The impact of COVID-19 has stretched far greater than anyone thought possible. The worldwide impact, once unimaginable is now the new normal. Navigating this new landscape is a challenge for everyone. For US manufacturers, the stakes have never been higher. This pandemic has rocked the stability of the world-wide supply chain and this has delivered agonizing challenges across all industries. But this disruption also has the potential to bring enormous opportunity for US manufacturers prepared to compete. According to several recent surveys, manufacturers are aware that they need to step up their games and that they need to focus on technology to succeed. Technology has become a vital part of the workplace in the past few years, but especially in these past few months. Manufacturers need immediate tactical solutions to deliver bandwidth and flexibility in their production operations especially with the general acceptance that there could be future economic disruptions.
This pandemic has become a defining moment for digital transformation. Manufacturers suddenly find themselves at the mercy of past technology investments. Technology that can help transform the manufacturing operations can significantly help create a more flexible, agile, and responsive manufacturing environment which in the long run, will help manufacturers be more prepared for whatever comes next. Manufacturers are beginning to accept that automation and AI will be required to replace manual processes with automated alternatives. Driving down costs is more imperative than ever.
Manufacturers also need to explore cloud-based software solutions that can enhance communication and coordination between workers, teams and management whether they are working remotely, or on the job site. We must live with the reality that workplace disruptions can happen again at any time and constant diligence in our preparedness is our new reality.
Adapting to a completely different strategy of working can be complicated, but technology will play a vital role in choosing winners vs. losers. The winners will commit to new investments in digital transformation, automation and AI. They will adopt new training regiments including augmented reality to train workers remotely. They will ensure that technology provides real time analytics that delivers instant insights without having to manually monitor data for every situation.
By a wide margin, manufacturers recognize that delaying investments in technology has put their businesses at a disadvantage. Now they key to winning is to pick the right investments in the right technologies with the right technology provider.
