Globally manufacturing sector is experiencing more uncertainty about the future than they have in decades.
Consequently, forecasters have all had to recast their expectations in the face of the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Businesses, of all kinds have been put under tremendous pressure to find new ways of operating as governments continue to encourage leaders to implement COVID-19 responsive measures to stay open and stave off overall economic challenges.
Technology – specifically digital technologies – can answer many of the uncertainty-filled questions governments and businesses alike are asking as they plan for the “next normal” they know very little about at this time.
No doubt digital transformation (DT) is the number one recommendation when it comes to strategising for the immediate and long-term future.
Most proponents of DT, such as Microsoft credit the phenomenon for “bringing together people (team members and customers), data and processes”, while MC Systems holds true to the fact that it’s “an evolution in thinking and business culture that embraces technology at its core.”
This change in organisational style will result in teams being oriented toward continually challenging the way they operate, given to experimentation and learning from failure.
What is implied in this way of understanding DT is that it is less about the technology and more about the leadership philosophy about the use of technology to create change, manage risk, catalyse efficiencies and boost profits.
Digital technologies, such as a variety of e-payment solutions offer compelling opportunities for JMEA players, who, according to a JMEA COVID Impact survey published in the Jamaica Observer early September 2020, reported that only 38% of respondents had utilised e-commerce technologies to help with COVID disruptions. Given that DT is a journey that often begins with the most pressing need, integrating such technologies could prove to be a significant starting point for such entities going forward; especially that the same survey indicated that 63% of those who used e-commerce saw increases in revenues from that channel.
This scenario supports the conclusion of technology experts who suggested that the organisations that fared the best during the pandemic pivot are those that had the IT Infrastructure that was highly responsive and adaptable to demands such as remote work, increases in online transactions and other service delivery and customer experiences.
Work from home orders were perhaps more challenging for JMEA members who reported in the same Impact Survey that less than 10% of staff compliment were engaged in remote work – no doubt owing to the human-intensive nature of the plant operations. As the industry, contemplate the course of the future, those conditions would have to be reimagined.
The further along the DT journey the players go they could implement, for example, a move to taking orders only online, supported by a chat bot, which then processes a confirmed order and sends it to the delivery team by way of robotics process automation (RPA), so that the warehousing and transportation teams are scheduled for a delivery within minutes. Such as scenario is likely to catapult profits, exceeding the customer expectations in the process.
That in mind, it is clear that in this digital era and especially in highly competitive market segments, the organisation that gains the edge is the one that is digitally transformed.
Of course, the organisational choice about which technology or IT Infrastructure to implement will differ by need, industry, company size, customer habits, geographical locations (Jamaica or other countries) and maybe even regulation.
However, no matter the business type, the customer demand at this time is for continuous operations. To gain that advantage, one of the questions, leaders should be asking is: Do I have the Infrastructure to support being “always on” for my customer?
“Always on” means a company cannot afford “unavailability” or such an entity risks losing business to a competitor who is available and able to deliver when the customer needs the product or service.
Of course, the ideal infrastructure must also support built-in solutions such as back up and recovery, disaster recovery as well overall policies and teams to deliver robust business continuity and ultimately a business that is resilient to any disruptions.
Even when the times are uncertain stakeholders still anticipate assurances about the future of the business, and will expect business leaders to deliver such assurances.
The leaders’ best option in these times is having a transformation mind set that prepares the organisation for change and builds an operation that’s ready for any eventuality.
And the best move is to do it before the competition.
MC Systems is here with you as your support technology partner. Let’s start the conversation. Contact us solutions@mcsystems.com | 876 552-8124 | 876 564-2231