Innovation based on data and agility reinvents the manufacturing sector evolving at an incredible pace
Although there is no doubt that Digital Transformation definitely means progress with a capital “p”, it also raises some concerns in that it some may feel overwhelmed or unable to cope with the phenomenon.
The rapid pace of the digital transformation is breaking the limits in the business sphere. The industrial sector is undergoing even more drastic and fast changes, resulting in a vision of the future full of uncertainty and new challenges: product quality improving, fostering the production efficiency and competitiveness, optimizing safety and sustainability and being profitable.
Fostering operational efficiency by means of traditional measures is not enough anymore. In order to reach new rates of competitiveness, factories and warehouses must rely on digital and physical systems integration, benefit from the IoT capabilities, Big data analysis and automation to be much more agile and efficient. According to Microsoft estimates, 50% of the products will be smart and connected by the end of 2021.
And it is the said connectivity that has made possible the continuous generation of a huge volume of information, which has caused that the data culture has been positioned as a cornerstone of the digital transformation of companies.
One of the most advanced sectors in data analysis is the industrial sector within the framework of combination of the key technologies such as IoT for data collection, Big Data for its analysis and utilization and Machine Learning as the predictive analytics tool. According to Gartner, 90% of corporate strategies will consider data as their most principal asset in 2022.
Innovation available to all industry workers
Some of the biggest challenges the industry contends with are the supply chain disruption, remote work needs and dynamic levels of demand, classified as the new reality. Resiliency, efficiency and visibility are more important than ever, without leaving profitability behind: organizations are focused on obtaining results and maintaining stability because they need solutions that can be implemented quickly, with a clear ROI.
Solutions based on the low-code development democratize the experience of applications creation making it accessible for all users. In this context, we can find various tools offered by Power Apps, integrated within Power Platform, the low-code platform of Microsoft that allows to develop personalized applications without need to refer to technical profiles. The companies of the manufacturing sector can increase their productive capacity by 20% through adoption of approaches focused on data and automation, since 64% of the front-line workers lack proper technological tools.
With these new tools, one can adjust and regulate the execution of their transformation based on the company’s specifics and market. This way, digital transformation becomes a personalized and ideal process because it caters to the very specific needs of the organization. Falling in line with the general trend and processes that may seem too rapid and that do not necessarily meet one’s requirements is no longer a must. Taking the digita leap at one’s own pace is wht is now made possible thanks to the transversal benefits provided by the low-code platforms.
Anticipating changes based on data in order to work toward greater efficiency at the factory, and entering the path towards their agile innovation, will allow manufacturers to accelerate their transformation without feeling overwhelmed.
Article initially published in Industrie-mag.com.
