Most companies are already aware of the importance of adapting to the 4.0 Industry, but many have failed to design the best route to do it. They have failed to come up with the process to follow or haven’t found the ideal technology partner.
We’ve passed the years of “evangelization”
The time where the industry started knowing about the new technologies and when it was just a new trend, has passed. Now we know thata it was a new era arriving to stay.
We find different reasons why many companies are struggling to overcome the digital transformation:
*V.U.C.A Environment (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity):
We’re in a complex environment, typical of a disruptive change such as an industrial revolution. It is volatile due to the frequent changes that are taking place and generates uncertainty, since it’s almost impossible to predict what will happen during the transformation.
*Starting point:
There’s no two industrial sectors that are at the same level of maturity in terms of the use of technologies, each one goes at its own pace gradually implementing them. This is presented as a possible difficulty when there’s not a “block” evolution.
*Nature of the project and commitment:
Even it’s a technological project, some companies make the mistake of thinking that it should only be carried by the IT department, when it really should be throughout the company. The ownership and responsibility of the project must fall on the whole company. If not, the transformation process may not be fully realized.
*The client:
It’s “who guides and inspires us” for technological transformation in companies, and who “pushes them” towards digitalization. For analog S.XX companies, it can be a threat since the current customer has been digitized and the future customer will embody the 2nd digital native generation. This has evolved and is more demanding, it has been empowered, demanding the same evolution from all the companies that provide services and serve products.
*Commitment and measurement of results:
The decision to bet on the modernization of the company, being led by a specific department or work group, is a commitment of the entire organization, with full long-term involvement and of all departments, as all will be affected.
A long-term strategic plan must be defined, which gives rise to medium-term tactical plans and finally to very specific short-term projects where the results and benefits achieved can be measured.
*Leadership and Project Management:
The concept of Industry 4.0 include all those new technologies aimed at increasing productivity and efficiency in factories, therefore, in general, the responsibility for defining and managing these specific projects must be those of the company’s departments, related to production, logistics, maintenance, continuous improvement, industrialization and quality, among the others.
*4.0 Technology tools:
Many companies make the mistake of thinking that any technology will work for your company, as long as it is a “cutting edge technology”. We must be more cautious, critical and analytical in order to be very clear if these technologies are going to be truly useful.
*Talent and people:
People and the organizational model are the most important thing to consider to achieve a total digital transformation in the organization. For example, it will be very important to know how to combine different generations in the work environment, working perfectly in synchrony, providing technological knowledge and industrial experience alike.
