Creating easy-to-understand manuals is the key to success in on-site training in the manufacturing industry

In recent years, there has been a serious shortage of next-generation workers in the manufacturing industry .
Although we want to pass on the know-how that veteran employees have cultivated over many years, there are few young people who want to work in the manufacturing industry. .
We will explain in an easy-to-understand manner how to deal with the labor shortage in such a manufacturing industry, the issues in on-site education, and how to improve them.

Issues in educational settings in the manufacturing industry

The key to the success of on-site education in the manufacturing industry is the utilization of manuals . However, even if operation manuals and work procedure manuals related to machine operation have already been created, the reality is that they are often kept in storage and not fully utilized. The use of high-quality manuals not only maintains product quality and streamlines operations, but is also a useful item for personnel training. Therefore, we will explain in detail three issues of on-site training in the manufacturing industry
in the use of manuals .

using a paper manual

There are many cases where manuals created on a computer are printed on paper and used. Paper manuals are bulky and it takes a lot of time to find the information you want when you want it.
In addition, paper manuals must express actions in words, and Japanese language skills are required for both creation and reading.
A thick manual that is difficult to understand not only requires a lot of effort and time to obtain the necessary information, but also deprives you of the energy to read.
In addition, instructors find it troublesome to refer to manuals, and there are cases where manuals are not used even in new employee training.
It is difficult to make maximum use of paper manuals in the field, and some ingenuity is required.

There is no leader due to the dependence of work

In the manufacturing industry, there are many cases where work depends on individual skills, such as skilled craftsmen relying on intuition and experience to manufacture high-quality products, and veteran employees performing work at amazing speed. You can see
Although there are merits to personalizing the work, such as “This work must be done by XX”, it is motivating and beneficial, but if the person in charge retires or suddenly takes a break, there is a big risk that the work will stop.
In order to avoid risks, it is necessary to train successors.
If another person in charge performs the work that depends on the individual, the quality of the product may deteriorate, work efficiency may deteriorate, and productivity may be affected.
One of the major issues in the educational field is the lack of instructors due to personalization.

In OJT, the content varies depending on the instructor

On-the-job training (OJT) for instructors to acquire skills and knowledge through work. Under such OJT teaching, if the idea of ​​”getting used to it rather than learning” becomes apparent, teaching methods will vary depending on the instructor. In addition, there are cases where they cannot teach because they do not know how to teach.
Even if there is an understanding of human resource development, the reality is that it cannot be said to be an ideal educational environment if there is variation in the content of instruction.

What is a “cloud-based manual” that solves problems in the manufacturing industry?

A cloud-type manual is a manual that is stored on a cloud server on the Internet. This is a convenient system that allows you to view manuals from multiple terminals connected to the Internet.

Above all, with the cloud-based manual “Teachme Biz” , it is possible to create video manuals that could not be realized with paper.
The ease of understanding of the video manual is groundbreaking, and the content that is difficult to convey with just pictures and text explanations can be understood at once with the video manual.
In addition, video manuals can accurately record the high skills of specialized craftsmen and veteran employees, and by adding commentary, it is possible to create a manual that is easier to understand than looking at it directly.
Furthermore, with video manuals, you can check the manual repeatedly by yourself, so both instructors and employees receiving training can use their time efficiently.
In addition, by using manual training together, it is possible to train human resources without relying solely on OJT, so it is possible to reduce variations in training content.
In the cloud-based manual, you can not only search for tasks from the table of contents, but also search for relevant manuals from keywords.

How to use cloud-based manuals in human resource development in the manufacturing industry

Next, we will introduce five ways to utilize cloud-based manuals in human resource development .

A flow chart explaining how to use the equipment

If you want to create a manual for how to operate the equipment, we recommend using a flow chart format that follows the procedure in an easy-to-understand manner .
With Teachme Biz, anyone can easily create an easy-to-understand manual just by inserting images and text according to the template.
You can add easy-to-understand marks to images like the sample, and you can create flows that interweave videos and images, such as simple tasks on images and complex tasks on videos.
Video explains work that cannot be explained verbally

Tasks that are difficult to convey in words are easy to understand with video explanations .
With Teachme Biz, you can add shapes, text, subtitles, etc. to videos, so you can emphasize points and edit videos to make them easier to understand.
Ambiguous expressions such as “this angle” and sensory work can be conveyed in a way that is easier to understand than watching the demonstration directly.
You can watch the videos repeatedly, so you don’t have to teach the same thing over and over again.

Check how to do it on your smartphone even in the field where you can’t bring your own computer

In many cases, computers cannot be brought into manufacturing sites, and even if they are brought in, they often get in the way of work.
However, Teachme Biz can be operated from a smartphone or tablet terminal . Unlike a computer, a smartphone that fits in your pocket is easy to carry and easy to use on site. When you want to check the details of your work, you can immediately look at the manual, which not only reduces mistakes but also speeds up your work proficiency.

