Gaining A Competitive Edge

Entrepreneurial mindset in the manufacturing industry and country’s technology skill-sets are driving digitalisation in indian manufacturing

- Mat Khan

WHILE THE BUZZWORDS OF ‘INDUSTRY 4.0’ and ‘smart manufacturing’ have been doing rounds in the manufacturing circles for quite some time now, the adaptation to disruptive technologies had been very guarded. With reports of competitive advantage and tangible benefits gained by the early movers trickling out, the manufacturing industry is sitting up to the transformation taking place in the way products are being designed and created; consumed and serviced.

Helping it understand this transformation and providing solutions to incorporate changes in operations and processes are the technology providers aggressively promoting digitalisation.

DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

For the manufacturers, it’s no more should-we? It’s how soon and how much and how?

Companies, across sectors, are seeking to drive the digital transformation of their organisation and processes by integrating automation, software, and cutting-edge technologies in their day-to-day operations. The legacy method of manual capture of data and working on analysis is swiftly making way for digital initiatives across assembly lines.

And, while they proceed with it, the focus of all the endevour is still the customer and the values cherished by the organisations.

“Our vision is to unify the data across value chain, as that would generate greater value for our customers,” says M. S. Ravi Kumar, Vice President, WABCO India Limited in the business of commercial vehicle control systems. “We are focused on key value drivers that are relevant to our organization, namely asset utilization, productivity, defect-free manufacturing and customer delight,” he adds, echoing the voices heard in the higher echelons across the manufacturing world.