Luniko Consulting experienced a record 2020 year, helping manufacturers undergo transformations to adopt tools be part of an Industry 4.0 economy.

A recent YOOBIC study revealed that 87% of manufacturing workers still used paper forms at work, but 67% think digital tools would help improve their productivity. With digital transformations underway across industries due to the pandemic, companies like Luniko Consulting experienced a record 2020 year, helping manufacturers undergo transformations to adopt tools be part of an Industry 4.0 economy. Luniko’s success was worth a closer examination and Yassen Horanzsky sat down with Canadian Manufacturing to talk about how Luniko Consulting was helping manufacturers transition in 2021, and his outlook for pandemic recovery into 2022.

Canadian Manufacturing: We’ve heard about Luniko’s great success in 2020, I’m curious if you could highlight some of the most significant achievements in transforming manufacturers to make them more successful and how you did it?

Yassen Horanszky: Yeah absolutely. We’re a consultancy helping industrial companies, manufacturers and tech companies analyze their data and ERP implementations. We help to transform and change businesses through analyzing data from manufacturing businesses. We really try and keep a focus on people. By that we mean at Luniko, our philosophy is to understand people and who we’re working with, and who our clients are servicing.

Canadian Manufacturing: What were some of the challenges for manufacturers in a pandemic year when they were hurting, and their businesses were clearly affected? Beyond a drop in demand, what would prevent certain manufacturers from seeing the drop as an opportunity for a digital transformation?

Yassen Horanszky: The biggest thing is fear. They’re scared of a capital heavy investment. They’re afraid of a resource heavy investment and that these things won’t pay off. When consultancies leave, manufacturers often go back to their old ways which is a problem. Change management is often not factored in when manufacturers pay consultancies and implement an ERP. So reducing that fear is really important in helping manufacturers navigate their pandemic recovery.

“Pivoting for the sake of pivoting does not work.”

Canadian Manufacturing: Are there industries or businesses that are more resistant to change, or others that are more welcome to adopting and implementing an ERP for example?

Yassen Horanszky: Oh absolutely. We’ve found that aerospace companies are much more open to change and transformation. A lot of manufacturers are tied to commodity and raw goods and resource prices so their hands are tied, but companies in other manufacturing industries are definitely more open to asking the question, ‘Where can we improve, how can we create more value?’

Canadian Manufacturing: Have you ever spoken to manufacturers about transitioning or pivoting their business?

Yassen Horanszky: We have actually. I spoke to a CFO at a manufacturing company recently and his response to me was ‘Why? Because everyone else is doing it?’ They had a good business strategy. Pivoting for the sake of pivoting does not work. Don’t change your product, maybe change your strategy instead. Identify your advantages, listen to your data. This company actually could have pivoted the best, but instead, they just bought two or three struggling companies and increased their market share. Understand what makes you, you.

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This article first appeared on Canadian Manufacturing.