In this episode of the Connected Shopfloor Podcast, we speak with Francisco Ferro, Director of Business Development and Continuous Improvement at INCOMPOL, to explore the challenges of industrial management, digitalization, and continuous improvement in highly demanding sectors such as automotive and aerospace. With a background in Electrical Engineering and a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, Francisco brings a solid international track record, highlighted by nearly a decade at Rolls-Royce in Germany.

‍

The conversation delves into the cultural shock of returning to Portugal and the transition from German rigor to the reality of national factories, addressing how to introduce demanding processes without losing agility. Francisco shares fundamental reflections on data reliability in decision-making, the level of visibility that shopfloor operators should be given, and the constant trade-off between Production goals and Quality rigor to protect margins in a highly competitive market.

‍

Throughout the episode, topics like the hunt for efficiency, the elimination of invisible downtime, and human resistance to the digitalization process are also debated. The episode culminates in a discussion on Artificial Intelligence on the shopfloor: is technology facilitating management, or is it distancing leaders from direct contact with the team and the reality of the Gemba?