FEATURE INDUSTRY 4.0/IIOT
Kevin Bull, product strategy director at Columbus UK, explains how becoming a digitally empowered business can create better customer engagement throughout the entire product lifecycle, and deliver the best customer outcomes
D
igital transformation is a top strategic priority for 94% of executives, but in
order to realise its full potential, manufacturers must start to prioritise customer-centric enterprise solutions on their innovation roadmap. As innovative technologies continue to
steadily come to the fore across manufacturing, there has never been a more important time to evolve. Many manufacturers find themselves at a crossroads: to transform and thrive or to ignore digital transformation and fall behind the competition. Adopting a data- driven, customer-centric business model and leveraging technology that brings together physical and digital operations is key to helping manufacturers stay on track to success. Data is at the heart of digital
transformation. Manufacturers can enhance productivity and drive customer satisfaction by using data from the factory floor right through to the call centre. Any business management solution
adopted to streamline this process must be able to break down data silos to collect data from remote and disparate sources, integrate into multiple systems and visualise data – helping users gain meaningful and actionable insights spanning finance, production and sales operations. Improved visibility and access to data
also supports collaborative projects across teams, helping employees work better together and make more informed decisions quickly.
EFFICIENCY BREEDS EFFICIENCY When manufacturers have both efficient and effective data collection and visibility, they put themselves in the best place to streamline operations, strengthen customer loyalty and, crucially, find new areas for business growth. The right enterprise system will offer the capabilities to predict future trends that may impact production. Equipped with real-time insights, manufacturers can monitor and resolve
14 MAY 2020 | PROCESS & CONTROL TAKE THE ‘TRANSFORM AND THRIVE’ ROUTE
any machine issues while also understanding usage and performance to optimise machine lifecycles. These benefits combine to ensure 24-hour uptime and minimise operational disruption. Manufacturers already making headway
on their digital transformation journey can convert these efficiency gains into a real competitive advantage by moving towards a ‘smart factory’ model. The use of smart factory capabilities within ERP creates additional opportunity to optimise the supply chain and boost business performance. Research shows most manufacturers agree with this, with 92% expecting smart factory technologies to help them increase productivity levels per headcount. In the hard-fought battle to become the
manufacturer of choice, speed, flexibility and agility are everything. By removing the guesswork, manufacturers can swiftly speed up time-to-market to overtake competitors and keep pace with Industry 4.0 innovation. Through the increasing use of Internet of
Things (IoT) technology, manufacturers have the chance to add further services such as proactive maintenance and remote monitoring to standard support options. Delays and ad-hoc issue resolution can
quickly become a thing of the past with IoT. The right enterprise-wide system will enable users to intelligently coordinate remote technicians equipped with mobile tools and data at their fingertips to collaborate, share best practice and troubleshoot issues from anywhere, at any time. Brand loyalty and trust are essential for
survival in any highly competitive market. By providing a 360-degree view of the customer, comprehensive enterprise solutions give manufacturers all the
Kevin Bull, product strategy director at Columbus UK
Improved visibility and access to data supports collaborative projects across teams, helping employees work better together and make rapid, more informed decisions
information they need to fully understand issues and even configure tailored offerings based on each customer’s unique buying patterns. Coupled with predictive analytics
capabilities, manufacturers can go even further to solve problems or potential shortages before they have the chance to negatively impact the customer. Such a proactive approach demonstrates a manufacturer’s ‘people skills’, which can enhance its reputation among both existing and prospective customers. The right business management solution
will allow manufacturers to make use of embedded business intelligence and rich analytics capabilities, while providing users with the same level of convenience they expect from the consumer technologies and apps they use every day.
SEAMLESS OPERATIONS When selecting this crucial technology, manufacturers should look to connect the front and back office on a single end-to- end platform so users can manage every aspect of operations, at a pace and scale that’s right for the business. With business operations joined up and
frictionless, manufacturers can realise the benefits of digital transformation from the factory floor to the end customer. Having the right technological foundation for this is crucial – but the process is not ‘done’ once the technology is in place. To move with the times, manufacturers
should always look at digital transformation as a journey of process optimisation, business innovation and data-driven decision-making, all to consistently deliver the best customer outcomes.
Columbus
www.columbusglobal.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
