An international report developed by Fictiv and Dimensional Research states that the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technologies. While a lot of the past year has been responding to the crisis, the report finds that in 2021 the companies were planning and rushing to increase manufacturing agility. And that is the main reason why 91% of manufacturing companies have increased their digital transformation investments.
According to the report, that you can find here, 95% said the pandemic has had long-term effects on their business and the manufacturing industry will never go back to the way things were.
“From automation to sustainability, we are seeing a tremendous shift of strategic priorities for manufacturing companies, led by the very highest levels of leadership. Speed, agility, and resilience are the key business outcomes and digital manufacturing is the current that runs through every innovation initiative.”
It is also important to point out that 77% stated their investment increase in digital transformation was significant or dramatic and 95% agree that digital transformation in manufacturing is essential to their company’s future success.
Since Digital Transformation can be defined as a phenomenon which incorporates the use of digital technology to traditional problem-solving, we can relate that the manufacturing companies are looking forward to integrate technologies into all areas of their business, improving how they operate and deliver value. They are looking forward to a revolution based on helpful, business-specific solutions and to evolve the manufacturing business, improving operation effectiveness.
The survey data revealed that the vast majority of manufacturers today are adopting on-demand manufacturing platforms. And some of the benefits cited include increased quality, speed and production transparency. Other key factor which was trending in 2021 was the prioritization of sustainable manufacturing practices as a top-three business priority. Nowadays, some AI and digital tools can help a manufacturing plant to become greener by reducing their energy consumption and scrap rates or increasing the efficiency of the machines.
Artificial intelligence alone can solve all the aforementioned problems. By analyzing specific data and accurately predicting the expected output it is possible to adopt measures to eliminate excessive material use or waste. Additionally, through this technology it is possible to get recommendations to balance energy in use and to benefit the supply chain management and logistics with demand forecasting, better communications and real-time decision making solutions.
So what exactly will the future of greener, more resilient and more innovative manufacturing look like?
“With the enhanced transparency, speed, and agility it presents, on-demand manufacturing platforms are poised to be a game-changer for manufacturers, providing a clear path to the digital transformation that 95% of companies agree is essential to future success.”
About
The 2021 state of manufacturing report was created by Fictiv and Dimensional Research and the survey was fielded between March 17 – 25, 2021.
