72 MacDirectory
FEATURE
Digital Transformation for the
Service Enterprise
BY VIVEK JOSHI
New data and computing
capabilities, along with the
introduction on the factory
floor of innovations such
as artificial intelligence,
automation and robotics,
additive technology, and
human-machine interaction
are set to change the nature
of manufacturing itself.
According to a McKinsey
study, "digital-manufacturing
technologies will transform
every link in the manufacturing
value chain". This includes
everything from R&D, supply
chain and production, all the
way to marketing, sales, and
aftermarket services. Digital
connectivity among industrial
assets, different departments
within organizations as well
as between a company
and its customers, has the
potential to unlock great
value for all actors involved.
Yet while it is well known that
manufacturing generates more
data than most sectors of the
economy, few companies are
truly harnessing it. The same
McKinsey study says that
"one oil-and-gas company, for
example, discards 99 percent
of its data before decision
worth exploring in the near
future. Bottom line, these
reports - as well as recent
conversations with aftermarket
leaders in the equipment
manufacturing vertical - show
that manufacturers are taking
a more comprehensive view of
what being a digital business
means. Furthermore, this
process seems to go beyond
their internal operations to
incorporate the experience
that is being delivered to
their customers. When
implemented correctly, digital
transformation will allow
manufacturers to move past
makers have a chance to
use it." For those familiar
with IIoT (Industrial IoT) this is
nothing new: the internet of
things remains a continuously
advancing horizon.
In a recent study of service
leaders at manufacturing
and services businesses
conducted by The Service
Council (TSC), 30% of
respondents strongly agreed
that it was important to
become a digital business,
while 100% of them agree
that the digitization of the
service industry is something
The Digital Revolution has already disrupted media, finance, consumer products,
healthcare, and other sectors. Manufacturing leaders can't (and shouldn't) escape it.
