Mobile apps enable companies to streamline their workflow and cut costs. With many moving parts and an abundance of complex processes, the manufacturing industry is a natural fit for mobile apps. But although smart phones and tablets are ubiquitous in the workforce, the manufacturing industry has not been the fastest to incorporate mobile technology into production.

Fortunately, this is changing.

According to PWC’s Annual Global CEO Survey, mobility is the top technology priority of industrial manufacturing CEOs

Here are six ways that mobile apps are transforming manufacturing and letting manufacturers increase efficiency while reducing costs:

1. Inventory management, control, and tracking
   • Mobile apps make it easy to check inventory levels, manage orders, process payments, analyze daily activity, and view any other important information, all in real time.
2. Employee visibility
   • Mobile tracking enables accurate team management. It lets managers get the nearest available worker to the job, immediately know their employees’ whereabouts in the event of an emergency, and track time more accurately.
3. Shipment and vehicle tracking
   • GPS tracking apps save time and fuel costs by enabling the visualization, optimization, and updating of routes in real time.
4. Managing and measuring asset performance
   • Mobility ensures that assets will run at peak performance through faster response times, shorter maintenance, reduced downtime, and lower maintenance costs.
5. Mobile CRM
   • Real-time data to both the sales team and customers improves responsiveness and sets the stage for a faster close.
6. Replace paper
   • Going paperless not only cuts the often high costs of paper-oriented tasks, it also reduces the risk of manual entry errors.

Mobile apps have already yielded great value to the manufacturing industry, and will only continue to see expanded use in the coming years. The SMS Group supports manufacturers through the entire process of mobile deployment, from planning and advising, to developing apps and installing infrastructure. Contact us to start bringing mobility into your operation.

Did you miss our previous blog post on mobile apps? Read Developing an App? How to Choose Between iOS and Android for more information on iOS and Android mobile development.