Navigating Digital Transformation in the Sheet Metal Industry

 In this episode of the Smart Metals Podcast, host Luke van Enkhuizen and co-host Dennis Gontcharov delve into Luke's journey from welder to consultant for the metalworking industry.

The discussion covers the challenges faced by metalworking companies in digital transformation and provides practical advice on how they can become more efficient and meet customer demands.

 Luke highlights the importance of creating a strategic plan, understanding customer needs, and ensuring comprehensive training for staff to effectively implement digital solutions. 

The conversation also touches on the role of vendors, the urgency for digital transformation due to market uncertainties, and the evolving landscape of software solutions in the industry. 

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Introduction and Host Background
• 00:42 Journey into Metalworking Consultancy
• 03:49 Understanding Sheet Metal and Industry Challenges
• 21:25 Common Pitfalls in Project Management
• 24:00 The Digitalization Gap in Metalworking
• 31:07 Steps to Embrace Digital Transformation

Notable Quotes:

1.  "So I have a very deep affiliation with actually the metal that I welded myself. And I always wondered like, how was this done? So I have this deep and a sort of passion for what I did when I was on the floor, knowing the frustrations, the inefficiencies. So I like to solve inefficiencies, right? I like things to work well." – Luke
2. "I often ask in any company that I come. My first question is like, 'Hey imagine I am new here today. This is my first day on the job. I'm an engineer. I have the qualifications. I have a business background. Tell me, I work in the work preparation department or I work in the sales department. Where can I find what I have to do? Like, what is the first next thing that I have to do? And where's the manual?'" – Luke
3. "So first step is get knowledge and start reading things, start watching videos, start really diving into this new generation media and don't rely on industry magazines or conferences where you only get vendor talk. Really! There is so much information out there about how you can digitally transform." – Luke
4. "I think that's a fair point to end because indeed one advantage of being so slow with adopting new technologies is that they by now have evolved so much that in my opinion, and you can see if you agree or not, that the biggest challenge is really not technical. We have great solutions. It's really about the manufacturers themselves. They've scoped discovering these by reading the correct resources." – Denis