Latest news with #JerryDolinsky
Forbes
18-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Eliminate Compliance Gaps In Manufacturing With Digital Workflows
Jerry Dolinsky is the CEO of Dozuki, a leading connected worker solution for enterprise-level manufacturing companies. Compliance should be more than a box to check. When done right, it can strengthen operations, protect product quality and keep workers safe. But 95% of manufacturing companies still use paper-based processes (versus digital processes). This leaves them vulnerable to errors, fines and inefficiencies. Process digitization can eliminate these risks by ensuring every worker follows the right procedures, training is always up-to-date and audits are seamless. Here's how to do it. Step 1: Centralize And Standardize Compliance Documentation Every worker needs instant access to the latest process updates. A digital system ensures that no one follows outdated instructions. Start with the following: • Convert all work instructions, safety guidelines and training records into a centralized digital platform. • Ensure documents are accessible via mobile devices, tablets or workstations on the shop floor. • Use version control to track updates and prevent workers from using outdated materials. An auto manufacturer recently told me, 'Thank goodness we can update compliance documents instantly. We need to show the auditors the changes on the spot.' That level of transparency eliminates last-minute scrambling. Step 2: Automate Training Compliance And Retraining A Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte study showed that 79% of respondents would be interested in manufacturing jobs if more personalized or customized training were available. This shows that training isn't a one-time event—it's an ongoing requirement. As it relates to compliance, employees need retraining at set intervals. Failing to track that can result in costly violations. Not sure where to get started? Do the following: • Assign digital training modules based on job roles and compliance requirements. • Set up automated alerts for retraining deadlines to ensure workers stay certified. • Maintain a real-time training dashboard to track completions and audit readiness. I spoke with a safety director at a food manufacturing organization, and he said, 'When we're audited, one operator can show their training report. The auditor won't ask for proof from anyone else. We dodge the minefield.' Automating training ensures compliance is always documented and easy to verify. Step 3: Enforce Change Awareness Operators need to know when compliance policies change. Too often, they don't. A strong digital compliance system ensures every worker acknowledges updates before continuing work. Do the following: • Require employees to acknowledge procedural updates before accessing work instructions. • Set up instant notifications for critical compliance changes. • Track acknowledgments to ensure no one is left behind. A compliance leader told me, 'The worst thing you can do is ask for worker feedback and then do nothing. But when we are transparent, compliance becomes a tool for improvement—not just another rule to follow.' Step 4: Use Compliance Dashboards For Real-Time Visibility Compliance should be a constant, not just something checked during audits. A real-time dashboard keeps training, certifications and documentation up to date. It's light-years faster, easier and more efficient than a homegrown Excel spreadsheet that stretches all the way to column ZZ. Here's how to do it: • Set up a compliance dashboard to track training completions, work instruction updates and audit readiness. • Give frontline managers access to real-time reports to monitor workforce compliance. • Use automated reminders to prevent lapses in required certifications. Leading manufacturers I've worked with use compliance dashboards to show exactly who's trained on the latest standards, making audits faster and easier. When compliance is always visible, they can prevent problems before they happen. Step 5: Create A Culture Of Compliance And Continuous Improvement Compliance should improve operations, not slow them down. When workers understand its value, they become active participants in the process. And when you have a central repository that more employees can use and take ownership of, you can avoid a single point of failure. Here are some steps to get started: • Balance standardization with worker-driven improvements. • Make compliance a daily habit, not just an audit-driven requirement. • Reinforce that compliance isn't just about avoiding fines—it's about safety, efficiency and quality. Before And After Digitization: A Compliance Transformation When manufacturers shift from manual compliance to a digital system, the difference is night and day. Here's what that transformation looks like in action. Before automation, you'll see the following: • Compliance varies across shifts and locations. • Compliance issues aren't found until an audit. • Training records are scattered and incomplete. • Workers don't see updates to procedures. • Updating compliance documents is slow and manual. However, after digitization, you should see the following instead: • Digital work instructions ensure consistency. • Dashboards show compliance status in real time. • Training compliance is automated and trackable. • Employees must acknowledge changes before working. • Changes are instantly shared with all employees. Build A Stronger Compliance System Now Manufacturers that digitize compliance don't just avoid penalties—they set the standard for operational excellence. When compliance is built into daily operations, manufacturers don't just meet regulatory requirements. They lead their industry. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Industrial AI Strengthens Manufacturing Resilience
