What does the future hold for your manufacturing business?

What’s evident is that manufacturing is changing in fundamental and lasting ways. A few forward-thinking manufacturing companies are embracing the change and are undergoing extensive transformations – many others are worried how they’ll be affected.

Heated discussions fill boardrooms, shop floors and offices across the world, everybody trying to answer one question:

“What does this really mean for the future of my manufacturing company?”

The opportunities of changing technology

The current period of upheaval across the manufacturing industry is creating opportunities that were previously only imaginable in the realm of sci-fi.

Autonomous cars in 2017 are a far cry from Total Recall’s obnoxious Johnny Cabs, but with that level of autonomy now available, there comes the opportunity to cut costs, increase efficiency and improve supply chain performance.

Stanley Kubrick’s vision of the future in 2001: A Space Odyssey, may have been a decade or so late, but HAL 9000 controlling every function of the space station setting, mirrors our ability to now monitor, control and even automate, every business process remotely.

Smart phones, tablets and watches connected by the cloud, are making it easy than ever to connect with new people and ideas. And innovation powered by the ability to talk to anybody, anywhere, at any time, means your opportunities are endless.

The challenges of Industry 4.0

Change is never easy though. Especially when you’re fundamentally altering the way an industry operates. Obviously, it requires significant investments, not just in technology but in reskilling your workforce to meet new industry demands.

A new way of thinking will be needed, from the top of your organisation down. Perhaps paramount to this, is your ability to understand the impact of new technology on your manufacturing business, for example how does it affect your security needs, and does it require adherence to any government policies?

One challenge you’ll need to master if you want to make the most of new opportunities, is developing innovative new solutions – otherwise you’ll just be following the pack.

How will you react?

With so much changing in the manufacturing industry, at such a fast pace, it can be baffling for anybody to understand the best way forward for their business. After all, Industry 4.0 affects what, where and how you manufacture products, as well as who, or what, is doing the job.

Luckily you aren’t alone in this age of digital transformation. Millions of other businesses in the industry are going through the same thing, some a little further along, some a little behind you. And at HSO we’re committed to bringing the best people in the industry together to learn from each other.

That’s why we’ve put together our Future of Technology in Manufacturing event on the 28 March at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry