Deploying Apple devices in hard hat/manufacturing industries

Manufacturing and hard hat industries benefit greatly from powerful yet easy-to-use Apple devices that transform processes and drive innovation. Learn about how Apple and Jamf help these industries transition business workflows to the digital age.

October 21 2024 by

Jesus Vigo

Project manager monitoring progress with Apple iPad, managed by Jamf.

Overview of Apple & Jamf in hard hat and manufacturing

The hard hat and manufacturing industries have always relied on advancements in technology to innovate production and drive productivity, allowing organizations to do more with less. A key facet of innovation in this space has always been automation. While production lines have certainly benefited from automating workflows, the deskless workers, whose responsibilities it is to ensure processes are executed without a hitch, have come to rely on mobile devices, like iPads and iPhones, to perform tasks that used to require a manual approach, integrating with modern data management workflows to simplify job functions while falling inline more closely with other links in the business continuity chain.

The old way vs the modern way

To best answer this question, let’s use the example of a warehouse manager responsible for coordinating with multiple departments to account for incoming raw materials and outgoing products for a manufacturer of automotive parts.

Not so long ago, the de facto standard that was the cornerstone of this role’s workflow was paper and pencil. One form logs the incoming receipt of materials used by the manufacturer to create products, and another form logs the outgoing packaging and shipment of finished products to customers. There was a form that logged issues with materials and products, and perhaps another form still that served as a master inventory list of everything stored in the warehouse.

Apart from managing all this paperwork, the supervisor was responsible for other facets that could impact and were impacted by the above-mentioned paper and pencil-based workflows, such as accuracy, efficiency, flexibility and security, just to name a few of the core concerns.

If the master inventory didn’t get updated correctly, if an employee wasn’t available to process an order or if a form with sensitive data relating to supply chain partners was lost/stolen, the entire operation could impact business continuity, leading to missing out on growth opportunities at best to loss of revenue at worst.

How do these industries use these devices?

The great thing about technology is that there’s no end to the ways in which it can leveraged to maximize productivity across global industries. The only limiting factors are an organization’s creativity in how they choose to implement technology resources to best suit their needs.

While it’s out of the scope of this blog to hit upon each possible implementation of Apple technology for each hard hat and manufacturing industry, using the warehouse manager role again, we’ll discuss some of the key points where Apple devices help industries work smarter — not harder, while streamlining management and employee workflows for greater:

  • Capacity: Scale to meet the needs of your growing business by handling larger order volumes with customized apps that run from your iPhone/iPad.
  • Efficiency: Improvements through automation not only reduce error-prone manual tasks but also speed up processes by replacing previous workflows with modern ones that ensure they perform accurately each time.
  • Accuracy: Speaking of accuracy, modernizing workflows through real-time data updates and intelligent inventory management further minimizes delays brought about by errors.
  • Integration: The ability to share data between applications seamlessly reduces data entry issues and inconsistencies by removing the requirement for human intervention, which may lead to the introduction of errors.
  • Security: Apple designs its hardware and software with security and privacy in mind. This philosophy extends to apps developed for its platform, including device management solutions, making device and data security and user safety a foundation of work performed with Apple devices.
  • Scalability: Scaling is a critical business function that impacts all aspects of the organization. Organized workflows and centralized data security equal business continuity processes that remain performant as they grow alongside your business needs.
  • Flexibility: Technology evolves over time and so do business needs. But remaining agile enough to pivot, as needed, is as easy as addressing the areas of change that are needed instead of redesigning the entire workflow compared to manual tasks.
  • Remote accessibility: At the intersection of flexibility and remote access lies the ability to perform tasks natively on Apple devices or the ability to centralize data by leveraging cloud-based apps. This allows remote access to critical data whenever it’s needed, from anywhere in real time.

Devices live (and thrive) in dynamic environments

The list above is far from extensive but provides a good cross-section of the varied sectors supported by Jamf, helping organizations to succeed with Apple through not just device management but also with:

Takeaways

  • Automating processes and workflows benefits HH/manufacturing organizations by reducing production errors while increasing efficiency.
  • Integration plays a key role, allowing data to remain secure as it is shared with trusted partners to minimize disruptions to productivity caused by data loss or incorrect data.
  • Apple devices are designed with security and privacy in mind. When paired with its industrial design, Apple hardware/software is flexible yet powerful enough to support a cross-section of global industries.
  • Jamf builds upon Apple’s foundation by providing HH/manufacturing industries solutions for managing and securing their Apple fleet through flexible workflows that are both easy to use and align business needs with compliance requirements.

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