As someone responsible for manufacturing operations, engaging with your team effectively (onboarding, training, general communications) is a crucial part of running a well-oiled machine.
Naturally, team safety is a top priority too—given the high-stakes, high-risk environment, where any communication gaps can have serious consequences.
This is why so many manufacturers across verticals are bringing in digital signage software for their shop floors.
Having a truly integrated communication system with centralized control can go a long way in enhancing team communication and ensuring their safety.
The Nervous System of Your Communication Strategy
Digital signage has evolved far beyond static messages or company news—it now acts as the team communication and engagement backbone.
When used effectively, it’s a live connection that brings critical safety alerts, real-time performance data, and team updates directly to the floor, right where employees need it most.
Instead of waiting for a supervisor’s update, workers get live notifications on their stations about production progress, upcoming safety checks, or even urgent alerts.
Digital Signage for Human-Driven Data Interpretation
Digital signage delivers data right to employees’ fingertips, empowering them to make informed, fast decisions on the spot. To make this work seamlessly, it’s essential to tailor content for specific areas.
For example, safety reminders near high-risk zones, like heavy machinery or chemical storage, keep hazards top of mind. Production metrics displayed by assembly lines let workers track their progress toward targets without needing to consult a manager.
Plugins that adapt content based on screen location and departmental needs make this possible. When each display caters to the specific needs of its spot on the floor, digital signage truly acts as a central nervous system, connecting every part of the operation.
Prioritizing Safety Through Digital Signage
Digital signage can be central to your safety efforts, bringing protection to the forefront in three ways: real-time alerts, constant visibility of safety protocols, and a culture that values proactive safety engagement.
1. Real-time safety alerts
One of the most powerful features of digital signage is its ability to deliver instant alerts during critical moments.
You want to be able to share the right message across devices and locations. And you want to share these messages fast. That’s what a CMS like L Squared is built to do.
For example, say you’ve got an emergency in one of your warehouses. With a CMS that’s built to handle such communication via signage, you can share instant emergency broadcasts for that warehouse.
When connected to factory IoT sensors, digital signage can automatically broadcast emergency updates, whether it’s a gas leak, equipment malfunction, or a fire hazard.
These real-time alerts ensure that every worker, not just supervisors, knows exactly what’s happening and can respond quickly.
2. Displaying safety protocols and procedures
Digital signage can be used to reinforce safety protocols throughout the day, such as PPE reminders, lockout/tagout guidelines, and evolving safety procedures.
Visible, consistent reminders keep everyone aligned and help prevent routine safety measures from being overlooked.
In a plant with different safety needs across departments, digital signage can display specific, rotating reminders in each area. Near chemical handling zones, you’ll see messages on chemical safety and proper storage.
In machinery-heavy areas, rotating reminders can include lockout procedures and machine operation guidelines. This ensures that safety protocols are always relevant to the work being done in each section.
3. Promoting a proactive safety culture
When it comes to communication around safety and emergencies, it’s not enough to simply disseminate communication and hope for the best. You also want your team to proactively participate in the process.
Digital signage can help here by encouraging workers to report concerns or suggest improvements directly through feedback options on the signage interface.
This visible safety-first approach fosters a stronger sense of responsibility and involvement in keeping the workplace secure.
Enhancing Engagement and Workforce Morale
You already know that creating a motivated and connected workforce is key to consistent performance.
But for many workplaces (including manufacturing floors), the lack of a centralized, scalable communication system for content planning and dissemination can be a massive hurdle—a hurdle digital signage eliminates.
1. Employee recognition and milestone display
It’s no secret that visible recognition reinforces a culture of appreciation, where employees feel their contributions matter.
Digital signage can be used to display achievements in real time, whether it’s highlighting team production milestones, celebrating an employee of the month, or marking birthdays and work anniversaries.
For example, Chep—one of the world’s leading pallet, container and pooling services companies—successfully uses digital signage to share employee recognition messages. And they do it for plant locations across seven countries and for a team with thousands of members.
2. Training and upskilling on the floor
Yes, continuous learning in manufacturing is crucial. But traditional training mechanisms can be more disruptive than helpful to continuous learning.
Digital signage offers on-demand learning that fits into daily routines, whether it’s safety updates, new procedures, or quick skill refreshers. This approach keeps learning accessible and minimizes downtime.
