A new era of automation has arrived, driven by two capabilities related to AI.
First is the ability to observe processes up close, at great volume and high speed, to understand exactly what they entail and how the optimal workflow should operate.
Second is the ability to automate more processes than ever, with a greater degree of intelligence and independence, so that everything from the production line to the back office runs more efficiently.
Thanks to AI, turning a perfect process into an automated action is now possible for any manufacturer. A specialized toolkit from Infor makes it surprisingly easy.
An Introduction to the Infor Velocity Suite
The Infor Velocity Suite is a suite of AI-driven tools designed to accelerate AI adoption and maximize ROI for manufacturers. By making powerful AI capabilities integrated and accessible, Infor is helping manufacturers go from adopting AI to seeing a competitive advantage.
A perfect example is the Infor Process Mining tool. It uses AI to analyze system event logs and understand the steps involved with myriad business processes. It can map complicated processes with precision and detail and reveal how real-world processes deviate from best practices and prescribed protocols. In the process, it uncovers inefficiencies, bottlenecks, redundancies, and other areas for improvement. Process mining generates the insights to build a better process.
The Infor Velocity Suite includes a tool to make process mining simple and effective. It also includes tools to turn the data from process mining into automations that replace inconsistent and inefficient manual inputs with AI-driven precision. The suite builds a direct connection between insight and action.
Where Automation Success Starts
Process mining combined with intelligent AI explains how to make automation successful. The next question to ask is what to automate? Some processes are less appropriate for AI, while others deliver more immediate or substantial impact. Rather than trying to automate as much as possible, focus on picking the right processes:
- Rules and Repetition: Processes that are highly repetitive and based on clear, consistent rules are the easiest to automate. Anything that requires human judgment, subjective assessments, or company expertise will be harder to replicate with AI.
- Value and Velocity: Identify the automation efforts that would have the largest business impact or deliver the greatest ROI. Similarly, consider what would be the quickest and easiest to implement, or provide a quick win in the form of quantifiable process improvements.
- Systems and Strategy: Automation is just a means to advance organizational goals. Make sure that automation efforts align with larger technical, production, and business strategies, with clear objectives, metrics, and timelines to measure success.
- Planning and Priorities: Build a roadmap explaining how each automation will contribute to a larger success strategy and what the priorities will be over the coming quarters. When it’s necessary to make changes or additions to the original plans, use the roadmap to keep the new initiatives aligned with the trajectory of the overall automation effort.
Technology to Perfect Each Process
The Infor Velocity Suite has a unique ability to drive process improvements. Process mining finds the issues that have been ignored, overlooked, or underestimated. AI then offers a way to automate some or part of that process. By bundling these capabilities together, along with other industry-specific AI tools designed for high impact, the Infor Velocity suite helps vital processes run better than before.
Sometimes the improvements are subtle, other times they’re transformative. In all cases, when automation starts to feel more possible, practical, and productive, manufacturers can start redesigning processes to cut cost, complexity, waste, and redundancy. The cumulative effect is a more efficient and competitive company, not proficient in how to successfully use automation for innovation.
If process improvement is a priority at your company, the Infor Velocity Suite is the toolkit you need. Partner with Guide Technologies to put the technical infrastructure in place, then show you how to get started with process mining or automation design. Our team is here to engineer your success.
Wondering where automation fits into your organization? Contact us to explore the possibilities.
