businesses handle and interpret documents, leveraging advanced AI and machine learning technologies. It automates the extraction, understanding, and processing of data from a variety of document formats, transforming unstructured content into actionable insights. IDP enhances efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making, enabling organizations to focus on strategic growth and customer satisfaction.
What are the Business Benefits of IDP?
Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) offers transformative benefits by automating the extraction and interpretation of data across diverse document types. Key advantages include significant time savings through reduced manual data entry, enhanced accuracy with minimal error rates, and improved compliance with regulatory standards. Furthermore, IDP unlocks valuable insights from unstructured data, enabling better decision-making and driving operational efficiencies. This leads to streamlined workflows, cost reductions, and elevated customer experiences, positioning businesses for competitive advantage and growth.
Efficiency Enhancement
IDP can process large volumes of documents accurately and quickly, which leads to improved efficiency and reduced processing times. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and other repetitive tasks, which allows employees to focus on core functions that require human judgment and decision-making.
Accuracy Improvement
IDP uses technologies like OCR and AI to extract data from documents accurately. They reduce the risk of errors and ensure the extracted data is reliable and compliant with relevant regulations and standards. By automating data extraction and validation, IDP enhances the accuracy of document processing workflows, leading to better business results.
Cost Savings
By automating document process workflows, IDP reduces the need for manual intervention, leading to manual document processing costs and cost savings for businesses. This is because manual document processing costs are high due to the need for paper-based processing, manual data entry, and other repetitive tasks. IDP helps businesses to save money by automating these tasks and reducing the need for human involvement.
Enhanced Customer Service
IDP can help businesses improve customer service by reducing processing times and improving accuracy. This leads to faster processing of customer requests, better data quality, and improved customer satisfaction.
Scalability
IDP is scalable and can handle large volumes of data. This makes IDP ideal for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large corporations. It can also be customized based on different business processes to meet specific needs, making it a versatile technology.
Better Compliance
IDP allows businesses to comply with relevant regulations and standards by ensuring that the extracted data is accurate and compliant. This reduces the risk of penalties and fines and helps companies to maintain a good reputation with customers and regulatory bodies.
Automating Documents for your Industry
Some examples of documents that can be processing with Intelligent Document Processing (IDP)
Turn your documents bottlenecks into breakthroughs
Embracing IDP in your industry is not just a technological upgrade, it’s a strategic move toward efficiency, accuracy, and competitiveness. Hi Automation helps you automate crucial documents that save time and resources and position your company at the forefront of revolutionary growth. As all industries continue their digital journey, IDP stands as a beacon, illuminating the path toward a future where data is managed and harnessed for unparalleled growth and success.
Manufacturers that best navigate the challenges of the world they operate in have a number of characteristics in common.
1. A clear vision of how their manufacturing operation looks like and operates in three to five years’ time.
They have decided which markets and customers they want to serve and understand what it takes for their manufacturing operation to enable business success. They focus on a “vital few” strategic initiatives with clear deliverables, and timelines and drive consistent execution.
For most manufacturers business conditions are more volatile and ambiguous than ever. Therefore, they review on a regular basis their strategic initiatives in the context of developing conditions and adapt. However, their long-term course is stable.
2. An aligned operating model
Winning manufacturers align their operating model with their vision. They know that if they don’t, their defacto strategy (their day-to-day operation) will deviate from their intended strategy. And they keep organisational complexity low as complexity drives costs up and speed and flexibility down.
This means well-aligned and “leaned out” business processes, KPI’s that help to control the operation, unambiguous roles and responsibilities, decision power low in the organisation, a reporting structure that creates transparency and insight in the actual performance, and a meeting structure that facilitates effective, fact-based decision making.
3. Employees with a high level of ownership
Employees at all levels in the organisation feel co-owners of the company and demonstrate a relentless drive to eliminate performance bottlenecks.
They have the skills to be successful and make sure they acquire new skills in line with the evolving needs of the company.
4. Drive to eliminate complexity
Complexity creates costs and inflexibility. They consider each and every type complexity: product and service design, the design of production means, total cost of ownership of purchased goods and services, cost of ownership of a supplier, contractor or client,
5. Continuous investment in smart manufacturing
With an increasing digitalisation of their operations, they gain significantly in speed, flexibility, and productivity. They develop new business strategies and innovate products and services portfolios. In developing smart manufacturing, they not only focus on selecting the right technology, analytics programs, and algorithms but also nurture a digital culture and skills.
Ever since 2006 we have been supporting manufacturing companies to deliver on their vision. Please get in touch to explore how we could support you in becoming one of the winners.
