FUTURE
PROOFING
Digitally transforming in the manufacturing industry
By Tom Baldwin
Like many other industries , the pandemic significantly accelerated digital transformation in the manufacturing sector . Manufacturers had to cope with major disruption to both the workplace and supply chain , with many finding they could no longer rely on local spreadsheets and applications for effective operations . Consequently , digital transformation plans that had been several years away suddenly became a top priority .
The concept of digital transformation in manufacturing is relatively simple to understand but deeply complex to implement . Manufacturers are applying technology to reduce costs , increase agility , enhance quality , and ultimately maximize revenues , with use cases ranging from workforce productivity to asset utilization .
Digital transformation requires organizations to rethink how they are delivering to customers and stakeholders . It ’ s not enough to use more technology for existing processes . Instead , it requires a fundamental shift in how enterprises leverage technology , operations , and people to optimize performance .
Rapid technology development also helps to drive advanced applications such as artificial intelligence , data analytics , automation , edge computing , and decentralized management . To ensure success in the future , manufacturing technology leaders must spend time exploring the drivers and benefits of their digital transformation strategies now .
Manufacturing digital transformation focus areas
We ’ ve seen dramatic shifts in the ways people work . This includes team-based remote and hybrid models and an overall focus on business agility . These shifts highlight the need to move beyond thinking of digital transformation as just an IT challenge .
• Business Continuity & Resiliency The disruptions of the past few years highlighted the need to improve business continuity and resilience . Global disruptions , from pandemics to political tensions , are a fact of life . While preparing for every eventuality is impossible , a manufacturing organization must have systems and processes to respond to events and continue operations .
• Innovation Data generated from manufacturing and design can help improve product designs and factory efficiencies . However , the
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