The principles of Six Sigma, LEAN, and Kaizen have changed the face of modern manufacturing.

Production facilities around the world today are now temples to efficiency. SCM and ERP operate JIT — today’s factory floor wastes not a machine, not a movement, and not a moment.

That unrelenting focus on efficiency is also what’s behind one more trend among today’s manufacturers: video. Video is becoming a critical tool across virtually every aspect of manufacturers’ businesses. Among organizations large and small, old and new, local and global, video adoption rates are skyrocketing.

And it’s easy to see why — today’s manufacturers are in a state of constant movement, and now more than ever, they’re challenged to meet exacting standards without slowing for even a moment. It’s an environment that relies on eyesight and expertise as much as raw data — and that’s where video has become a welcome ally.

In an era where market conditions are never static in any industry, where employee expertise is never consistent in the face of turnover and retirements, and where the threats of new competition and category commoditization are never far off any executive’s list of concerns, finding a stable, reliable point of competitive advantage is paramount. Yet as the dustbin of history has shown, manufacturers cannot rely on product superiority or lowest pricing alone. The dual threats of technical innovation and international development mean there is always someone around the corner preparing to disrupt your market with something better, faster, cheaper — or all three.

How then can an organization prepare in the short term to thrive in the long term? By targeting a competitive advantage built on the advice of Royal Dutch Shell’s Arie de Geus.

In his now-famous paper, “Planning as Learning”, de Geus details how his innovations team at Shell helped the company develop flexible long-term plans, and become better prepared to respond to the significant cost changes that upended the industry in the 80’s and 90’s. Wrote de Geus of the insight his work left him with, “The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage.”

Today modern manufacturers are leaning on video to do exactly that.

Video helps modern production facilities view their operations in a way spreadsheets can’t. It provides an objective view that can spotlight opportunities. And it offers a more visual, engaging way to connect management and workforce — in both directions.

Don’t Miss Out!
In our latest white paper, How Modern Manufacturers Are Putting Video To Work, we’ll explore more about how organizations can incorporate video as part of building a knowledge-based competitive advantage — and spotlight 8 important ways today’s leading manufacturers are already leveraging video to build real bottom line returns.

Download your free copy now!