In a new white paper, sponsored by DXC Technology, IDC explores how manufacturers have been accelerating IT investments to transform themselves into digital businesses, able to quickly adapt to unforeseen disruptions and position themselves for growth when the business environment improves.
The paper provides insight into the following issues faced by manufacturers across industry sectors:
- The imperative for adopting an Industry 4.0 mindset as manufacturers aim to counter instabilities that lead to higher costs, longer delays, lower quality and poor visibility
- The importance of continuous improvement practices to the successful transition to Industry 4.0
- The lack of manufacturing talent in the functional groups most directly involved in Industry 4.0 initiatives — IT, operations/production, and engineering/R&D
- The need to overcome operational debt to become more resilient and innovative — and realize the benefits of Industry 4.0
- The priority to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to leverage new operating paradigms based on data and technology
- The value of transitioning to a scalable cloud platform as part of making operations more resilient
- DXC's ability to collaborate with manufacturers to achieve Industry 4.0 plans, helping them to define the business case and road map for multiple manufacturing transformation initiatives
"Industry 4.0 will allow manufacturers to conceive and develop new business models and partnerships, which in turn will allow an enterprise to become more flexible," the report states. "An increase in productivity/efficiency or the ability to maintain high levels of quality control due to Industry 4.0 initiatives will allow a manufacturer to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive industry. Industry 4.0 has proven to be a win-win proposition."
To learn more, connect with Namit Bhargava, DXC North America, Enterprise Applications - SAP sales lead.