---
title: Why gamification matters for manufacturing - and how it can work
description: "Business Central Manufacturing Show - episode 12. Interview with Paul Hogendoorn: why gamification matters for manufacturing, and how it can work."
---

[Production Scheduling Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ](https://blog.netronic.com)

# [Why gamification matters for manufacturing - and how it can work](https://blog.netronic.com/why-gamification-matters-for-manufacturing-and-how-it-can-work)

 Written by [Martin Karlowitsch](https://blog.netronic.com/author/martin-karlowitsch) | Jun 8, 2020 9:28:28 AM

**Paul Hogendoorn** was my guest for the 12th episode of the Business Central Manufacturing Show. Paul is an incurable entrepreneur from Canada and has founded, co-founded, or helped launch numerous ventures over his 30+ year career, including most recently, FreePoint Technologies. FreePoint's unique technology captures and delivers real-time productivity information, connecting plant floor manufacturing processes directly to managers and operators in innovative, practical, and cost-effective ways. I picked up one of his recent likes on LinkedIn and started the conversation with a question on gamification. This let to a vital discussion on **why gamification matters for manufacturing companies**. (spoiler: among other benefits, it can yield a 25% uptick in productivity for high-mix low-volume manufacturers). The good news is: we didn't stop with the why, but also looked at a **hands-on recipe how it can get implemented, and what metrics can help with gamification**.  

 

Paul opens the podcast with the strong statement that gamification can help manufacturing companies to solve one of their most imminent problems: attract young people to take over jobs on the shop-floor. 

Gamification brings elements to their jobs that they have been enjoying throughout their lives (e.g. while playing video games). With gamification, operators and shop-floor workers get immediate feedback, an immediate sense of accomplishment, and hence - potentially - also immediate rewards.

As such, the two most important aspects of gamification are: on the one hand **feedback being meaningful** and on the other hand **feedback being real-time**. An example of meaningful feedback is the number of hours workers achieved a regular rhythm and cadence. Concerning real-time, it is important that this is not meant in the way that operators produce real-time data, but that they receive real-time feedback on ***their*** progress.

However, gamification also is about finding the **right balance between collaboration and competition**. Operators and shop-floor workers should see themselves as part of one team (e.g. shift or cell) with a common goal that they pursue "against" other teams.

As complex as this sounds. Paul also shares a hands-on recipe on how to introduce something like gamification into a manufacturing company. The results of this are striking: **steady-state production companies can yield 10%+ productivity gains, whereas the uptick for HMLV (high-mix low-volume) often is more than 25%**.

The conversation closes with some thoughts about the role of a modern ERP system such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central in making shop-floor jobs more attractive.

 

You can tune in below 👇 on [Apple Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/business-central-manufacturing-show/id1505098233), [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/4Vrub8r9fvm2PAPx1CMPzh), [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/business-central-manufacturing-show?refid=stpr), [TuneIn,](https://tunein.com/podcasts/Technology-Podcasts/Business-Central-Manufacturing-Show-p1309391/) or anywhere you get your podcasts.

 

 

### On this episode, you'll learn:

- What gamification is, and why it matters for manufacturing companies.
- That gamification equals making things real in real-time.
- That maintaining a regular rhythm and cadence is the most significant driver of shopfloor productivity.
- To which extent leaderboards and comparisons with other shifts or cells (and their KPIs) can help (and not).
- Why information systems always should be made to help people make the right decisions.
- That giving operators and people on the shop-floor real-time data will help them modify their behavior.
- Actual results that you can achieve with gamification of the shopfloor: steady-state production --> 10% productivity gains; HMLV --> 25% uptick.
- Why "value-adding activity" is a great metric to track.
- The role of an ERP system, and a modern system like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central within the gamification process.

### What to listen for:

- [01.47] Why gamification can be an important mechanism to attract young people to shop-floor jobs.
- [03.55] The importance of meaningful feedback for operators, and why this oftentimes misses in today's measurement systems.
- [04.55] An example of a meaningful KPI to help operators with their day-to-day work.
- [06.31] That a great gamification approach combines both competition and collaboration (achieve a common goal with each other against other teams).
- [10.08] The different time horizons that different information systems are made for ... and why a "system" misses "how I am doing now" information that helps shop-floor workers to make the right decisions in real-time. 
- [13.36] How you can introduce some kind of gamification through the backdoor, e.g. as part of an IoT project --> very hands-on recipe.
- [15.45] Tangible results from introducing gamification into different types of manufacturing companies.
- [18.06] Differences in technology adoptions in different areas of the world.
- [21:05] That gamification can help to enrich jobs at the shop-floor level (and hence they become attractive to young people again, and do not need to get taken over by robots).

 

#### Links to love **❤️**:

- [The Business Central Manufacturing Show home](https://www.netronic.com/business-central-manufacturing-show)
- [Sign up for an upcoming webinar on visual scheduling for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central](https://blog.netronic.com/cs/c/?cta_guid=367ee03f-2eb0-4b43-91c7-e523ed843ff5&placement_guid=f9a21171-06b5-4f44-8659-0ed833a81728&portal_id=315990&canon=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.netronic.com%2Fcalling-all-microsoft-dynamics-365-business-central-manufacturing-specialists&redirect_url=APefjpFjcTnYPuX4vGcdYAOUvzLdRI9bDcuC7KJ77tG9rz9RPXO2R1lkiKpICOIz9y2inPQDpw9IWbvDQoQFGAcnLT19XTWvkUGXKqs1effCgsUoSI-x1ct1Bkx1TXt_2iopHsFgCGTFFromOmMgSuFcpKkK3XbeNS14Pk1Oi7tnMh7XW7NtL6y8Fmtg1o8I5-aQ5coOPWFzEr_5D7-hYio9y57sze3EkzPM9lUTNGQN9w_x64HuogDVqu9fvNHE72ecxD7kIOjdf5R5h1d53ZAIYv2AiDdrZ9HbWJv1G_YGC-3jwgibVOcnzVHi1XhfTatOG5Lcs4ZUWWitlfh9H5gmUa_cj1TB4w&click=77cd8804-881b-48b8-a26d-15f3ca514d39&hsutk=0fbce30a2ace8e72c8df11378ee30281&signature=AAH58kEaqN4UHdKsWAnXh46GbYDkC6Mgqg&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.netronic.com%2F&pageId=27700544687&__hstc=77119754.0fbce30a2ace8e72c8df11378ee30281.1573718215693.1585719418694.1585747218002.220&__hssc=77119754.2.1585890777947&__hsfp=2031519601&contentType=blog-post)
- [Martin Karlowitsch on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkarlowitsch/)
- [Paul Hogendoorn on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulhogendoorn/)

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