In my last post, I discussed the role of manufacturing innovation, and how it has changed each of our lives. The digital factory has an opportunity to have an equally significant impact on this century, as I’ll now explain.

The digitization of manufacturing processes is well underway. But the level of investment is low compared to the digitization of other corporate functions, such as finance or engineering. Today, manufacturing investment is gaining momentum, and it promises to bring the wealth more globally around the world.

This trend has important implications for national leaders and manufacturing executives. The Digital Factory is enabling a new approach to manufacturing, whereby:

• Industrial processes can be easily connected, changed, and adapted dynamically across a network of industrial companies
• Referred to as “Manufacturing-as-a-Service” or MaaS, this strategy gives companies the ability to react swiftly to fast-changing demand or market conditions
• Manufacturers can now stay better connected with their products and customers, bringing value to the entire lifecycle of the product – extending manufacturing’s impact to beyond products but to also the services that support them

MaaS-enabled industrial companies can create high-value experiences for other MaaS firms or end-user customers that encompass the entire product lifecycle—delivery, support, repair, refurbishing, and disposal. Products and services which have a MasS approach are more easily customized and personalized: the industrial process can now be automatically parsed out and combined to offer significant opportunities to collaboratively expand value-add. Manufacturers can now offer more than just products, but meaningful experiences that their end-users will cherish and become deeply accustomed to.

The Digital Factory promises to yield significant job creation opportunities for “knowledge employees” freed from repetitive production tasks thank to the digitization afforded by IT systems, seamless Internet access and automation advances. This offers the advantage of a superior toolset to deliver better products and services. The nations that succeed in this endeavor will be those that invest in and incentivize the Digital Factory through education, technology and cultural change, to produce a new generation of manufacturing workers and consumers.

Next Steps to Achieving the Digital Factory

Beyond the need for stable, high speed Internet access, manufacturers must invest in other technology sector of the Digital Factory. The end result is job creation to master the build-up of knowledge and know-how, which can make the world more sustainable, due to more harmonious and frugal uses of resources across product life cycles.

Workers must be educated to these opportunities and their employments which have to evolve quickly. This new manufacturing world can produce a new economy that benefits our entire society.

As it is true with Lean and other continuous improvement initiatives, change takes time. With this mindset and commitment to invest, the emergence of a Digital Factory can offer unprecedented growth and wealth that our planet has never seen before.

 

If you enjoyed this blog post, here are other related posts you might also enjoy:

• Expanding Manufacturing’s Contribution to a Better Society
• The Digital Factory: Bridging the Gap between Planning, Design & Execution
• Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution!
• How the 4th Industrial Revolution Impacts Warehouse Management
• Mobility’s Impact on the 4th Industrial Revolution