Maintenance maximises its value for the company by combining high asset effectiveness with low costs. We distinguish three main domains: (1) Reliability Management, (2) Reliability Improvement, and (3) Smart Maintenance.
1. Reliability Management
The domain of Reliability Management focuses on achieving the maximum reliability and availability of assets. In this domain, Maintenance and Production work hand in hand. They utilise the assets as intended and ensure that the necessary basic conditions are maintained. The quality of the interaction between Operators, Maintenance Technicians, and Maintenance Engineers determines the outcome.
Reliability Management is a combination of Corrective and Preventive/Condition-based Maintenance, where the behaviour of the assets, root causes of (potential) failures, performed maintenance work, and asset usage are carefully documented. There is a strong drive to continuously improve costs and efficiency within set frameworks. The insights provided by Reliability Management form the basis for Reliability Improvement
2. Reliability Improvement
Reliability Engineers and Engineers analyse the behaviour and usage of assets and enhance set frameworks by reducing the required maintenance of assets through improved maintenance routines, component redesign, and the introduction of new components. They prepare the organisation and assets for changing requirements, such as emissions and energy usage, as well as evolving market conditions, such as volume, product types, and the level of required flexibility.
3. Smart Maintenance
By utilising sensors and digital technologies, high-quality data becomes available, enabling the prediction of asset failure risks and the execution of maintenance precisely at the right time. Condition-based Maintenance transitions into Predictive Maintenance, which is carried out based on a forecast derived from the analysis and evaluation of critical parameters of asset degradation.
Other practical applications of digital tools within Maintenance include smart glasses, which allow technicians in the field to see where they need to perform which maintenance or to be remotely supported by specialists. Handheld devices, such as phones and tablets, provide work instructions and real-time information about spare parts, along with the ability to document performed work and observations immediately. RFID codes are used to identify assets with direct access to work orders and fault history. An integrated CMMS (computerised maintenance management system) or add-ons ensure efficient work order management.
Attaining world-class supply chain management and collaboration means developing and managing supply chains and partnerships so that your company is flexible and resilient, with response times and delivery performance that will beat the competition.
Future supply chains need to cope with the long-term trends of mass customisation, ever shorter life cycles and the more recent volatile conditions that are here to stay. In these market conditions, many companies will benefit from a “smart” supply chain, which combines the drive to eliminate waste (i.e. anything that doesn’t add value) with agility and responsiveness (i.e. the ability to handle unpredictability with speed and flexibility).
A smart supply chain enables fast, flexible supply of tailor-made products at competitive cost levels. It excels in having few product and process quality issues, reduced operational costs, increased flexibility, and high internal process speeds. It integrates customers and business partners to create value in both the primary and support processes.
Building a smart supply chain requires a holistic approach that integrates product and process design, organisation design, and digital solutions:
an unambiguous supply chain strategy
product configuration for late postponement
processes that are aligned with strategy and designed for minimal order cycle times
a flat organisation with multidisciplinary teams and no silos
integration with partners throughout the supply chain
an aligned performance management system with real-time information from the end-to-end process
supply chain visibility with the ability for stakeholders throughout the supply chain to access real-time data related to the order process, planning, inventory, delivery and potential supply chain disruptions
Disciplined cash and working capital management drives good operational and financial performance. However, performance in order to cash, inventory management and procure to pay slumped over the 5 years prior to the COVID outbreak. A closer analysis reveals that inventory optimisation poses companies the biggest challenge – both in volatile and non-volatile markets. More Cash – Lower Inventory – Better Service, good inventory management is the key.
DELIVER DOUBLE DIGIT INVENTORY REDUCTIONS AND MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE SERVICE LEVELS
Decades of experience have taught us that going straight for the inventories themselves is both the quickest and the surest way of delivering a high-performing supply chain. Inventory sits right at the heart of your supply chain and is both a symptom and cause of your supply chain performance. Getting inventory right keeps your customers happy, increases flow and reduces cost and waste and frees up cash.
At Axisto, we combine the practical business focus of management consulting with the high-speed analytical capability of advanced information technology. We rapidly distil practical insights from data in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Our people concentrate on the human challenges of implementing and sustaining resilient and lean supply chains.
Our unique approach to supply chain puts inventory optimisation front and centre. This allows us to help deliver double digit reductions in inventory while maintaining or improving service levels – at speed in a low risk manner compared to traditional approaches.
OUR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT PROPOSITIONS
Axisto provides three inventory management propositions: inventory optimisation programmes, inventory analytics and inventory maturity assessments.
Our starting point with most clients is a quick scan. On the basis of just 3 standard reports from your ERP system, we quantify improvement potential item by item as well as overall. The output is both an immediate high-level quantification of improvement potential and the basis of a road map to deliver sustainable improvements quickly.
