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Developing a digital-first operating model for Manufacturing 

Get the inside track with our CXO survey

Rethinking manufacturing communication

The manufacturing industry has leapt into the race to digitization, and our study indicates that most are still on their first leg of their journey. 80% indicate they’re in the execution phase of their digital transformation strategies but fewer than half are even halfway through the transformation process.

Pan-organization Connectivity
See why for digital-first operations, connectivity needs to go from single plant to pan-organisation

Shop-floor Communications
Discover how focus is shifting from plant instrumentation to shop-floor workforce communication

Growing Security Concerns
Understand growing concerns about data security and digital trust

View methodologyView methodology

The CXO view

The CXO view

57% of manufacturing organisations are not even half-way through their digital transformation, with only 1% fully digitising business processes

50% are prioritising the digitisation of paper-based and whiteboard shop-floor approaches, as they shift focus from machine instrumentation to worker productivity

The CXO view
The CXO view

Only 17% respondents consider supply chain security as a significant challenge over other security concerns

6

Key
findings

Digital-first strategy to accelerate reach and better customer experience
1
Manufacturers are transforming, but most are a long way from maturity
Network modernization is an indicator of digital maturity
2
Remote work drives the need to rethink work practices
Putting people first to solve digital first challenges
3
Empowering shop floor workers takes the front seat in Digital Priorities
Unified Communications as an enabler of a hybrid and connected workforce
4
Private cellular networks and team collaboration take the lead in incremental spending
Cybersecurity management to ensure security, risk and compliance
5
Security Infrastructure: The biggest difficulty in digital first approach
Rethinking back-office processes and priorities for digital operations
6
Worrying Evidence: Supply chain is getting overlooked
6
Key findings

5 Big bets

To support a successful digital transformation in manufacturing enterprises

Digital first means networks must evolve
1
Digital-first calls for communications systems to be joined up
Digital first means networks must evolve
Most manufacturing enterprises now have a strategy for digital transformation and are aiming for a digital-first approach, but many are still in the early stages of execution.
Collaboration platform and services are critical for digital transformation
2
People and culture matters
Collaboration platform and services are critical for digital transformation
The starting point for executing transformation plans can be with machines or people. A growth in the expected spending on private 4G/5G campus deployments can be expected to provide better services to the workforce but will also benefit the machine data of IoT.
Secure connectivity is a business enabler
3
Workers will continue to work remotely
Secure connectivity is a business enabler
Manufacturers have to provide remote service access for many different types of employee, which brings with it some security concerns, but the principles of remote access can assist those working on-site.
Digital transformation calls for specialist technology services
4
Operational effectiveness is the goal
Digital transformation calls for specialist technology services
Measuring and accurately controlling a manufacturing process, and aiding the workforce to keep those operations running smoothly, is fundamental to a successful manufacturing enterprise. Improvement in uptime, throughput, quality, and overall resilience, all impact the bottom line.
People and culture matters
5
Manufacturers know they can’t go it alone
People and culture matters
On top of back-office and financial systems security concerns, enterprises in the manufacturing space have significant extra challenges to tackle, where remote access to the plant and systems can be an attack vector that impacts the physical plant.

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