Jerry Dolinsky is the CEO of Dozuki , a leading connected worker solution for enterprise-level manufacturing companies. getty When I met James, a veteran maintenance technician, he could tell from a faint rattle whether a gearbox would seize in two days or two weeks. He knew the precise torque sequence that kept a 30‑year‑old stamping press humming past its rated life. When he retires next quarter, that intuition retires with him. Multiply James by thousands of soon‑to‑retire front-line workers, and you begin to see the quiet crisis I've observed across global manufacturing: Critical know‑how is evaporating faster than we can capture it. Knowledge attrition isn't an HR inconvenience anymore—it's an enterprise‑level risk to productivity, quality and safety. In BCG's 2024 AI adoption study, only 26% of surveyed companies had scaled value‑creating AI use cases. That gap reflects a failure to prioritize systemic problems like knowledge transfer over flashier pilots. Meanwhile, a June 2023 McKinsey report estimated GenAI could unlock up to $4 trillion in annual productivity, with manufacturing among the top beneficiaries. However, if we allow expertise to walk out the door, that upside disappears. From Tribal Wisdom To Institutional Memory In my work helping companies adopt AI on the factory floor, I've seen modern tools ingest everything from legacy SOPs to video walk-throughs and sensor data, transforming it into dynamic, role‑based guidance—instantly searchable on any device. I call this shift "process digitization at the speed of operation." If you're considering where to begin, here's how we've seen companies move quickly without overhauling their infrastructure: 1. Start with reality, not theory. Most plants already sit on a mountain of unstructured content—dusty binders, disconnected spreadsheets and endless ad-hoc videos. AI can now classify, tag and standardize that material in days, not quarters. The first win is unlocking the value of what you already have. We've helped teams skip the burden of marathon documentation sessions by capturing short videos on the line—think TikTok for torque specs. These clips feed AI models that autogenerate step‑by‑step instructions, multilingual subtitles and safety callouts. This results in work instructions that are ready before the next shift clocks in. 3. Embed feedback loops at the point of use. Operators know when an instruction doesn't match reality. With the right tools, they can flag discrepancies on the spot using voice notes or text. AI then reconciles those changes against global standards. This loop transforms compliance from a checklist into a real-time collaboration engine—and I've seen this reduce rework significantly. 4. Measure knowledge like any other asset. Some of the most forward-looking companies I work with now track knowledge using formal KPIs. • Percentage of critical tasks with validated digital standards • Time-to-competency for new hires • Number of front-line submitted improvements per quarter Treating knowledge like OEE or EBITDA reframes it as a performance driver, not an afterthought. 5. Build a culture where expertise scales. AI isn't a replacement—it's an amplifier. When companies elevate the voices of their most experienced workers and make their insights accessible to every shift, they build prestige around contribution. That attracts and retains the next generation of talent who expect consumer-grade digital tools on day one. Why Now: A Narrow, Urgent Window A convergence is happening in manufacturing right now that makes this the ideal moment to act and the worst time to wait. Demographic pressures are intensifying. A 2019 Manufacturing Institute survey found that many manufacturers had significant shares of their workforce that were over the age of 55—meaning they would reach retirement age within the decade. I've seen firsthand how this exodus is straining training pipelines, thinning teams and exposing production lines to operational risk. At the same time, the technology has matured. Cloud infrastructure is no longer a barrier, and the latest generation of large language models and computer vision tools has crossed the usability threshold. A small operational excellence team can now pilot in weeks what once required a systems integration army to deploy. Implementation is no longer about technical feasibility—it's about organizational will. Finally, there's competitive pressure. In a 2024 Lucidworks survey (via Reuters), 58% of surveyed manufacturers reported increasing their AI budgets, even amid concerns around accuracy and ROI. Leadership teams recognize that waiting is a strategic risk. To turn urgency into action, manufacturing leaders need a playbook. A Manufacturing-Leadership Playbook To operationalize these ideas, I've outlined five strategic moves with targeted questions and outcomes: Elevate knowledge retention to an enterprise priority. • CEO/COO: How much margin or uptime is at risk when veteran experts depart? • Directors And Plant Managers: Which lines are most exposed to undocumented know‑how? • Outcome: Converts an invisible liability into quantified exposure that merits investment. Launch a rapid-return lighthouse project. • Operations And Quality Leaders: Which high-variance process causes the most scrap, downtime or safety incidents? • Outcome: Demonstrates tangible ROI that can be socialized across sites and functions. Establish cross-functional governance. • CTO And Ops Leadership: Who owns the digital standard once AI drafts it—ops, quality or HR? • Outcome: Creates clear accountability and accelerates scale beyond a single pilot. Integrate front-line feedback loops. • Plant Managers: How will operators flag improvements in real time, and who reviews them? • Outcome: Turns compliance into collaboration, driving continuous process optimization. Align incentives with contribution—not tenure. • All Leaders: How do we recognize the engineer whose AI-generated guide saves 1,000 hours? • Outcome: Converts participation into prestige, boosting engagement and knowledge flow. Looking Ahead In five years, the competitive gap won't be between companies that use AI and those that don't. It will be between companies that scale institutional knowledge and those that must relearn the same lesson every time a badge changes hands. Industrial AI is the bridge between generations of expertise and the autonomous factories of the future. It's a resilience strategy. When James hands over his badge for the last time, the plant that captured his know-how will keep running like he never left—because in digital form, he never really did. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
