Manufacturers at the forefront of Multimodal Automation are saving thousands of hours, onboarding digital workers at scale, and rapidly advancing intelligent capabilities beyond traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA). These organizations have shattered the “this is how we’ve always done it” mindset and fully embraced the reality of digital transformation, unlocking new efficiencies and opportunities.
More importantly, they’ve done so at unprecedented speed, establishing Hyperautomation momentum through a disciplined rollout cadence and strategic alignment of projects.
As Hyperautomation evolves from a competitive advantage to a business necessity, the question is no longer if manufacturers will adopt it but when and at what pace. Why, then, do some organizations accelerate momentum so quickly, while others struggle to overcome stagnation?
This article explores how Lean Six Sigma principles and Hyperautomation technologies converge to create Digital Lean Momentum — and how a balanced focus on governance and culture can drive success.
Combining Tools
Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement (CI) teams in manufacturing have long been at the forefront of efficiency and waste elimination. Their strength lies in identifying problems, resolving root causes, and creating a culture of continuous improvement.
Hyperautomation, on the other hand, integrates AI-powered analytics and decision-making with automation technologies to eliminate manual, repetitive tasks. Together, these tools are transformative, addressing inefficiencies across three core dimensions: efficiency, effectiveness, and employee experience.
But how exactly do these tools complement one another?
Lean Supporting Intelligent Automation
Let’s examine how Lean principles support Hyperautomation by addressing common barriers to adoption.
A 2024 McKinsey survey highlights change management and workforce readiness as two of the most critical challenges manufacturers face in scaling automation. Often underestimated, these challenges revolve around aligning employees and corporate initiatives with new technologies and workflows.
Lean principles provide a powerful framework to overcome these hurdles by prioritizing education, communication, and cross-functional collaboration. For example:
- Educate employees on the “why” behind automation — how it reduces manual workloads, drives business goals, and creates opportunities for upskilling.
- Engage teams early in the automation journey to solicit ideas and alleviate resistance to change.
- Leverage CI teams to map inefficient processes and prioritize automation opportunities with the highest return on investment.
The real value of Hyperautomation is not just in cost savings or productivity gains but in the human impact. Improved workflows, simplified communication, and reduced burnout allow employees to focus on strategic tasks. As one manufacturing leader shared, “Automation has enabled us to take the robot out of the human.”
Intelligent Automation Accelerating Lean
While Lean identifies inefficiencies, Hyperautomation magnifies the impact of improvements by:
- Enhancing data collection and analysis to deliver deeper insights faster.
- Reducing cycle times through advanced tools like AI, Machine Learning (ML), and Document Understanding.
- Shifting decision-making from reactive to predictive, preventing issues like downtime or supply chain disruptions before they occur.
For instance, traditional Lean methodologies may identify a 15% reduction in operational costs, but Hyperautomation can amplify these efforts, achieving up to 30% reductions by integrating real-time data and predictive analytics.
ML and AI-powered solutions take this even further by addressing key operational challenges in innovative ways. For example, ML can analyze demand patterns to optimize inventory management, reducing overstock and stockouts simultaneously. AI-powered insights enhance production scheduling and workforce planning, minimizing bottlenecks and waste. These technologies ensure that Lean principles drive incremental improvements and enable transformative efficiency gains across manufacturing operations.
The path forward is clear: Lean and Hyperautomation are better together
A Deloitte study from 2024 shows that 92% of manufacturers plan to increase automation budgets over the next three years, with 34% of those increasing by more than 50%. As adoption accelerates, Hyperautomation becomes the differentiator in maximizing output, minimizing waste, and enhancing operational efficiency.
Leveraging existing Lean/CI teams as enablers for IA implementation is a solid strategy — if leveraged correctly. Their expertise in process mapping and their culture of relentless improvement are key to scaling and sustaining automation programs. However, this requires a clear connection to measurable results. CI teams must be accountable for aligning their initiatives with operational goals, ensuring every process improvement translates into tangible value, such as reduced cycle times, increased throughput, or cost savings.
Hyperautomation represents more than a technology trend; it’s a competitive imperative. By uniting Lean methodologies with Intelligent Automation and holding teams accountable for outcomes, manufacturers can achieve operational excellence, maintain workforce engagement, and build lasting momentum for the future.
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