Easily update when your work changes

The manual should be updated as soon as possible when there is a change in work procedures or content .
In the case of manuals printed on paper, it is necessary to re-take pictures and re-print, so you have to recreate it from scratch.
However, with Teachme Biz, you can easily update the manual from your computer or smartphone. Since the manual can be easily updated, it can be updated immediately when there is a change, and it is less likely that the manual will be outdated and cause confusion in the field.

Linkage with external systems is also possible

Teachme Biz can also be linked with external systems . In addition to Teachme Biz, Studist Co., Ltd. provides a system “Teachme Biz for-Salesforce” that can display manuals on the operation screen of the system provided by Salesforce (Salesforce Japan).
By introducing Teachme Biz for-Salesforce along with Teachme Biz, you can seamlessly display the usage created with Teachme Biz on the Salesforce system operation screen.
In addition, manuals created with Teachme Biz and Teachme Biz for-Salesforce manuals can be viewed and created not only from the head office in Japan, but also from terminals at overseas branches.

Advantages of using cloud-based manuals for the manufacturing industry

A cloud-based manual that is extremely useful in human resource education. Here are three main benefits of using such a cloud-based manual .
Please refer to the link below for the benefits of manualizing operations.

Newcomers can review the work again and again

If you have a cloud-based manual, you can check the work procedure at any time if there is something you do not understand. Unlike paper manuals, there is no need to search for manual storage locations.
Furthermore, if it is a tool that can be viewed from a smartphone, it is possible to easily check it without having to leave the site to get the manual. You can check it repeatedly whenever you feel doubts, so you can reduce mistakes.

Anyone can get consistent results

One of the great advantages of using cloud-based manuals is that a certain level of quality can be maintained regardless of individual experience and ability . By checking the video manual, all employees can perform the same level of work, eliminating variations in ability.
In addition, you can prevent mistakes and reduce work mistakes by describing points to be careful about and common mistakes in the video manual.

Frees up time for instructors

Using video manuals eliminates the need for instructors to teach operations from scratch, and eliminates the need to repeatedly explain verbally.
Since instructors can educate without stopping their work , it is possible to develop human resources while maintaining the original work efficiency and quality.

Tips for successful human resource development in the manufacturing industry

Leaving human resource development to the workplace will only put a burden on leaders, and a backlash will occur. Furthermore, lack of communication between management and young employees can lead to young employees losing motivation and leaving their jobs.
In the manufacturing industry, I would like to introduce three tips for working together as a company to develop human resources and make them successful .

Create an evaluation system that motivates leaders

Human resource development is a task that requires leadership abilities that are different from the skills that instructors have cultivated in their work. This puts a heavy burden on those in charge of teaching. However, if the human resource development work is not evaluated, it is possible that the motivation will decrease because it will be perceived that “even if you instruct young people, it will not be evaluated as yourself.”
Therefore, it is very important to create an evaluation system that motivates leaders . For example, it is effective to show that you are evaluating them in a visible way, such as giving titles such as “Meister” or “Specialist”.
Furthermore, by setting evaluations for human resource development operations separately from evaluations for normal operations, business operators will clearly indicate that they want human resource development to be tackled as an operational issue, rather than being carried out as a side-effect of normal operations. is also important.

Build a relationship of trust between superiors and subordinates

Even if you have an effective video manual, you cannot create a better educational environment without a relationship of trust. It is also important to hear directly from the instructor about tips and points that you cannot understand just by watching the video .
No matter how good a manual you have, don’t rely solely on it, and work on creating a better work environment by communicating on a regular basis and building a relationship of trust between your superiors and subordinates.

Share the purpose of your work

Even if you use an easy-to-understand manual, if you train new employees only to teach them how to do the work, they will become “waiting for instructions” workers who cannot work without the manual.
In the manufacturing industry, the human resources that managers want to develop are excellent engineers who can devise new work procedures for making new products and work out more efficient work procedures. To that end, it is important to convey and share the meaning and purpose of the work,
rather than just explaining the procedures in the manual .

Successful cases of human resource development in the manufacturing industry

Finally, I would like to introduce three successful examples of human resource development in the manufacturing industry . Please use it as a reference for human resource development.

Accurate information sharing is possible even by remote control

Purpose of introduction : Establishment of a system that enables accurate information sharing even with remote control
Issues : Burden
effect in new employee training and manual creation : Shortening of work time, realization of operational efficiency

Smooth sharing of rules specific to startup companies

Purpose of introduction : Organizing internal operations and creating manuals for internal/external (end users)
Issues : Frequent changes and creation of rules specific to start-up companies within the company. Insufficient sharing of business manuals due to complete telework. Outside the company, the difficulty of operating paper manuals at drone flight sites. The work at the time of manual update is complicated.
Effect : Within the company, the burden of responding to internal inquiries has been reduced. Outside the company, the latest information can be provided to end users.

Improved and uniformed the skills of over 1,000 workers

Purpose of introduction :
Development of image and video manuals that visually show the flow of work Issues : Decrease in work quality after training
Effect : Improvement of understanding and accuracy of training, reduction of complaints

summary

We introduced the effectiveness of using manuals in on-site training in the manufacturing industry. If you want to conduct on-site training smoothly, we recommend the “cloud-type manual”, which allows anyone to easily create an easy-to-understand video manual.