The way businesses operate and deal with each other is changing – not only in Africa, but across the globe, and automation is a key factor in that evolution. For manufacturing businesses, this is affecting not only the production method with manufacturing automation, but also the way in which day to day activities are conducted. In this article, we are going to look at operational business automation, and how adoption of these processes and techniques can help your business evolve and grow to the next level.
African manufacturing businesses tend to deal with domestic opportunities, with exports coming mostly from ‘super exporters’ (those that deal with global exports on a large scale).
According to IAP UNIDO, the industries which have the biggest impact on manufacturing exports in Sub-Saharan Africa include:
And in South Africa, only around 19 – 24% of manufacturing firms export their goods.
The potential for the manufacturing industry to grow in Africa is huge, with Brookings estimating that there are opportunities for production to be doubled to nearly $1 trillion within the next ten years.
Positioning your business for growth and expansion requires an innovative approach – one that is future-facing, strategic, and able to adapt to the changes that are already making a difference in the way manufacturers connect with their customers, their suppliers, and their key stakeholders. By preparing yourself, and looking at business automation, you can transform your company in a number of highly beneficial ways.
Business automation is a process that takes the time and effort out of repetitive daily tasks, allowing you to free up your resources for the work that needs experience and expertise. It also allows you to examine your insights, and make smart, data-driven decisions about the future of your business; from marketing decisions and strategy, to scheduling your employees time, and more.
Some manufacturers will sell directly to customers, but the majority will be selling to other businesses (B2B) and generally on a domestic level. This means there are a finite number of potential customers in the region, and the importance of your reputation and how you work cannot be understated – even if you are in a niche part of the manufacturing industry, word will still travel extremely quickly as to whether you should be worked with or not, and if your processes are not streamlined and efficient, you could not only be losing potential business, but you could be actively damaging your reputation and losing business customers as a result.
Business automation, when handled correctly, allows you to make the fullest use out of your data, examining it not only for new opportunities, but also to discover new trends, make new connections, and determine where your company should be heading next.
In order to make sensible decisions for your company, you need to examine the benefits and downsides of any action, and when it comes to the adoption of automated processes, it is no different.
Some of the key benefits of becoming automated include for African manufacturing businesses:
There are some downsides to automation, especially for companies who have not been largely digital before, and these include:
However, many of these downsides are issues that only occur during the initial setup phase, and the benefits of the processes often mitigate the time and expense of this first phase - and issues relating to tools and applications can often be minimised by taking the time to do research, finding appropriate technology partners, and solutions which have been designed for your company, rather than an ‘off the shelf’ method that does not account for your specific needs.
Adoption of automation has been slow in Africa, mainly due to the unique challenges of the area, especially regarding availability, coverage, and operation. But, as more businesses seek out solutions, and find the right tools for their tasks, automation will continue to grow and evolve.
Manufacturing businesses will find that the more targeted approach offered by automation will allow for greater expansion, increased business opportunities, and the ability to reach for a global audience with fewer hurdles.
There will eventually come a point where those that are late in adopting automation will find themselves behind their competitors and having to rush through the process to catch up – this can lead to a number of issues, and avoidable extra expenses.
To get your manufacturing business on the right path, and ready for the future – whether that remains at a local level, or sees you expand to become a global operation, we have put together a process that provides you with bespoke solutions that address your specific needs, with programs and applications that help you handle your data and your day-to-day operational needs in a way that works for you.
When you work with TEBillion, you will benefit from:
Find out how TEBillion can take your manufacturing business to the next level, book a demo today and start on your path with the TEBillion way.
