A perfect process is exceedingly rare in manufacturing. Most have inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and imperfections. And while those problems are obvious or apparent in some cases, more often they are hidden and elude easy identification. When all those issues, across many different processes, are combined, they result in significant loss of time and money.
According to a landmark study into this issue, hidden waste costs the average manufacturer 25% or more of their operational capacity. A massive sum is being lost; big enough that it would transform the bottom line if the problem stopped.
Most manufacturers are aware that some percentage of their processes are less than perfect. But they may not realize just how much this problem costs them. Nor do they have good ways to study each process to find all the problems and engineer all the solutions.
Process mining is the answer manufacturers have been waiting for. And now Infor customers have the opportunity to get started.
What is Process Mining?
Process mining is a data-driven way to understand exactly how processes work in real-world settings. Instead of relying on assumptions, impressions, and estimations, managers get to see the reality.
Process mining has three phases:
- Discovery – Transactional data is collected from the ERP, and other sources that feed into the ERP, to understand exactly how a process runs from the first to last step. A detailed map is created to see how each step moves the process forward and contributes to the final outcome.
- Monitoring – The map of how the process actually runs is compared to a model of how the process is supposed to run, as designed under ideal conditions. Any discrepancies reveal where bottlenecks, breakdowns, and redundancies may be hiding.
- Optimization – Potential fixes and changes are applied to the process map, and the results are carefully observed in a simulated environment. This allows for experimentation with various changes without the cost and consequence of making them in a real factory setting.
What makes process mining distinct from past forms of process improvement is the ability to turn vast amounts of digital data into a “digital twin” of a real process. That twin can be studied and analyzed, up close and in detail. And it can be run through simulations and scenarios, allowing for trial without error. Process mining replaces guess work with a clear, objective understanding of problems and solutions.
How Does Infor Enable Process Mining?
Infor makes process mining not just possible but practical and accessible for manufactures of all sizes.
The first component is Infor ERP, which contains all the data and system event logs necessary to map a process through its entire life cycle. That’s true for production processes, as well as business processes like accounts receivable or financial reporting. It all starts with the ERP.
The other key component is Infor Process Mining, an AI-enhanced solution built specifically to map, analyze, and improve process flows. Both powerful and user-friendly, this solution automates the most complex and time-consuming parts of process mining while surfacing overlooked problems and practical solutions.
Infor Process Mining is included as part of the Infor Velocity Suite, which also includes industry-specific AI agents, GenAI, and robotic process automation. So, in addition to the insights to improve processes, manufacturers also have the tools in the form of advanced AI capable of automating manual workflows, standardizing erratic operations, and clarifying confusing concepts.
Getting Started with Process Mining
Process mining has the potential to save time and money, unleash productivity and innovation, and solve problems that have quietly held manufacturers back for years or decades. To call it a game-changing capability is to undersell how many problems it can solve and how much value it can drive. Plus, every single manufacturer on earth has processes that could be better—probably more of them than they realize.
It all starts with Infor ERP and the Infor Velocity Suite. It also takes some training to understand how to apply the technology to a particular manufacturing environment and all the processes inside. Guide Technologies can help on both fronts. As manufacturing technology experts and Infor specialists, we can lead the implementation from beginning to end. And after helping many of our clients learn to practice process mining, we can minimize the learning curve and maximize the ROI.
To review your specific business case and learn how to replace an adequate process with an optimal one, contact Guide Technologies.
