How have manufacturers and distributors evolved to meet the factory of the future?

The journey to reaching digital resiliency: pursuing digital transformation initiatives to thrive despite the ongoing pandemic challenges.

The pandemic has shaken the manufacturing and distribution industry profoundly. Although the global supply chain is usually a well-oiled machine, the unprecedented crisis forced organizations to not only rethink manufacturing and distribution, but to adapt operations to remain resilient for a post-pandemic world.

Navigating the new landscape
In order to understand the impact of the pandemic on manufacturers and distributors as well as emerging trends, SYSPRO conducted a survey in August 2020 that was completed by 144 industry professionals of different managerial levels within the United States, Canada, EMEA and APAC. The study ‘The inflection point for the factory of the future’ focused on how manufacturers and distributors handled the shift during the pandemic.

The Virtual Shift
Industries needed to change the way they operate and move into digital environments for the first time.

• 37% of companies were unable to provide the remote work capabilities to employees that were required.
• Almost three quarters 73% of businesses stated they would need to invest in capabilities to facilitate remote working collaboration.

Supply Chain Agility
The pandemic tested the ingenuity, resilience, and flexibility of supply chain leaders globally.

• The survey showed 60% of businesses were impacted by supply chain disruptions during the pandemic.
• In response to the pandemic, 56% of businesses investigated dual sourcing and other initiatives to reduce supply-chain risk.
• The study revealed that 37% were looking at planning tools that could actually incorporate visibility into the supply chain.
• 42% of businesses stated that they would transfer business operations that was moved overseas back to the country from which it was originally relocated.

The factory of the future
Organizations also started to explore industry-built technology solutions to deliver functionality to optimize, control and simplify operations.

• 37% of businesses agreed that their business systems lacked accessibility, insights, and basic planning tools that could adjust to day-to-day changes in the environment.
• From the research, 29% of businesses stated that they would be pursuing cloud-based business systems to address immediate needs and accelerate digital transformation.

Thinking forward with digital transformation
The study revealed that those organizations that were impacted by the pandemic started to understand the need to shift their operations and accelerate their digital transformation journeys.