In this series of 4 industry 4.0 blog posts, our Vice President Yannick Rondeau wants to equip you to better understand the major impact of technological change and the transition from paper to computerization on the performance and efficiency of your business. Follow us, let’s go!
Each technology built serves to meet a need. It is by meeting the various needs that technology can evolve and achieve what it is today.
— Jolyane Damphouse M. Éd., Doctorante en éducation UQTR-UQAM
I love this quote, some will say that my opinion is a little biased, maybe… (it is my wife! ?) This one however paints very well the evolution of the technology we know today. It is also the pillar of what will be discussed in a series of four articles: the evolution in technological needs, more precisely in IT solutions.
We have a long history of trying to improve the technologies around us, across all sectors. One of them, paper, is an invention that dates back a long time ago (105 AD) still used wisely today, it seals very important information. Among other things, this paper has enabled various businesses to grow and flourish. However, with the evolution of technology, is its place within companies questioned? I don’t think so.
Requirements
If there is one thing I have learned over time, it is that it is essential to understand the need for a tool to properly analyze it. Whether in the computer field, where customer needs are analyzed, or in everyday life, where a banal knife can be designed for a very precise use.
Recording of relevant information
Although paper is used less today, it is still important. A large number of companies, more specifically SMEs, still use this tool for data collection purposes, such as the production of goods, accounting, finance, invoicing, etc. However, the arrival of the computer, smart phones and other technological tools make paper documents lose ground. But why?
Efficiency
The use of paper is very effective! Just have a pencil… and a piece of paper and voila! We can note the information that is important to us. It is much faster to take a pencil and a sheet of paper than to open your computer, launch software and then be able to enter the information, hoping to be in the right place.
In the field of management software, it’s the same story. Many companies still use this tool to manage their inventory, billing, customer follow-up, etc. This tool allows them to be fast and efficient, but at what cost?
Cost
Office supplies are now inexpensive and allow immediate use. The cost of printed documents (bordeaux deliveries, customer sheets, etc.) and punch machines may be less expensive than large format software.
It goes without saying that the purchase of supplies is essential for a company. In addition, it must never be forgotten that the decrease in the running cost of a company allows an increased profitability or a lower average price for the market. So would paper be more cost effective? Not necessarily.
In brief
As you can see, there are many advantages to using this tool, which is hundreds of years old. However, there are many flaws that we will focus on in the next article. Among other issues, there will be the classification of documents, the more precise efficiency of software or the return on such an investment. This will be another step towards the 4.0 era, are you ready?
