2021 Digital Transformation Assessment
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2021 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ASSESSMENT COVID-19: A CATALYST FOR CHANGE Researched and produced by: Commissioned by: Additionally, almost all of the senior This is clearly evident in their customer decision makers interviewed for this growth plans, with better serving existing EXECUTIVE report noted that manual reporting and clients and winning new work a significant data collection was still prevalent in their business imperative for 87% and 69% of organisation. respondents, respectively – particularly SUMMARY those who have witnessed a dramatic The findings discussed within this report It’s logical, therefore, to see rising numbers and rapid decline in their core markets. reveal the digital transformation of of operations adopting digital tools to industry across two time horizons. perform data gathering exercises or to In order to achieve this, manufacturers fulfil simple HR and finance transactions. are increasingly taking the data and A large proportion are also upgrading insights they’ve unlocked to maximise IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES their production systems, particularly operational efficiency and using it to The first is the short-term actions those involved with overall equipment innovate their offerings and transition manufacturers have had to take effectiveness (OEE), and manufacturing/ from selling products to offering in response to a highly volatile, enterprise resource planning (M/ERP). experiences. unpredictable trading environment. Businesses have faced disruption at It’s also encouraging to see cybersecurity If 2020 was the year for internal digital every turn and the vast majority have and cloud computing as the most widely transformation, 2021 is when attention demonstrated an incredible capacity to adopted technology use cases. This will turn to the external, customer-facing embrace change at speed. ‘Process Transformation’ represents the areas of an operation. That may present critical first step in a digital journey that greater challenges for businesses, but In order to do so, manufacturers have enables ‘Business Model Transformation’. equally it will provide greater rewards for prioritised three interconnected factors: those who get it right. Which brings us to the second time l The human impact horizon… l Data gathering to support decision making LONGER-TERM GROWTH l Acting swiftly yet shrewdly STRATEGIES KEY REPORT FINDINGS: As the report makes clear, the immediate If process transformation focuses on focus has been on improving operational specific areas of an operation, business have accelerated digital projects as a efficiency and resilience in order to achieve model transformation fundamentally 67% result of COVID-19 maximum output with minimum outlay – reimagines how an organisation ultimately, to keep factory doors open. operates, how it engages with its rank ‘Improving operational efficiency’ environment and how it delivers value. For many, this heightened need for 92% as their greatest priority accurate, real-time information has Examples of this form of widescale been somewhat hindered by industrial transformation can be seen in a variety of the primary factor impeding digital IT environments, which often consist sectors, all of which have been enabled adoption of increasingly outdated hardware by digital tools, and manufacturers are TIME and software from multiple vendors. looking to undergo a similar evolution. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 METHODOLODY This report is based on a survey of senior manufacturing professionals conducted in November and December CONTENTS 2020 by The Manufacturer, the premier industry publication providing insights, events and research, and commissioned by IBM. This Digital Transformation Assessment sought to understand the current business imperatives, how the Coronavirus pandemic has affected priorities, and the strategic role adopting digital THE HUNT IS ON FOR technologies will play for manufacturing businesses and their supply chains. 4 EFFICENCY & GROWTH A number of respondents were interviewed to add qualitative content to our quantitative research. We offered them the option to be quoted anonymously in order to speak their minds on the record without their comments being diluted or influenced by corporate communication teams. 