When employees in the manufacturing sector need information, they need it quickly. However, relying on an outdated industry intranet means that teams waste time jumping from app to app or trying to track down the forms they need. This adds friction and hinders productivity.
Businesses in the manufacturing industry that adopt a modern intranet will deliver a better employee experience and make key information more accessible. A modern intranet connects people, documents, and processes across every facility. Here’s everything you need to know about an intranet for manufacturing sector businesses.
Manufacturers Need a Modern Industry Intranet
Manufacturing operations are fast-moving and highly regulated. When communication breaks down or information is hard to find, productivity and safety suffer. An intranet for manufacturing directly addresses these issues by consolidating tools, SOPs, and training.
The result? A better employee experience that sets your team up for success each day. They can quickly track down the information and tools they need. From an organizational perspective, an intranet for manufacturing helps you solve problems, such as:
- Fragmented communication across management, engineering, and the shop floor
- Limited access to critical information for frontline workers
- Difficulty managing policies, procedures, and safety documentation
Additionally, an intranet for manufacturing positions you to achieve industry-level digital collaboration. While your business is likely already adopting things like automation, sensors, and connected equipment, the digital backbone that supports your team is just as important.
Intranet for Manufacturing Solves Common Challenges
Traditional intranets served primarily as document repositories and digital bulletin boards for sharing some basic news and updates with your team. Modern solutions put you in control of the employee experience, enabling you to improve communication, compliance, and productivity through a centralized hub. Here are the features and capabilities you’ll unlock:
Centralized Communication for Distributed Teams
A modern intranet for manufacturing keeps your entire team aligned by giving every employee real-time access to critical updates the moment they’re released. Instead of relying on bulletin boards or shift huddles, the intranet becomes a single source of truth for time-sensitive communication.
Employees can quickly view essential information, such as:
- Alerts or notifications at the plant
- Shift schedules and staffing updates
- Production announcements
Every worker will receive the same verified information from a single source of truth. You can reduce mistakes and uncertainty as you promote a safer, more efficient environment for your workforce.
Streamlined Document and Policy Management
Manufacturing employees need fast, reliable access to accurate documents. Traditional shared drives or paper binders create delays and inconsistencies. A modern intranet centralizes every policy, SOP, and safety manual into a searchable, always up-to-date library. Your team will benefit from features like:
- Version control with automated updates
- Digital policy acknowledgement tools
- Audit-ready document histories
By eliminating outdated files and manual document distribution, you can reduce compliance risks and ensure your employees always have access to the latest approved materials. This creates a more consistent and organized operational environment across all plants and production teams.
Enhanced Collaboration Between Teams
Collaboration breaks down when departments use disconnected tools or rely on informal communication pathways. An intranet unifies all of the teams within a manufacturing organization, including the following:
- Engineering
- Production
- Quality control
- Leadership
They can work from a shared digital space where information flows effortlessly. Your teams can collaborate more effectively through project hubs and Microsoft Teams integration for real-time messaging.
Giving your team a centralized collaboration platform eliminates information silos and shortens response times. Everyone will be working from the same set of information, which can be an absolute game-changer when you need to get things done efficiently.
Improved Training and Onboarding
Training becomes more consistent and efficient when all learning materials are stored on a centralized intranet. New employees can access everything they need to get settled, including SOPs and safety resources. By giving them access and the ability to review at their own pace, you set new hires up for success. Key training advantages include:
- Role-based learning paths and onboarding portals
- AI-powered search for quick answers
- Trackable course completion and certifications
Regardless of where a plant is located, each employee will receive the same high-quality training experience. Supervisors gain visibility into their progress and can send reminders as needed to keep everyone on track.
Governance and Compliance Simplified
Your manufacturing organization faces constant pressure to maintain compliance with OSHA, ISO, and internal standards across multiple plants. A modern intranet simplifies governance by standardizing how policies are stored, reviewed, and updated. Compliance teams benefit from tools such as:
- Automated policy review workflows
- Digital signatures and acknowledgement tracking
- Centralized document retention schedules
You can make audits easier for your team and reduce the risk of outdated documents impacting decision-making. Together, these capabilities promote a unified, efficient employee experience.
The Role of AI in Industry Intranets
Artificial intelligence has entered the fold, which is making intranets even more capable and user-friendly. Intranets that have AI built in can:
- Recommend documents to employees based on recent activity
- Automate workflows to save time and boost productivity
- Analyze content usage to identify your top-performing documents
For example, Microsoft Copilot integrates with SharePoint, giving you the power of natural language search and process automation. Since both solutions are part of the Microsoft ecosystem, they also integrate with other 365 products, including Word, Planner, Viva, and more.
Your team will have the advantage of using tools they are already familiar with while gaining efficiency through AI. You’ll unlock predictive insights to identify where engagement is lacking so that you can optimize communication and the employee experience.
Benefits of a Manufacturing Intranet
Investing in a manufacturing intranet will deliver a strong ROI and condensed time to value for your business. Key benefits include the following:
- Real-time updates and better transparency between locations
- Increased productivity through reduced manual tasks
- Better employee engagement and retention
- Simplified compliance and document retrieval
Ready to unlock these advantages? It all starts with the right intranet solution for manufacturing. While there are many options out there, hubley is the ideal choice. Here’s a look at why.
Why Choose hubley as Your Manufacturing Intranet Partner?
As a leading intranet, hubley is highly customizable and intuitive. The user-friendly setup includes all of the tools you need to deliver timely, accurate information to your workforce at scale. Here are some reasons why manufacturers consistently choose hubley:
- The platform is built on SharePoint and Microsoft 365 to provide exceptional scalability and reliability
- Our industry intranet templates are designed for manufacturing workflows
- hubley integrates with Microsoft Copilot for AI-powered knowledge management
- We deliver proven results, improving communication for distributed teams
When you need a modern intranet that is nimble and scalable, look no further than hubley. It’s built for today’s workforce and has the tools you need to get the job done. Explore hubley’s manufacturing intranet to learn more.