INVENTORY OPTIMISATION PROGRAMMES
We provide expert analytics and effective change management backed up by a clearly measurable business case. Improvements to inventory positions of 20% or more, sometimes much more, are usually achievable within the first year, at a high return on investment.
INVENTORY ANALYTICS
Do you find it difficult to really understand what your inventory data is telling you, or what you should do about it? Do you have optimisation tools that are difficult to use or which give results you know to be wrong, but you’re not sure why? With the proprietary technology that we use, we provide clients with rapid actionable insights into their inventory data.
In addition, we help clients with a range of targeted analytical exercises, ranging from strategic inventory positioning (where in your supply chain should you hold inventory?) through to setting inventory policies for items that are hard to optimise, such as spare parts, or make to order products.
INVENTORY MATURITY ASSESSMENTS
Inventory is influenced by almost every aspect of your business. Therefore, it can be hard to know at an enterprise level where the biggest opportunities for further improvement are, or how you compare to your competitors.
Axisto can take the temperature of your inventory management. We combine a granular, bottom-up quantitative assessment of your potential for improvement with a qualitative overview of your people, processes and systems, including relevant benchmarks, to give you actionable insights into where to find the next step change in your performance journey.
A CASE
CHALLENGE
A medium-sized industrial manufacturing firm with a strong market position and profitability had little historical focus on inventory. The consequence was that inventory was increasing gradually. It was time to act.
RESULTS
Inventory was reduced by more than 50% from the initial baseline over a period of 3 years, while service levels were maintained or improved. Improvements in the underlying data led to a better understanding of how and why to act – inventory management capability was significantly developed within the client’s teams.
SOME QUOTES
“We finally have full transparency of what we have, so we can make fact-based decisions on a weekly basis.” – Automotive manufacturer
“Since starting a programme, we have reduced our inventories by over 50%.” – Industrial manufacturer
“The results are exceptional and have made a major difference to our cash flow.” – Global manufacturing company
“The inventory programme brought a wide range of process issues into sharp focus, with an impact much broader than just inventory.” – Market-leading manufacturer
We partner with Human Resources, Finance and IT to improve quality, speed and cost so that your support functions can provide an advantage over the competition.
We help you quickly identify the sources of value, develop a plan of achievable initiatives, turn that plan into action, and ensure the results are sustainable.
We bring a full range of capabilities to help you achieve your goal. Our advanced analytics and automation expertise will help your support functions get more value from technology.
FINANCE
We help you to develop an aligned and integrated finance function that delivers superior service and tight controls at a lower cost – allowing your finance team to spend more time on higher-value, forward-looking activities and less on accounting and transactional tasks.
We partner with you to quickly identify opportunities to increase service, strengthen controls and drive down costs through Intelligent Automation. To sustain your results over the long term, we develop the capability of your people. With our Operational Performance Builder® method, we foster a deep ownership culture and bring about the necessary behavioural changes.
HR
Most businesses face major change or even outright disruption. At the same time, 70% of change initiatives fail to deliver the intended results. We see HR as the critical function, first, to support the leadership team and managers in the organisation in delivering a successful change programme for a step change in performance and, second, to retain and develop employees in line with developing business needs.
To do so, HR must radically change the way it operates: spend less time on the administrative elements of recruiting, developing and retaining people, and more value-adding time with leaders and managers throughout the company for improved business outcomes and better employee experience.
We partner with you to quickly identify opportunities to increase service and quality and reduce costs through Intelligent Automation. To sustain your results over the long-term, we develop the capability of your people. With our Operational Performance Builder® method, we foster a deep ownership culture and bring about the necessary behaviour changes.
IT
Industry 4.0 means the growing together of the digital and manufacturing industries. All physical assets are digitised and integrated into digital ecosystems with partners in the value chain. This means that IT is pulled into the centre of business operations. We call this “Agile Business Integrated IT”.
IT INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT
Nowadays, there are many different types of IT infrastructures: several variants of the cloud, appliances (implementation of algorithms in hardware), on-premise (own data centre), and central network infrastructures. The administration, cost and sourcing of these different types of IT infrastructure must be continuously optimised.
IT CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
Both the development and provision of digital services require effective contractual agreements with providers, partners and customers, with the responsibilities and the service quality, if necessary, clearly regulated by service levels. Appropriate limitations of liability should be included. Contract management and flexible service adjustments are particularly relevant in the course of iterative service development. The question of “who is liable and how” must be answered for the content or service components that are constantly being developed.
