By Ivan Dopplé, GM & Global Practice Lead, Digital Workplace Services, Kyndryl
As businesses around the world continue to navigate increasingly complex supply chain environments, technology plays a pivotal role. Advancements have allowed organizations to see, understand, predict and prioritize challenges in innovative ways, enabling today’s leading manufacturers to successfully tackle systemic supply chain volatility.
Businesses have anticipated and avoided compounding disruptions and shortages in part by prioritizing employees’ digital workplace experience – and Dow is one company that has been on the leading edge of keeping things moving.
Dow, a company that manufactures and distributes products in over 150 countries, engaged Kyndryl to transform their device management program end-to-end. The company employs 35,700 employees worldwide who manage business relationships and deliver products into global supply chains across multiple industries.
This means Dow employees need reliable tools. A computer issue could, for example, delay the arrival of sealants used to ensure the structural integrity of runways at international airports, slowing important maintenance.
Kyndryl’s Digital Workplace Services practice worked with Dow to prioritize employee satisfaction and productivity through a few key focus areas:
- Kyndryl helped Dow improve efficiency around managing the entire device lifecycle, helping the company manage the complexities behind procuring, shipping, deploying and billing for thousands of devices. When devices are shipped to employees, they can expect a device that’s customizable and ready to use.
- Kyndryl worked with Dow to address employee feedback and overall satisfaction about device performance, determining the cause of applications running slowly and developing a secure solution.
- Kyndryl advised the company to own instead of lease devices. In addition to being more cost-effective and offering users greater flexibility in choosing the best tools for their roles, Dow could invest in new ways to monitor overall device system health – allowing for replacements while warranties still applied. Dow could also proactively solve issues, using knowledge from one case and preemptively applying it for users of similar devices.
We've improved performance and reliability through our device health monitoring practice, and that's foundational. We are seeing progress in our employee surveys.
Kyndryl is responsible for making sure that, when a device is shipped to the customer, everything works as expected [based on customer specifications] and the right software is loaded when the ‘On’ switch is pushed,” Anderson added. “Now, when people pick their new computers, they feel empowered knowing they are not stuck with a device for the full term of a lease if it’s not meeting their needs.”
As evidenced by the last few years, technology can unlock a new future for manufacturers – and their frontline and office employees alike. But it hasn’t been an easy journey.
In a recent IDC survey, 85% of respondents said that an improved employee experience and higher employee engagement translate to a better customer experience, higher customer satisfaction and higher revenues for their organization.
Today, the employee experience isn’t just key to business growth. It’s a key indicator of critical issues across the entire organization. Having up-to-date technology so workers can monitor valves, production, distribution and shipping means fewer interrputions that can affect the delivery of a product.
Dow has already seen results, including a 60% reduction of “blue screen of death” errors with multiple causes across device types, and a 10% increase in device life across the fleet.
Today’s employee wants to do the work they do best – and the necessary skills, inclusion and support to succeed. As the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, Kyndryl is uniquely positioned to help companies such as Dow and its employees navigate these operational challenges. In a fast-changing world, Kyndryl can equip enterprises to emerge stronger from disruptions and increase adaptability throughout their modernized manufacturing operations and IT management strategies.
