3 tips to help manufacturers adapt to changing demands
By Kerry Koutsikos, GM and VP For Middle East & Africa Region, Infor
Change is the only constant in manufacturing today.
Disruption, innovation, and continual refinement of shopfloor processes are
driving factors in today’s complex market landscape. Whether you make automotive
components, office furniture, or industrial valves, you need to stay on top of
trends and adapt. New strategies and actions must sync—and align with customer
expectations.
This is especially important in the Middle East, where
numerous national initiatives aim to stimulate manufacturing growth. For example,
in the UAE industrial manufacturing is a key pillar of Operation
300bn, a government strategy launched in 2021 with the aim of raising the
industrial sector’s contribution to the GDP from some $36 billion to $81
billion by 2031.
Meanwhile, the government of Saudi Arabia is providing significant
backing to the manufacturing sector with initiatives such as the implementation
of the required infrastructure, construction of new industrial cities like
Jubail and Yanbu, the establishment of SIDF (Saudi Industrial Development Fund)
and other incentives which help industrialisation, according to Mordor
Intelligence.
Here are three tips to help you adapt to changing
demands:
- Improve
supply chain agility. The disrupted supply chain has been a major
headache for most manufacturers. Trade tariffs, bottlenecks and delays, geopolitical
tensions, chip shortages, unavailability of cargo containers, and high
costs of fuel have turned procurement into a game of chance—with unfavourable
odds. Modern software, with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics
and full supply chain visibility, can provide relief. Smart solutions will
help you make smart decisions, anticipate risks, make strategic choices,
and forge new partnerships. Data insights help plan for contingencies and
manage expectations. You’ll know the stock you need and when you can
expect it to arrive.
- Manage
shop floor complexity. Manufacturers must meet the demands of
customers for highly personalised products. But, you still need to control
costs and improve margins. In many industries, traditional mass production
is being replaced by mixed mode manufacturing with highly configured
products, engineer-to-order, and assemble-on-demand operations becoming
the new normal. Modern manufacturing software is essential for the
transformation. It helps streamline processes, close gaps and keep
workflows synchronised. The latest Industry 4.0 technologies provide
critical tools—like smart sensors—for tracking machine performance,
output, quality control, and optimising resources. Tools also help manage
the existing workforce which must work smarter, not harder, to get the job
done. Data insights help keep the shop floor running with orchestrated
precision, because every part, every machine, and every work cycle
matters.
- Leverage
data insights. While answering consumer demand for new and
personalised products, manufacturers must simultaneously strive to improve
productivity, boost efficiency, automate processes, and strategically plan
the use of resources. You have tough decisions to make. Modern Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) software helps capture, track, and leverage data
throughout the organisation. Using facts, not feelings or hunches,
manufacturers can better align with customers, launch new product
introductions, design and source appropriate parts and components, and
track all costs. New strategies for remaining relevant and growing the
business can now be planned and executed with a balance of long-term goals
and short-term capacity and cash flow restraints. Data insights are key.
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