What we can learn from leaders on the forefront of digital transformation
One of the best parts of my job is hearing from companies that are driving new and exciting innovations in digital transformation. I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days doing just that at Microsoft’s 4th annual Driving Workforce Enablement through IT Innovation Summit in the UK.
Customers and partners from around the region attended to discuss how the pervasive access to new digital services is changing every aspect of the manufacturing business—shaping growth, disrupting industry landscapes, and providing the catalyst for new business models, products, services, and experiences.
We explored how the manufacturing industry is accelerating this transformation with advanced capabilities such as cloud, IoT, and systems of intelligence. Our rich partner ecosystem in the UK—including companies like Aveva, Esri, Iconics, Rockwell Automation, and many others—are already very active in terms of offering pioneering digital services for manufacturers. For example, Rockwell Automation highlighted how they are leveraging the Microsoft platform to showcase new analytics and advanced factory focused, industrial IoT scenarios designed to drive efficiencies in plants.
We also saw how our partners are using Microsoft HoloLens to drive interesting use cases around manufacturing visibility. Aveva, in particular, is using HoloLens to improve how industrial facility designs can be visually seen. Think of this as an architect who would create a blueprint for a facility. You have the blueprint in front of you, and using HoloLens, you can see the whole facility come to life right in front of you. You can zoom in and out, focusing on a specific part of the building and get a real sense of how the building is being designed. This compelling story really resonated with the audience.
RAC and telematics: keeping motorists moving
I continue to be impressed by the innovation our customers are driving with our technology, such as the exciting story we heard from UK roadside rescue company RAC Motoring Services. This company is driving a phenomenal initiative leveraging Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT Hub to boost the scale of its telematics platform and create new services.
In the UK, when something goes wrong with your car, there is a truck that can travel out to your car, wherever you are, to troubleshoot and potentially fix the issue onsite. The truck has all the parts needed and if they cannot make the fix on the spot, then they will take your car to a service shop. Contrast that with companies like AAA here in the U.S., where there is no troubleshooting step; a tow truck is sent right away to transport your car to the nearest service facility.
What RAC is doing is providing a capability to equip all vehicles with technology that can monitor and start predicting potential problems with the car in real time. And even if there is a mechanical failure, RAC can get early insights into the root cause. So, when a mechanic is dispatched, they already have all the right parts and knowledge to quickly fix the specific issue onsite. RAC is also expanding this model to large commercial fleets to help them drive efficiencies and uptime while reducing costs.
Using our technology, RAC can securely analyze and instantly interpret massive amount of data coming in from the nearly two and a half million roadside events per year. This ultimately improves customer response time and enables RAC to offer new services for customers. It’s a very interesting use case.
Takeaways from the UK’s digital leadership
It is fascinating to see how other countries are approaching digital innovation as compared to what is happening here in the US market. It’s clear that the UK is on the leading edge. In fact, a new EEF report predicts that the UK could play a prominent role in Industry 4.0 if manufacturers invest in the right technologies and operational strategies, and receive governmental support. The report says that more than 40% of UK manufacturers understand what Industry 4.0 will entail and the majority are already at the first stage of a three-part Industry 4.0 transformation.
I think what we can learn from all of this is the following:
- By building natural, tailored experiences that delight customers and harness data representing a complete view of your customer, then companies can better engage their customers by drawing actionable insights to deliver personalization at scale such as what RAC is doing.
- By accelerating responsiveness, improving service levels, and reducing costs with intelligent processes that anticipate the future and coordinate people and assets more efficiently, manufacturers can optimize operations in the way that Rockwell Automation has demonstrated.
- By having confidence in the adoption of cloud-based capabilities, companies can quickly transform and fundamentally reinvent their business strategies, products and services. RAC is a prime example of this in terms of how they took their data and transformed it into new offerings. We also see this innovation in the work we are doing with companies like Rolls-Royce. Their story is one of early adoption of advanced cloud capabilities and advanced analytics solutions in order to take engine management and servicing to a new level.
- By harnessing digital intelligence to improve experiences, businesses can empower employees to enable the flexibility of mobility, while keeping the organization, people and information secure. This is seen in the work Aveva is doing to help industrial design companies use the power of HoloLens to enable employees to visualize and interact with their designs in deeper ways than was ever possible, giving them greater confidence in the decision-making process. This is also revolutionizing the way buildings are planned.
As we move forward in this journey, Microsoft just released one of the most extensive studies into the impact of digital transformation on UK organizations. The report shows that UK businesses are already reimagining their structures and strategy, as nearly half of all business leaders believe their existing business models will cease to exist within the next five years. This report also provides a benchmark you can use to measure your own company’s progress, identify potential obstacles, and learn recommendations for ensuring success. It’s a fascinating read; I encourage you to download the report.
If you want to learn more about how to begin your own digital journey, I encourage you to start here.
Twitter: @sanrav
