REDWOOD CITY, CA—To help small and midsized manufacturers take advantage of digital transformation, software supplier Pico MES has announced that all manufacturers will be able to use its digital work instruction suite of tools for free.
Every manufacturer that signs up will receive a free cloud-based instance with capabilities to build worker guidance instructions, create digital process flows, and assign stations. The only restrictions will be on the number of stations and operators who can use the software.
“This is not a free trial with a time limit. This no-cost model supports our mission of modernizing the supply base and taking cost out of the equation,” says Ryan Kuhlenbeck, CEO and co-founder of Pico MES.
“There’s a massive digital divide between small and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises,” continues Kuhlenbeck. “Most MES software isn’t designed for these smaller factories. Some companies offer work instruction software, but if you want to integrate tools and other things with it, it’s a dead end. We want to eliminate barriers to technology.”
Small and medium-sized businesses continue to rely heavily on manual tools that are difficult to maintain, such as spreadsheets and pen and paper, for managing their operations, Kuhlenbeck explains.
“‘Follow Bob around for two weeks to learn the process’ is how operator training is often handled,” he says. “Standard work along the assembly line is frequently documented in a binder, leaving operators to guess the ideal method to create the end-product.”
That problem is only being exacerbated by the ongoing labor shortage. “Without digitization in the most basic form, the American supply chain network remains unproductive, operating at 20 to 40 percent below industry standard targets,” he points out.
The problem, says Kuhlenbeck, is that small and medium-sized companies can’t afford software designed for the likes of GM or Airbus.
“The high price and complex onboarding and installation process associated with factory floor technology has long stymied small and midsize factories from initiating their digitization journeys,” he says. “Even industry-standard free trials aren’t worth the headache, as the majority of digital systems take longer than the standard 30 days to implement.”
By offering his company’s digital work instruction software free, Kuhlenbeck hopes to eliminate that digital divide and make it easier for factories to increase output and demonstrate improvements in training time without the barrier of an upfront investment.
Once they’ve created a strong digital foundation, factories can consider adopting Pico’s other software. The company’s tools for data analysis and presentation and for integrating its software with ERP and PLM software are not part of the free offer.
“Every five minute gain from using digital solutions—from answering yet-another operator question, to reworking a part that was built incorrectly—can be reinvested into other factory operations,” he says.
“We’ve essentially eliminated price as an excuse, and now the only standing defense is simply ‘I don’t care enough to improve.’”
For more information, click here. To get Pico’s free software, click www.picomes.com/tryforfree.
