Find Out Who Can Help Our Manufacturing Firm Excel with Technology

Right Hand Ranks 46th In The Channel E2E Top 100 In Manufacturing

Right Hand in Pittsburgh, PA recently made the Channel E2E Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs List for 2019. We ranked among the top vertical market MSPs in the Manufacturing Industry.

The Channel E2E Top 100 Vertical identifies leading managed services providers (MSPs) in healthcare, manufacturing, financial services/banking, retail, transportation, government, education, legal/law firms and more.

The annual list identifies and honors the top 100 managed services providers (MSPs) in manufacturing, healthcare, government, financial services, legal, not-for-profit, and other vertical markets.

How Is The Channel E2E Ranking Conducted?

The Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs rankings are based on ChannelE2E’s Q4 2018 and January 2019 readership survey, and ChannelE2E’s vertical market industry coverage. MSPs featured throughout the list and have extensive vertical market expertise.

ChannelE2E tracks every stage of the IT service provider journey — Right Hand was chosen for our service to the Manufacturing Industry in Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

This year’s research revealed several key MSP market trends. Among the Top 100 Vertical Market MSPs for 2019:

• Honorees generated a combined $699.1 million in vertical market annual recurring revenue (ARR) for 2018, up from $277.3 million in 2017. The surge involved organic growth combined with aggressive merger and acquisition (M&A) activity.
• Honorees are managing nearly one million devices.
• The most successful vertical market MSPs are zeroing in on financial services and healthcare, while manufacturing, legal and not-for-profit vertical activities are accelerating.

“Manufacturing is central to our economy, and it has recently come under attack by cybercriminals,” said Jason Vanzin, CEO, Right Hand. “It is the backbone of every great nation, and we are pleased to be recognized 4 years in a row for servicing and protecting the industry. We look forward to continuing to partner with top manufacturers to help protect and grow their businesses.”

Has Right Hand Received Other Honors?

Right Hand is a four-time honoree and has also been recognized by the following awards:

• CRN MSP 500 2017 & 2018
• MSPMentor MSP 501 2016, 2017 & 2018

How Does Right Hand Help Manufacturing Companies Succeed With Technology?

The world of manufacturing is evolving, along with technology. And things are changing at such a fast rate that many small manufacturers have a hard time keeping pace. Below, we go over 5 major issues that manufacturers grapple with when it comes to technology.

1. Regulatory Compliance

Manufacturing regulatory compliance covers a broad range of issues, and it exists in all areas. It includes things like business systems, environmental issues, health, safety and IT. If management doesn’t create an environment that ensures manufacturing compliance or doesn’t document the steps to achieve it, the manufacturing company could be held accountable for compliance breaches. This includes data breaches.

Compliance, including IT compliance, must be integral to day-to-day business operations. It’s important to configure and execute IT compliance surveys, certifications, and assessments based on pre-defined templates; and to also schedule automatic assessments based on predefined criteria. For issue remediations, they need to adopt a systematic process to document, investigate, and resolve IT compliance and control issues.

Manufacturers must also ensure they have complete visibility into supply chains so they can prove not only their own compliance but also that of their suppliers. Regulations also require tracking where specific items have been used and to trace materials used in its manufacture.

To do this requires a structure of the overall IT compliance hierarchy, including processes, assets, risks, controls, and audits, and to map controls to compliance regulations and policies, to enable an integrated approach to ongoing activities and IT compliance. And all of this requires up-to-date, reliable and secure hardware and software.

2. Keeping Technology Up-To-Date To Lower Manufacturing Costs

Many small manufacturing companies function under stringent budgets. This means that they often don’t have the finances to purchase the latest technology. Technology innovations change at a dizzying pace, and small manufacturers struggle to keep up.

But this is important to do. Up-to-date technology can help to lower manufacturing costs. Up-to-date technology reduces errors, the need for manpower, and lowers energy costs—And it improves productivity. When employees can work with the best computers, applications, etc. they can get more done.

It helps manufacturers check if the production process is lagging or increases the time to market. With the right technology, they can benefit from more systematic processes and innovation rather than leaving this to chance.

It’s also essential to keep technology equipment functioning at optimal levels. Regular preventive maintenance is the key. And software programs and hardware must be updated regularly. Routine proactive maintenance of technology equipment prevents costly breakdowns and keeps employees working.

More manufacturing companies are relying on IT services like HaaS (Hardware-as-a-Service). Rather than purchasing technology, they rent it for a monthly fee. The hardware is managed and maintained by the IT service company and replaced when it becomes out of date.

3. Overworked IT Staff

With manufacturing companies growing, increasing technology demands can overload IT staff. And when they need to implement new projects, their technicians may have to work overtime. This is not only expensive when they have to pay them for overtime, but overworked techs can make mistakes that can cost even more.

There’s a great solution to this, and it’s inexpensive and straightforward to implement: Contract with an IT service company to bring on an outsourced tech.

An outsourced tech can come in and work solely on the project or help with mundane tasks. Their job is to work alongside existing in-house IT teams to get everything done each day. IT personnel won’t be replaced — They’ll receive the help they need, so the manufacturing business doesn’t suffer.

4. Lack Of IT Talent

The number of tech employment opportunities is expected to increase by 12% by 2024. This means an even more competitive hiring environment when looking for IT employees. And in-demand tech skills will result in higher salaries to get the best tech professionals onboard.

An IT service company that specializes in serving small manufacturers can often provide the talent needed to deal with this shortage. They’ll know what skills a manufacturing company needs and can provide the outsourced help to overcome challenges of IT talent shortage. This saves time and all the costs associated with hiring IT employees. Partnering with an IT service company can help small manufacturers ramp up quickly and maintain the competitive advantage they need.

5. IT Uptime

Unlike with other industries, uptime results in value-added goods for customers. This is because when uptime is high, the production line is making money. Downtime can create significant damage to manufacturing businesses. Every minute that operations aren’t up and running, there’s a chance that they’ll lose revenue.

Downtime can be caused by technology issues that interfere with production. It can also be caused by scheduled maintenance or unscheduled stoppages. Unplanned downtime can be debilitating to manufacturers who rely on their technology to stay competitive.

This can be solved by using an IT service company that monitors and maintains technology 24/7. With remote monitoring and management, they can prevent IT downtime and increase uptime.

What’s The Answer?

Manufacturers deal with issues like these every day. From compliance to improving uptime, using the right technology and having the professionals on hand when you need them will help you improve throughput at a lower cost.

In addition to manufacturing businesses, Right Hand helps all of our clients succeed and grow their businesses with the right technology. We do this by providing expert technology services and solutions to make their jobs easier and to help their employees be more productive.

Stay up-to-date on what manufacturers and other businesses need for reliable and secure technology today. Check out our Blog.