Going forward, industry will be more demanding of itself, with customers more prepared to ask, ‘why not?’
As we gradually return from the festive break, the challenges of a new year will rapidly come into focus, and for many businesses and organisations the key dilemma is whether now is the right time to commit and embrace digitalisation.
Whilst much has been said and written about the benefits of connecting manufacturing systems, introducing smart technology and exploiting big data, the inherent and increased threat of cyber attacks has forced many to remain risk averse, sticking with their traditional closed systems that they know and love so well.
We spoke to DTG Managing Director, Ian Allan:
“Just like Covid 19 has redefined the word ‘normal’ for everyone around the globe, the fall out of the pandemic has also seen a fundamental shift in our view, demand for, and expectations of digital transformation – and there are 3 main reasons for this.
1 – “First, lockdown was a body blow to the economy with orders being cancelled overnight, processing plants being closed at short notice with both finished goods and raw materials left to gather dust indefinitely. The balance sheet impact of lost sales, workforce costs and revenue tied up in the supply chain was something never experienced before and drove senior executives to devise extremely creative recovery plans. Suddenly, productivity and efficiency were king – which led to the second reason.
2 – “Whilst many used lockdown to binge watch box sets or paint anything in the garden that didn’t move, company execs had the rare opportunity to take time out from their normal daily fire fighting, and instead reflect, take stock and redefine their strategic objectives. Aligning this with the sudden increased reliance on productivity and efficiency, a new front runner emerged as a potential ideal solution – digitalisation.
3 – “The final piece of this perfect storm jigsaw came as the world developed a lifeline, literally, to fight back against the pandemic. The way in which industry and academia came together to develop vaccines in record time was nothing short of outstanding. The power of partnering and collaboration, the ability for research and manufacturing to work so close together, and the speed in which data was able to be exchanged and used in such an effective way completely blew apart the ‘norm’.
“As a result of all this, going forward, the processing industry will be more demanding of itself, as well being increasingly challenged to be more flexible, and agile, with customers having higher expectations and more prepared to simply ask, ‘why not’.”
So it looks like we may well have reached the tipping point for digitalisation, as ignoring it, hiding from it or just talking about it is simply no longer an option. It’s time for action – but where should you start?
DTG is a specialist digital transformation firm who design and deliver business-focused digital manufacturing strategies for clients in the processing sectors. We aim to boost productivity, efficiency, and profitability through the adoption of industry 4.0 digital technologies and solutions.
DTG’s transformation approach is supported by proprietary cyber security and asset lifecycle management tools, and a range of targeted digital training programmes. We work to bridge the gap between executive consultancy and project implementation within manufacturing & supply.
For more information, contact us at [email protected] or visit our website www.digtechgroup.com.
Read our previous Digital Strategy related articles!
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- Digital Strategy Baseline Drives Benefit For Sterling Pharma
