In today’s fast-paced manufacturing world, the ability to adapt quickly to rapid change is a defining factor between manufacturers that merely survive and those that thrive. As they face ongoing challenges like rising costs, supply chain issues, and skills gaps, many manufacturers are building agile, smart factories to ensure a resilient and sustainable future. These…Read more
After more than three years, we were excited to join global leaders and our manufacturing colleagues in Hannover, Germany at the world’s biggest trade show for industrial technology, Hannover Messe 2022. Since we last met, Microsoft has released new solutions and capabilities to help our customers and partners thrive through this disruptive era. Most notably…Read more
Supply chain resilience, or the ability of companies to adapt to unforeseen challenges in production and distribution, has come into the spotlight due to COVID-19. Manufacturers are under pressure to prevent and minimize disruptions, and as a result, almost 90 percent of supply chain professionals plan to invest in ways to make their supply chains more…Read more
It’s been a long three years since we last invited you to join us at the manufacturer’s primary showcase event Hannover Messe in Germany, where we last mingled in person in 2019 with 220,000 of our manufacturing colleagues from around the world to share and explore the leadership and innovations on display. In those three…Read more
To keep up with the fast pace of digital manufacturing trends, today’s manufacturers need to build a capable workforce that can adapt quickly to new ways of working. However, studies show that many manufacturers are concerned about the challenges of attracting, retaining, and training effective employees. Only 60 percent of manufacturing chief financial officers say…Read more
In today’s shifting manufacturing landscape, customer engagement is critical for organizations that want to gain an edge. In fact, 86 percent of manufacturers say that improving customer experience is a key differentiator1. However, now more than ever, manufacturing organizations are struggling to connect with customers, as they face eroding margins and the challenges of selling…Read more
A few months ago I laid out the 5 manufacturing trends driving the need for an industry cloud including my passionate and research-substantiated belief that partnerships and ecosystems are more critical than ever to manufacturing a resilient and sustainable future. As observed by Catherine Kniker, Chief Strategy Officer, PTC: “Manufacturing edge environments, are remarkably complex…Read more
In every industry around the world, the past several months have seen organizations adjust to challenges, pursue new business opportunities, and accelerate their digital capabilities in the face of the pandemic that has reshaped our world. Disruption demands the capacity to turn challenge into opportunity. In today’s world, this capacity is built on a strong…Read more
Microsoft Ignite is where we showcase much of our technology innovation, but the technology intensity can be hard to navigate if you are a manufacturing executive trying to zero in on what will help you increase resilience and achieve sustainable growth, or build a hyperconnected business. Below are my top 5 takeaways from Ignite for manufacturers, and links to the most relevant blogs and sessions. Use…Read more
These last 18 months have been a time we will not soon forget. Filled with unimaginable change caused by the pandemic, the manufacturing industry has witnessed complete disruption in terms of business continuity, operational visibility, supply chains, remote work, employee safety, and the list goes on. Manufacturers who were already embracing digital transformation have been…Read more
One of the clearest realizations made in the midst of industrial transformation triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has been that global manufacturing is powered by the frontline workforce. The industry witnessed a sea of change: a significant disruption in terms of business continuity, operational visibility, remote work, employee safety, and the list goes on. Businesses…Read more
A few weeks ago I shared our insights on the 5 manufacturing trends driving the need for an industry cloud. However, many have reached out to me to say there’s an even more compelling reason to accelerate digitization of manufacturing data, and digitalization of manufacturing processes. Manufacturing’s growing digital divide According to research conducted by…Read more
