Cloud technology is an important enabler of global manufacturing processes and operations, according to a new report from global growth partnership company Frost & Sullivan. The industrial cloud has the potential to improve all levels of manufacturing through value chain optimization, improved productivity, real-time analytics, device connectivity, seamless communication, automation, data centralization, storage and cost reduction.
Understanding the cloud and how to can be used to benefit business operations is becoming more and more vital to the global manufacturing process and operations every day, and a new report from global growth partnership company Frost & Sullivan confirms this very notion.
The industrial cloud has the capability to improve all levels of manufacturing, whether it be through value chain optimization, analytics, device connectivity, automation or storage.
Frost & Sullivan highlighted four ways to gain a competitive advantage in the dynamic workplace:
- Focus on workforce remodeling to bring in relevant Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) skillsets;
- Transform from a product-driven to a focused, data-driven service;
- Partner with information technology (IT) firms to drive co-optation. A mutually beneficial ecosystem will be essential to survive in the industrial cloud space;
- Overcome current challenges such as security over cloud, lack of awareness, and implementation complexities through cyber technology, workshops and a phase-wide implementation program.
“Connectivity-enabled manufacturers such as Siemens, General Electric and Bosch are looking towards embracing new business models,” says Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Nandini Natarajan. “These companies are no longer looking at monetizing the cloud as a mere product. Their focus is now on providing services driven by data that is managed by their cloud. By providing the necessary infrastructure through cloud, the volume and variety of data being produced by the Internet of Things can be processed in a significantly shorter time period.”