So instead of periodic, lengthy sessions, digital signage delivers short, frequent learning moments, allowing employees to stay informed without leaving the floor.
For example, at your plants, new safety procedures can be shared through well-placed digital signage, giving workers updates right at their stations.
You’re essentially eliminating the need for large group training sessions while also keeping everyone up-to-date.
3. Creating a collaborative, information-sharing culture
Digital signage bridges communication gaps across shifts, displaying team achievements, production goals, and updates that foster a collective focus.
This transparency encourages collaboration, making sure everyone is on the same page.
Democratizing Data Access with Digital Signage
Data shouldn’t be limited to managers; when everyone on the manufacturing floor has access to relevant information, decisions are quicker, workflows are smoother, and innovation flourishes.
Digital signage plays a central role in making data accessible and actionable for all employees, promoting a more agile and informed workplace.
1. From siloed data to facility-wide visibility
Traditionally, data in manufacturing has been siloed, available only to certain roles.
Digital signage brings this information out onto the floor, placing essential updates, production metrics, and safety data in high-visibility areas.
When employees at all levels can see this data, it’s easier to identify issues, suggest improvements, and respond swiftly to changes.
2. Strategic display and tailored content
Effective digital signage doesn’t just share data; it shares the right data in the right place.
Positioned thoughtfully around the facility, digital signage can display relevant KPIs in production areas, safety stats in break rooms, and maintenance schedules near equipment.
This targeted approach ensures that employees receive information that directly impacts their specific tasks.
3. Empowering ground-level decision-making
When employees have access to real-time data, they can act independently and make well-informed decisions on the spot.
This flattens hierarchies, speeds up response times, and fosters innovation from the shop floor up. With digital signage providing live insights, employees feel empowered to make improvements, reducing downtime and waste.
For example, a worker on the production line sees an alert about upcoming supply levels and makes adjustments to minimize waste, aligning the operation with sustainability goals.
Implementation Strategies for Effective Digital Signage in Manufacturing
Digital signage is a powerful tool, but its success hinges on effective planning and execution.
In manufacturing, the key to maximizing the impact of digital signage is thoughtful content management and regular maintenance. Here’s how to ensure that digital signage delivers consistent value.
1. Content planning and scheduling
Effective and scalable content governance is the backbone of a successful digital signage network. You want to be able to plan, create, execute, and manage signage content well, and across locations.
In a manufacturing context, that includes things like being able to schedule safety reminders for specific tasks, showcase real-time operational data, push communication to different functional teams at multiple locations, etc.
To do this at scale, ops leaders and HRM teams bring in digital signage software (like L Squared), which is essentially a CMS but built specifically for a digital signage network. With a CMS for digital signage, you can:
- Schedule content in a few clicks. The idea being to move away from manually sharing communication and delivering consistent messaging at the right time to the right people.
- Create content libraries. All of your content can be uploaded in one central location, which you can easily access, customize, and share. Your teams won’t have to scramble to find the right content, and the whole process is far easier and faster.
2. Routine maintenance and updates
For digital signage to remain effective, it must be maintained regularly. Outdated content or malfunctioning displays can lead to disengagement and missed opportunities.
Scheduling regular checks for both content updates and display functionality helps ensure that signage continues to deliver useful, timely information. Assigning a team to oversee this process guarantees that signage doesn’t become “background noise” on the floor.
💡Pro Tip: If you choose to invest in a digital signage network, work with software vendors who have strong hardware partnerships. For instance, L Squared is a CMS provider that’s also partners with Intel, Lenovo, Samsung, and other hardware vendors. The idea is to remove the hassle (and costs) of coordinating with multiple vendors during and post-implementation.
Digital Signage Makes Sense for Your Communication Goals
As technology continues to advance, digital signage in manufacturing will become even smarter and more connected.
Emerging technologies like interactive displays, AI-driven safety alerts, and predictive analytics will transform how signage works.
Interactive signage will enable workers to engage directly with the system, while AI and predictive analytics will anticipate risks and prevent issues before they arise.
Rather than just displaying information, digital signage will actively respond to real-time data, offering predictive insights and guiding workers on the spot.
The impact of these advancements will be significant, smarter, safer workplaces where employees have the tools to make quick, informed decisions.
