The era of robots doing a single task on an assembly line, day after day, is over. Digital transformation requires artificial intelligence, data management and agility, regardless of the size and sector of the company. Little by little, local businesses are getting started.
“Entrepreneurs are no longer cautious, they are interested and they are willing,” says Thierry Warin, professor of data sciences in the department of international affairs at HEC Montreal and researcher at the Interuniversity Research Center in Organization Analysis (CIRANO). “However, they are up against two things: a risk of recession this fall or winter and the labor shortage. »
In this context, embarking on digital transformation is not a reflex, but rather a challenge, even a headache.
“Everyone realizes the need to take the leap, but the lack of free time and expertise holds back businesses,” says Jonathan Gaudreault, professor in the department of computer science and software engineering at Laval University. It’s a bit of a chicken or egg situation: human resources are too busy looking for and recruiting staff to embark on digital transformation… but this would help to compensate for the shortage of staff. »
The solution, according to him? Participation from senior management, in addition to a vision and leadership that embraces the digital shift, without looking behind.
“It’s a choice to become a high-tech company,” adds Mr. Gaudreault, also director of the Industrial Systems Engineering Research Consortium 4.0. In this sense, it’s everyone’s responsibility… but if senior management doesn’t believe in it, it won’t go anywhere. »
The desire for innovation is indeed there, believes Jean-Denis Martin, general director of the Center for Research in Robotics, Vision and Artificial Intelligence (CRVI). And if several elements of digital transformation are developed and ready (cameras, robots, artificial intelligence, for example), it is the integration of the whole that sometimes takes time.
Neither Quebec nor Canada are leaders in digital transformation at the moment, according to the three experts interviewed, but they are well placed thanks to the momentum given by both levels of government.
“It’s a very positive aspect,” underlines Thierry Warin. There are a lot of public programs. The signal is sent: Quebec is a small, productive economy, open to the world, which is developing literacy on artificial intelligence. »
According to him, a successful digital transformation makes it possible to better predict what is coming thanks to its data management. “The company can then develop strategies and tactics to navigate the fog,” he explains. Data is a bit like fog lights: it will not predict the future, but it will enlighten us and tell us if we are still on the road. »
In its completed phase, digital transformation modifies the company’s very business model: it becomes a niche data company. He cites Tesla and John Deere as examples. “These are not companies in the automotive or agricultural fields,” he slips, “they are companies that collect, analyze and sell data. »
It was the desire to do things differently that pushed Bastien Larouche to found Roboistic, a kitchen cabinet manufacturing company, in 2012. Based in Saint-Apollinaire, the company uses entirely digital processes.
“Could I make kitchen cabinets with all the factory lights off? It was this idea that I started with,” says Mr. Larouche, visibly proud of the progress his company has made.
Not only does manufacturing take place using robotic cells, but orders are also made via a digital platform, which eliminates a lot of wasted time. In addition, the entrepreneur now has key information on his production and his customers.
“My database reveals everything about an order: its history, dates, rejections, what went well and what went wrong,” he says. And we never go backwards in our know-how! It doesn’t matter if people change, we can only build on what we have and what we already know. »
He adds that his core group of workers is valuable: everyone must play multiple roles. The company employs six to ten times fewer workers than a factory of similar size, which has an equivalent production volume.
And it’s not over. Bastien Larouche is still a high-tech enthusiast and he goes with the flow. “I am currently investing to move into a new digital phase with another way of placing orders, much more “2024”. »