6 IMPACT OF A PANDEMIC Prefer not Under £2m to say DIGITAL BOOM 17% 8 21% £2m - £5m SMART TECH TO FUTUREPROOF 2% £5m - £10m 9 2% £10m - £50m A WORK IN PROGRESS Respondents by 11 company turnover Other Manufacturing 14% Aerospace ON THE MONEY 19% 13 15% Automotive & Transport 26% FINDING THE TIME £1bn+ 14 25% 16 ON THE HORIZON £50m+ Respondents by 19% industrial vertical 18 DRIVING UPTAKE Machinery 8% 2% IN 12 MONTHS’ TIME Food & Drink 10% 19 12% 8% Chemicals & CONCLUSION - WHERE Electronics & Pharmaceutical Electrical Equipment 20 TO GO FROM HERE? Defence CONTENTS 3 HIGH ON THE AGENDA THE HUNT IS Manufacturing decision makers say their most significant business imperatives are: ON FOR EFFICENCY & GROWTH 92% 87% 85% 81% 81% Given the far-reaching and wide-ranging Improving Customer Customer Supply chain Operational disruption as a result of the COVID-19 operational growth retention integrity resilience pandemic, it won’t surprise you to see efficiency operational efficiency as the most significant business imperative for almost all manufacturers, regardless of size, sector or location. As one participant noted; “COVID-19 has illuminated the weaknesses in our business and our focus is on patching those holes, over and above anything else.” 75% 74% 69% 63% 60% Cost savings Wellbeing Customer Production Supply chain Speaking to these senior decision makers, rationalisation acquisition workforce visibility it’s clear that the immediate priority is reskilling on achieving maximum productivity with minimum time, cost and resource. In a world where “every penny is a prisoner”, any long-term goals or nice-to-haves have taken a backseat to getting money flowing again. That means finding efficiencies, making every penny count and increasing work with existing clients. It also means going out and finding new customers, either in 59% 52% 21% Environmental Non- Sourcing new markets already being served or entering sustainability production suppliers new ones. workforce THE HUNT IS ON FOR EFFICENCY & GROWTH 4 More than two-thirds of participants identified customer acquisition as a significant priority and many said that diversifying into other sectors had risen up their to-do list, particularly those who’ve seen the bottom fall out of their core market/s – “The biggest struggle we face at the moment is the massive collapse of demand in aerospace.” For organisations unable to diversify or who are tied into long-term projects, the emphasis is on delivering existing commitments while identifying meaningful cost savings in procurement, manufacturing, logistics and service. By no means an easy task, and one which many expect digital tools will make easier. What’s important is not to view these priorities in isolation. Greater operational efficiency and resilience help generate cost savings and aid customer growth, retention and acquisition. Equally, workers who know that their wellbeing and development are highly regarded tend to be more engaged and productive. Indeed, COVID-19 has seen worker wellbeing catapulted to the forefront of executive decision-making. “We run an integrated, bespoke production control system that we developed in-house. It’s great for a lot of things, but it’s fallen behind in some areas relative to off-the-shelf systems.” Technology Lead at a critical precision component engineering company THE HUNT IS ON FOR EFFICENCY & GROWTH (CONT) 5 PANDEMIC PRIORITIES IMPACT OF A COVID-19 has meant greater emphasis is being placed on: PANDEMIC Pre-2020, the majority of manufacturers were focused on a handful of core strategic imperatives: improving operational efficiency and resilience, identifying cost savings, customer growth and strengthening supply chain integrity/ 88% 83% 75% 71% 65% visibility. Those priorities have largely Operational Wellbeing/ Supply chain Supply chain Improving stayed the same post-COVID, with the resilience working integrity & visibility operational environment resilience efficiency addition of worker wellbeing. Due to the nature of industrial workplaces, health and safety is a keystone of any manufacturing operation. COVID-19 has brought that importance to new heights. On top of concerns for themselves, their family members and livelihoods, workers have had to swiftly adapt to being furloughed, remote- working, new procedures to remain onsite 63% 62% 62% 52% 50% or all three. Exisiting Cost savings, Customer Customer Production customer rationalisation retention acquisition workforce Many of those surveyed acknowledged account retention/ the significantly greater emphasis their growth attraction/ organisation now places on employee reskilling wellbeing and the work environment compared to 12 months previously. As one participant commented; “Working from home has come fairly easily for some; others haven’t been so lucky and have struggled with the massive cultural change.” 44% 42% 38% It’s clear that digital communication tools Non- Sourcing new Environmental have proved invaluable in keeping workers production suppliers sustainability engaged, motivated and up-to-speed, workforce IMPACT OF A PANDEMIC 6 as well as assisting organisations in maintaining and managing the mental health of their employees. Alongside helping to increase the “We still spend more time making the report than wellbeing of individuals, digital