8CIOReview | | DECEMBER 2024IN MY OPINIONREVOLUTIONIZING ENTERPRISE EFFICIENCY WITH ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION By Alejandro Gonzalez, Director of Global Continuous Improvement, Kohler CoAlejandro Gonzalez is a globally adept Black Belt Leader, spearheading global continuous improvement at Kohler Co. With extensive experience in process enhancement and operations management, Alejandro has navigated international facilities across Asia Pacific, EMEA, Latin America, and North America. Proficient in Kaizen, Shingo, and Six Sigma methodologies, he formulates and implements strategic initiatives to optimize workflow and align with organizational goals. His leadership, interpersonal finesse and articulate communication empower collaboration across diverse teams, driving sustainable improvement.Alejandro Gonzalez, shares his insights into successful execution, future trends, and leadership strategies, offering invaluable guidance to organizations seeking to optimize their workflow.Many global companies still rely on outdated manual processes for handling data. For instance, I recall a transactional department that was hired to manually enter data from multiple sources of information into a simple spreadsheet, such as part numbers, part descriptions, date and inventory quantity to be sent to the IT department to perform a mass data upload to another system. This was a laborious and time-consuming task. While the end goal was valuable, the method seemed inefficient.What I'm describing is part of what we call 'workflow,' which in simple terms, basically is a series of steps needed to finish a task, like following a recipe to bake a cake. Just like in baking, where you gather ingredients, mix them, and bake them in the oven, workflows involve steps that take input, transform it in some way, and produce an output.In my professional career, I have spent most of my time focusing on finding ways to enhance the efficiency and productivity of many transactional and manufacturing processes. While I was doing some brainstorming and research to find solutions, I ran into robotic process automation (RPA). RPA is software that has some machine learning capabilities, that ultimately help to handle high-volume, repetitive tasks previously performed by entire departments. A Simple bot can automatically extract and combine information, freeing up human resources for more creative and value-added activitiesApplying the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act), as I traditionally do in every single project I have ever managed, I planned the RPA integration, which involved understanding inputs, transformations and desired outputs (Plan), developing the algorithm (Do), deploying and testing the tool (Check) and maintaining control over its usage (Act).When it was time to evaluate the results of RPA, which was the migration from manual to automated tasks in the SPQDC areas I always examined and found substantial improvements:Safety: Improved ergonomic conditions, reducing physical strain on neck, arms and wrists.People: Reduced training costs.Quality: Improved data accuracy, caused previously by fatigue and other physical factors.Delivery: Times were 80% faster, improving customer experienceCost: Higher ROI, driving results in months, as opposed to years.If you wonder where you can apply for RPA, let me tell you that I can easily envision applications across By Alejandro Gonzalez, Director of Global Continuous Improvement, Kohler CoAlejandro Gonzalez
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