In this episode, we discussed Smart Manufacturing (SM) with a team of IT and OT leaders from Andersen Corporation. The journey to build a strategic SM Roadmap was not done in a silo and this team is breaking down how they engaged their organization, addressed key barriers and desired outcomes, and built a successful plan.

One of the keys to their success was utilizing the CESMII Acceleration Framework methodologies and guidance from the NxGen Group. After going through the entire process from conception to execution, we’re sharing their top 5 learnings.

Top 5 Takeaways

1. Keep your business goal front and center. For Andersen Corporation this is the relentless pursuit of customer service. No matter what area or level of the organization you fall within, every employee understands that all projects are being done with customer experience in mind. Knowing this helps stakeholders with critical decisions and prioritization.
2. IT and OT must be aligned. Even though these functions have two very different vantage points, it’s important to remember they have a common high-level goal. Over time, the teams came together to jointly shape the company’s strategic SM roadmap.
3. Using a 3rd party facilitator helped ensure everyone was heard. CESMII’s framework helped break down their complex processes. Deploying it with NxtGen allowed the team to dive deep into the facts (vs opinions) on any given topic and ultimately create a real roadmap.
4. This wasn’t the first time Andersen Corporation tried to build a SM roadmap. The key to success this time was starting at the top with the leadership team to get alignment, building the strategy, then moving together as a whole organization.
5. Having the right partnerships is key. Whether it’s your internal partners that have a role in solving the problem or finding the right external partners like CESMII and NxGen, the sooner you build trusted relationships, the better.