Author: Johan Jonzon, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-founder of Crosser Technologies.
Industrial companies should start small when operating digitally
When Neil Armstrong took a “small step” on the surface of the moon in 1969, he uttered one of the most famous phrases in history. It is easy to dismiss small steps as a lack of real progress-but starting small often leads to a “great leap” later. The same is true for manufacturers and their digital transformation.Here, Johan Jonzon, co-founder and chief marketing officer Edge analysis Crosser, an industrial IoT platform, explains why incremental change is the key to long-term digital success.
Since the term was first coined in 2011, digitalization has played a key role in Industry 4.0. PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) estimates that more than 90% of industrial companies in Europe are already investing in digital solutions, driven by the prospects for higher productivity and cost-effectiveness.
In fact, adoption is happening at an unprecedented rate. Research By carrying out Manufacturer It was also commissioned by IBM to reveal that due to COVID-19, 67% of companies have accelerated their digital projects. Due to time pressure, projects that usually take years to develop are realized within a few days.
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, but for long-term success, industrial companies should take time to digitize their operations.
Skill barrier
In today’s manufacturing industry, digital skill sets are highly sought after. In particular, the data and artificial intelligence work cluster is expected to increase by 58% by the end of 2022, providing 123 opportunities for every 10,000 people.
However, finding the talent needed for digital transformation is not easy.According to Fictiv, a manufacturer of manufactured parts 2021 State of Manufacturing Report, 44% of manufacturers have difficulty finding talents with the required expertise to help them with their digital transformation.
However, the gap between the demand for digitally literate workers and the number of people who can fill such positions is a problem for technology providers and manufacturers because it limits their digital transformation journey. Similarly, technology providers cannot grow because many of their target users cannot use their solutions.
So, how do we take these small but valuable steps to achieve digital transformation?
Small steps, big impact
Implementing digital solutions with limited knowledge can be challenging. Digital transformation is a complex and lengthy process, which may cause enterprises to fall into chaos. To overcome this problem, manufacturers should start with small projects and gradually expand to larger and more advanced use cases.
Access to data creates a wealth of use cases that can drive growth by enabling real-time analysis and actionable insights to simplify industrial processes and improve business management.Cross The platform is designed to help industrial companies realize the functions that support the Internet of Things. The platform consists of a library of pre-built modules, allowing manufacturers to implement common use cases using intuitive drag and drop tools. When setting up the system for the first time, it is beneficial to start by simply using the platform to read data without interfering with machine processes.
Once the data is monitored and valuable insights are gained, the operator can use the data to start writing workflows. Using the Crosser platform, users can use machine data to test their workflow in real time without interfering with normal operations to ensure its accuracy. Breaking the process into small, incremental steps reduces the risk of incorrect configuration that could interrupt the operation of the machine.
More importantly, the Crosser platform is low-code, which means that existing OT and IT staff can easily use it without formal training or coding knowledge. Due to the shortage of software developers due to the digital skills gap, low-code solutions are an important enabler for the integration of Industry 4.0 technologies into manufacturing facilities.
Fail fast
Small projects fail quickly, are cost-effective, and provide quick return on investment insights, which enables manufacturers to develop digital solutions that suit their needs without taking big risks. Once a small workflow is developed using pre-built modules, it can be steadily expanded to more advanced solutions with multiple operations and triggers.
Taking small steps should not be confused with slow progress. In-depth study of the use cases of the facility or even the entire company is a high-risk decision, which can have devastating effects if it fails. By starting from a small scale, industrial companies can ensure successful digital transformation in a cost-effective, low-risk environment, thereby increasing productivity and reducing long-term operating costs.
