McKinsey: digital manufacturing, preparing for a new normal

While the impact of COVID-19 is presenting many challenges to the industry, such as health and safety; supply chain shift impacting sourcing and distribution; supplier resilience and labour shortages, McKinsey highlights the importance of production facilities moving quickly to respond to new sources of supply and shifting customer demands when the crisis eventually resolved. 

“It is these types of pressures that make digital capabilities so critical, providing flexibility and resilience manufacturers need to mobilise and operate in unfamiliar territory,” says McKinsey.

In a recent study conducted by McKinsey, the organisation uncovered new insights into the challenges and success factors for European companies looking to implement digital manufacturing at scale. “The time for organisations to act and to implement digital is now,” states McKinsey who reports that only 17 out of the 44 members of the Global Lighthouse Network are in Europe, and only three are using industry 4.0 tools across their end-to-end value chains.

“Our research has revealed five fundamental principles that translate into tangible actions for scaling and sustaining digital technologies, regardless of a manufacturer’s starting point,” added McKinsey.

Source: https://www.manufacturingglobal.com/technology/mckinsey-digital-manufacturing-preparing-new-normal