SEAMLESS IT INTEGRATION
Middleware technologies (i.e. the services of various components that integrate with one another according to certain rules and processes) and the service-oriented, architecture modularisation that makes it more adaptable are essential. The management of these technologies and the establishment of corresponding digital architectures are becoming the core task of IT as a business enabler.
DEVOPS
The term DevOps was formed by combining “development” and “operations”. DevOps isn’t a process or a technology or a standard. DevOps represents a change in IT culture, focusing on rapid IT service delivery through the adoption of agile, lean practices in the context of a system-oriented approach. DevOps emphasises people (and culture) and seeks to improve collaboration between operations and development teams. DevOps implementations utilise technology — especially automation tools that can leverage an increasingly programmable and dynamic infrastructure from a life cycle perspective. Importantly, the meaning of DevOps has broadened to be an umbrella term for the processes, culture and mindset used to shorten the software development life cycle, using fast feedback loops to deliver features, fixes and updates more frequently.
Industry 4.0 means the growing together of the digital and manufacturing industries. All physical assets are digitised and integrated into digital ecosystems with partners in the value chain.
Industry 4.0 represents a huge step in performance. You can improve your speed, flexibility and productivity by 40%. You can develop a new business strategy and take the opportunity to innovate your products and services portfolio.
Axisto works with you to map the digital maturity of your business with our AIMA (Axisto Industry 4.0 Maturity Assessment) and choose the elements that will deliver the most value in line with your vision. Well-chosen pilots will help you get on the learning curve and achieve some initial success. You will gain insights into the skills gap, and this can direct your HR strategy. We can help you to properly organise data analytics and develop your organisation more digitally. Axisto’s experience will ensure you avoid any pitfalls on your journey to becoming a digital enterprise.
Importantly, the biggest challenge for a company is not in choosing the right technology, but in having a lack of digital culture and skills in the organisation. Investing in the right technologies is important – but the success or failure does not ultimately depend on specific sensors, algorithms or analysis programs. The crux lies in a wide range of people-oriented factors. Axisto supports you in the development of a robust digital culture and ensures change is developed from within and driven by clear leadership from the top.
An autonomous operating model is not just a digital upgrade of your current operating model. It is a radically different way of conducting your business.
INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Primary and support business processes are integrated. This allows the financial department to act in a much more agile manner. The cash flow is visible on an ad-hoc basis, which improves planning and analysis abilities. A forecast supported by the IT system replaces manual forecasts. Once determined, KPIs make controlling easier through automated warning messages, thus allowing immediate intervention to take place.
The budget process is changed and no longer runs along the individual business functions (such as Sales, Marketing, Production, IT), but along value drivers (sales quantities linked to market data, prices in combination with customer clusters, etc.). At any time, the balance and P&L for the company as a whole and for each of the departments can be determined. This makes it possible to sail sharply close to the wind.
The entire supply chain uses a single point of truth for real-time information The transparency makes it possible to simulate different scenarios quickly and easily, but ultimately people make the decisions. The effect of decisions is calculated and communicated in real-time throughout the end-to-end supply chain. Margin, order cycle time and cash can be predictively optimised based on a holistic view of supply chain performance, stock levels and trend analyses.
MOBILE
Mobile devices are an essential interaction channel for both customers and employees. As a result, the management and control of the integration of different mobile devices and of the mobile applications are strategic factors. New and existing mobile technologies are easy to integrate.
AGILE COLLABORATION
Collaboration is largely multidisciplinary and without hierarchy. Knowledge and skills are not things that sets you apart from others in the company – they are things you make available to the team.
Collaboration must be able to be set up ad hoc at any time, from anywhere – even across geographic boundaries. Active exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise requires an appropriate incentive system. This system focuses on the group outcome and allows them to participate in the overall success.
Social media and collaboration technologies are a central element of communication, knowledge transfer and teamwork. This applies to interaction with customers, employees and business partners. The technologies are used for the interactive exchange of information and content, thus making collaboration more effective, and they are increasingly focused on establishing interaction patterns in a digital culture.
The aim of redesigning the office environment is to increase cooperation and creativity in the company. This includes, for example, creating zones of creativity in offices, building open structures where there are no fixed desks and integrating the employee’s own home office.
STRATEGIC WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT
Digitisation requires new skills and abilities on the part of employees. The development of these competencies in the workforce requires strategic planning to address the requirements in the long term. The use of analysis methods not only enables the optimised deployment of employees, but also clarifies the question about which skills are needed now and in the future and how to get them as quickly as possible.
STRATEGIC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Knowledge and experience are becoming obsolete at an ever-increasing rate, and roles and tasks are constantly changing. The employees are constantly challenged to learn new things, to participate in training for new tasks and to adapt to role changes.
