Over the past year and a half, the business world has witnessed incredible volatility, with the manufacturing industry being one of the most disrupted due to fluctuating customer demands, supply chain issues, and workforce shortages to working remotely and new concerns about employee safety.
Manufacturers that identified and adapted quickly to these changes have performed far better than those that did not. Consequently, more companies are realizing the crucial need to fast-track their transition to digital. As stated by Microsoft research on five manufacturing trends driving the need for an industry cloud, 62 percent of manufacturers are proceeding forward with their smart manufacturing investments. That is an increase of 20 percent this year alone.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is Real, and it’s Here
The pandemic has shown us that the old ways of doing business will no longer work. As traditional markets are disrupted by supply chain issues, new markets are being built, and the competition – always strong – is on the rise. The difference between simply surviving and thriving isn’t just hype; machine learning, remote assist, digital twin, and AI/AR technologies are the real deal and mean the difference between just surviving and really thriving.
Enter Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing
As the manufacturing sector struggles with its biggest transformation, it’s critical that manufacturers are armed with a technology platform that is integrated, intelligent, user-friendly, scalable, and secure. The latest features of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, unveiled at Ignite 2021, are advancing digital transformation in manufacturing in an end-to-end, holistic, and scalable way. By joining intelligent, integrated cloud, and edge capabilities of the Microsoft stack with the highest value scenarios, manufacturers can boost asset and front-line worker productivity in safe and secure factories, allowing for remote selling and always-on service, as well as unlocking cloud-based innovation.
Benefits for Manufacturers
By equipping organizations of all sizes with the correct tools to manage their supply chain, finances, and operations, along with customer relationships support from a single application, manufacturers can gain complete control and visibility across all areas of the organization. Asset Productivity, Learning and Knowledge Management, Always-on-Service, Supply Chain Visibility, and more are capabilities offered in Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing.
As many manufacturers continue to battle with supply chain shortages, the Supply Chain Visibility capability is a tremendous asset. Manufacturers can create a digital supply chain twin, a digital representation of the physical supply chain that will allow them to predict disruptions and overcome them proactively, before they create big problems. If a global disruption occurs, manufacturers can analyze the impact both upstream and downstream and perform simulations and model scenarios at scale to determine the best solution. They can then automate that response.
Build & Innovate as You Grow
Recent research by McKinsey indicates lack of funding is still considered the biggest constraint in the challenges facing all Industry 4.0 initiatives. This is why HSO is excited about the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing’s modular framework, where manufacturers can start small and build as they go. Few companies have the budget or infrastructure to “rip and replace,” which is why it the solution was designed to give them much-needed flexibility and control. In addition, with an experienced implementation partner like HSO to help guide them along the way, they can concentrate on the capabilities they need to address their most pressing business needs first, cultivate a plan for change, and grow over time.
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HSO has focused on helping organizations get sustainable results through technology for more than 30 years and has been consistently ranked as one of the top Microsoft partners globally. At HSO, we’re dedicated to helping businesses take advantage of a wide range of award-winning business applications to solve their toughest digital transformation challenges, like:
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