Information is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. The reason why data science, till now an obscure function, is suddenly becoming mainstream is because companies are beginning to realise that competitive edge is more or less derived from the ability to harness their tidal wave of enterprise data.
The factory floor was often a black hole in the past. Adoption of technology has removed some of the operational blind spots and offered a clearer line of sight into the enterprise's operations and in turn, improved decision making. It provides for operational insights enough to ensure flawless manufacturing and, by extension, a more refined product?
The accelerated flow of information has impacted customers significantly, so much so that they have become more exacting in their demands from manufacturers. It is simply not enough anymore to come up with a slew of new features. Customers want clarity around what benefits are available to them and in the shortest span of time.
Most organisations have adopted contemporary technologies but in silos creating a connectivity gap in their operations. Digital technologies will play a major role in eliminating this gap.
Manufacturing industry, for its part, must deal with sweeping changes in technology. Key among them is digital manufacturing in which cross-functional teams work in parallel to engineer and validate designs, before committing to physical prototypes, resulting in better productivity and cost savings.
Moving to digital manufacturing is the hardest part
As the market strives to be more and more customer-centric, manufacturers feel compelled to adopt the "pull" strategy in product operations, where goods are made to meet demand, not in anticipation of demand as is the case in the traditional "push" approach to production.
To make a successful transition to just-in-time manufacturing of this kind, manufacturers must bring more discipline into their supply chain and use applications and web-based portals. Tight integration with business partners systems will bring visibility of their supply networks and stay in charge.
Contemporary ERP systems can certainly help the industry schedule its production better. And yet the challenges are far from over. The pressures range from the need for constant product innovation and faster product launches to agile operations to accommodate last-minute market flux or consumer whims.
All this needs to be carried out without sacrificing on the cost and quality front. Ensuring quality of products and product design is a given in this industry and to make sure there are only pleasant surprises for the customer, it's time analog quality indicators made way for digital ones. Customers also expect complete after-sales support from manufacturers. The consumer behaviour in this digital era is characterised by ‘simply tap, buy, use and throw'; so speed is of the essence in bringing new products to market.
(Continued on the next page)
