Why fragmented data slows down production processes

Khalil Zanklo on practical solutions, transparency and smarter collaboration

In many production environments, companies still rely on separate Excel files, local storage and disconnected systems. Information is spread across laptops, shared folders and manual reports. That often works fine if everyone knows exactly where everything is, until something goes wrong or someone leaves the company.

For software engineer Khalil Zanklo, that is exactly where an important part of innovation at Selmers can be found. Not in complicated theories, but in solving practical problems that customers face every day.

“Many customers still work with different systems or separate files,” he explains. “Everyone has their own Excel sheets, scripts or ways of working. As a result, a lot of things need to be checked manually, which increases the risk of errors.”

“Innovation is mainly about gaining better control over data and processes, so that manual checks become less necessary,” Khalil says. “I design systems in which data is centrally available and automatically verified, so everyone works with the same information, and everything becomes transparent.”

Fewer disconnected systems

That may sound like a small change, but in practice it makes a major difference. At some customer sites, information was scattered across laptops or stored in separate files. As a result, processes often became dependent on individual knowledge. As long as someone knew where information was stored, things worked. But as soon as that person was no longer available, the process became vulnerable.

“If data is not properly checked, errors occur,” Khalil explains. “For example, with parts, assets or production data. Then everything must be manually reviewed again.”

To improve this, Selmers developed systems that automatically process and verify data. “Customers receive feedback much faster when something goes wrong,” says Khalil. “At first, that can sometimes be confronting, because you suddenly gain clear insight into where errors occur. But ultimately, it makes processes far more reliable.”

The impact often becomes visible quite quickly in practice. The focus gradually shifts from checking and correcting towards improving and optimizing processes.

Directly applied in practice

What Khalil particularly appreciates about the way Selmers works is that solutions do not remain on the shelf for long. “We analyze a problem, develop a solution and then apply it directly at the customer’s site. That also means you immediately see what works and what still needs improvement.”

Direct contact with customers is exactly what makes the work interesting. “You see the challenges people face in practice. That allows you to develop much more targeted solutions.”

This approach also makes systems increasingly transparent. Data is brought together in one place, and information becomes more accessible to multiple people within an organization.

“As a result, you become less dependent on separate files or individual operators,” Khalil says. “Communication also becomes much clearer, because information is no longer scattered across emails or separate documents.”

Working smarter with data

That is where an important development for the industry lies in the coming years. Many companies still work with outdated systems or store information locally. As a result, knowledge is lost and errors occur within processes.

“The most important thing is that data is properly organized and centrally available,” Khalil says. “That creates more overview, makes errors visible more quickly, and allows processes to be organized far more efficiently.”