industry 4.0 / smart factories


manufacturers that adapt will outmanoeuvre the competition


ronnie Wilson, group executive vice president at Serviceware, discusses the importance of innovation and why manufacturers need to innovate strategically over the coming year.


impacts of digitisation, even if those innovations were not initially planned. this almost accidental repercussion of firefighting has seamlessly become an expectation as many companies have now been pushed over the technology tipping point. now, having moved beyond safeguarding mode, the onus is on


o manufacturers to display a


more embedded and sustainable innovation culture to enable them to


compete in the ‘next normal’. according to mcKinsey, ‘stay[ing]


competitive in this business and economic environment requires new strategies and practices’. the aspects of innovation that worked during the last year will be expected to now stay and evolve. as industries start to show signs of recovery, the real innovation must be around unearthing what this bespoke future should look like from business to business, and what approach this vision dictates. the focus has suddenly changed from an ‘all in this together’ push for continuity to the survival of the fittest, where the pressure on digital investment success has never been greater.


Developing a Strategic game plan unlike the majority of 2020, where desperation took centre-stage, innovation must be more strategic in the year ahead. digitising at speed in 2020 was key for survival, but now as the dust begins to settle, many firms are being faced with ‘bill shock’ as unexpected costs and investments become a pressing reality. the rapid need to innovate last year meant that many firms simply did not


Survival 12 may 2021 | factory&handlinGsolutions


ver the last year, partners on either side of the value chain will have witnessed the positive


have the time or the tools to collate accurate cost information and analyse it in one place. and now, with further financial strain ahead, the inclination for many will be to take stock and slow innovation as the ship re-steadies. this would be a mistake. the key to moving forward will be about


investing in the right technologies, at the right time, based on the right cost information. But this can only be achieved with transparent, real-time data that provides insight into ongoing costs and expected returns. the result will be more focused


investment into areas which have the potential to generate significant value. an example currently is lean manufacturing, which has been adopted at scale. for industries like automotive – where lean was ‘born’ – or pharmaceuticals, the transition from manual processes to data-driven internal operations is perhaps the most direct way to derive a solid return from investments.


Staying aheaD of innovation whilst iean manufacturing presents a fruitful proposition for firms, the technologies that underpin this are changing rapidly. for some time, manufacturers have been able to improve operational efficiencies through industry 4.0 technologies such as iot, ai and robotics. however, recent events have beckoned the arrival of industry 5.0, which will see humans and machines connected in a way that we have never seen before. as machines get smarter and more connected, this will usher in a convergence of those cognitive computing capabilities with human intelligence, resulting in a superior level of collaboration. this year has shone a spotlight on the security, productivity and efficiency risks associated with internal legacy processes, and staying ahead of innovative technologies to become a leaner business will be crucial to sustain a competitive advantage.


of the nimbleSt


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