Manufacturers are not in a position to continue with their decade-old manual or semi-automated processes anymore. COVID’s impact, growing customer demands, and changes in customer behaviors have started to impact the way many manufacturing companies operate today.

Gartner believes digital transformation requires making existing processes more efficient and creating or unlocking new value for customers. It allows organizations to understand modern buyers, interact with new ones, and meet their expectations through multichannel customer experiences. Ultimately, digital solutions meet customers’ expectations and open up new business opportunities. Digital transformation is vital for more than just taking advantage of new opportunities to grow and scale, it can also prove critical in shaping the future of some businesses and industries. New technologies and improved customer experiences are the main drivers behind companies investing in digital transformation, but the biggest reason for prioritizing this transformation is that it will enable them to take advantage of new growth opportunities. Leveraging advanced technologies enables companies to shift their business models and adjust to the new normal. Many companies are becoming more conscious about their customers’ experiences, and 92% of leaders are developing complex digital transformation strategies for improving consumer experiences. While there is no question that digital transformation is essential for improving customer experiences, companies investing in technologies that enable their employees typically experience vast improvements in employee engagement and company productivity. Digital transformation is the practice of using technology to dramatically alter one’s business to chase new revenue streams and business models and avoid disruption.

Managing the frontline workers, assessing their performances, and mapping the output against the goals is often a headache for most manufacturers. The reason is simple. Most manufacturers have manual processes for assigning jobs, evaluating performance and efficiency, and matching the productivity rate against expected results. And this is never good enough to analyze and evaluate performances. Such an approach is causing the companies dearly and resulting in dismal results due to substandard workforce performance and below-par productivity.

The manufacturing industry is no short of a challenge. Of the many challenges, the most concerning one is declining operational efficiency. If you believe only Covid-19 has contributed to manufacturing companies’ operational efficiency and performance issues, you’re wrong. There is no denying that Covid-19 has impacted how employees operate and perform on the production floors, but it is not the sole reason for the hampered growth. Of course, the growth of today’s manufacturing units has shrunk significantly.