While the term “Industrial Revolution” may conjure images of European cities in the early 1800s, there have actually been several throughout modern history. The history of digitization is long, winding, and continues to unfold today. The most recent, which is still underway, is the fourth industrial revolution, sometimes referred to as “Industry 4.0,” and is largely tied to the Internet of Things and how powerful new interconnected technologies like cognitive automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are rebuilding the way businesses operate.

We’re already seeing many organizations across industries undergo extensive digital transformations to capitalize on the benefits new technologies can offer. According to a 2018 Tech Pro Research survey, 70 percent of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on one. However, given the high-tech nature of Industry 4.0, especially compared to previous industrial revolutions, it might seem like manufacturing businesses won’t be as involved. In fact, the manufacturing industry has just as much to gain from these new digital solutions.

Way Manufacturers Can Implement Digital Solutions

Here are a few ways manufacturing businesses can utilize digital solutions and business automation technologies powering the fourth industrial revolution:

Optimization of Supply Chains: The biggest benefit of Industry 4.0 can be summed up in one word: connection. Thanks to the Internet of Things - the integration of an increasing number of “smart” technologies continuously feeding new data to an expansive network - businesses are able to streamline their supply chains and develop more efficient processes. Manufacturers can leverage this interconnectedness to accommodate changing economic conditions and other unexpected events that may otherwise hamper their business. When unforeseen circumstances cause shipments to be delayed, a smart system powered by this trove of data and navigated by AI and machine learning can proactively adapt and modify manufacturing priorities.

Streamlining Internal Processes: The Internet of Things can be leveraged to improve the efficiency of manufacturing businesses’ internal processes as well. Manufacturing may be a more physical business than most other industries, but there are still plenty of tasks and operations that take place in cyberspace. Many of these can be sped up and done more accurately by advanced robotic process automation (RPA) programs. Any repetitive, rules-based tasks are ideal for RPA.

Autonomous Equipment: Rows of large autonomous robotic arms manning assembly lines where they efficiently and quickly assemble various parts and products have become something of a poster-child for business automation in general. Once, these machines were expensive, and extremely specialized - each capable of only performing one task or series of tasks for which they were specifically programmed. Thanks to advances in design and software, similar robots are now capable of learning many tasks, and even solving for more efficient ways of completing problems posed to them. At the same time, they’ve gotten less expensive and more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.

3D Printing: Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, has come a long way in the last few years. This technique was once only used for small-scale, small-batch items and creating simple prototypes is now maturing into an actual scale production option. And with advanced AI and ML systems, manufacturers can identify and implement improvements not only in their processes, but in the very designs they use as well. Products can be built more durably with less material and greater efficiency, giving manufacturers that embrace Industry 4.0 a significant edge.

How to Prepare Your Business for Industry 4.0

So, clearly, there are plenty of ways manufacturing businesses stand to benefit from the 4th industrial revolution. But how can you ensure that your business does so effectively? Here are 3 important first steps:

1. Identify Use Cases

There may be many ways Industry 4.0 can be leveraged, but that doesn’t mean that all of them apply to your specific business. That’s why the most important first step you can take is to identify realistic use cases for business automation within your company. Keep in mind, you don’t necessarily want something flashy. There’s a good chance the digital solution that will drive the most value for your company will be mostly behind the scenes. Automating internal processes is a great way to realize significant returns and enable downstream integrations as you begin to automate more parts of your business.

2. Get Internal Agreement

One of the biggest challenges of adopting any new technology is always getting buy-in from internal stakeholders. Even the most carefully chosen opportunities for business automation won’t succeed if you don’t first get buy-in from leadership and the workers whose day-to-day workflows will be impacted by the change.

It can be helpful to conduct employee surveys and assessments to get a sense of overall sentiment towards business automation before moving forward with a selected upgrade. It’s also worth sharing information internally, whether through emails, presentations, or in-person meetings, regarding how new digital solutions will impact processes. Hands-on training is a critical part of the implementation process to encourage adoption and clearly demonstrate the new technology’s value to relevant stakeholders.

3. Consolidate Databases

The essential fuel for the fourth industrial revolution is data. Cognitive automation, AI, and machine learning all require quality data inputs to reach their greatest potential. That’s why one of the most effective ways to prepare your business for a swift and easy adoption of the latest smart technology is centralizing and organizing your data.

Consolidating all datasets may not be practical for all businesses. In those cases, federated search solutions that allow users (and automated systems) to access multiple disparate data sources all from one search can achieve a similar result.

As business automation and the fourth industrial revolution continue to advance, the operational benefits they offer will continue to grow in tandem. Businesses that neglect to update their systems and adapt to the new technologies will soon find themselves at a serious disadvantage. It’s important to learn about these new technologies, identify how your business might stand to benefit, and lay some groundwork for a smooth implementation to ensure your business is able to adapt, survive, and thrive in Industry 4.0. To get started on digital transformation, learn more about Exela's digital solutions for manufacturing. 

You had to have noticed by now. The new decade began with unseasonable warmth. The most obvious sign was rain followed by more rain in many parts of the country, but that didn’t seem like more than a minor annoyance. In addition to the odd fact that the Canada Geese still haven’t left New York in mid-January. But what might be marginally annoying to us translates to extremely worrisome for environmental scientists, who see the rain and can’t help but notice the increase in West Nile Virus cases. Where we see goose-poop, they see an increase in Lyme Disease and an overall change in bird migration patterns.

Earth’s climate is changing

“The Earth's climate is changing,” warns the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA[KH1] ). “Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events – like heavy rainstorms and record high temperatures – are already happening.” Scientists offer a variety of reasons for the warming trend, including both the possibility that the earth’s temperature is actually in the process of stabilizing following the most recent Ice Age or that human activities are causing the rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

Greenhouse gas emissions are real

We’re not here to convince you whether climate change is or is not a manmade process.  However, greenhouse gas emissions have demonstrated some impact on climate change, which proves that we do in fact have some degree of control over how hot it’s getting and can make change by reducing those very same greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some of the major factors provided by the EPA that are responsible for the increase in the release of greenhouse gases:

• Transportation: Nearly a third of greenhouse gases are attributable to cars, trucks, ships, trains, plains, and other forms of fueled transportation.
• Electricity Production: Over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to the burning of fossil fuels like coal and gas.
• Industry: Nearly a quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions come from the use of fossil fuel-based energy and chemical reactions that occur in the production of goods from raw materials.
• Commercial/Residential: Over 10 percent of greenhouse emissions come from heating, gas, and handling of waste.
• Agriculture: Nearly 10% of greenhouse gas emissions are, perhaps ironically, produced in farming, including methane gases from livestock, the working of agricultural soils, and rice production.

The “Paper Problem”

One thing that helps offset greenhouse gas emissions is the presence of forests and natural green land, which the EPA states can be credited with cutting slightly over 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, forests are disappearing, and research indicates our planet’s reliance on paper is a factor in at least 10% of worldwide deforestation.  These are not new facts and by now many people are aware of the paper problem, and are already in the process of reducing paper consumption through digital transformation initiatives.

The power to make change happen

But who can ignore the fact that 2019 ended as the second hottest year on record, capping off one of the hottest decades on record? Whether you believe Earth is going through nothing more than a mundane “inter-glacial cycle,” as opposed to a melting trend being hastened by humans, reducing greenhouse gas emissions has the power to slow the creeping up of the thermometer.  Which means that we all have the power to control what we’re putting out there.

Who are “we”?

By “we”, we’re referring to both ourselves as individuals and as global citizens. With regard to ourselves as individuals, there are a great many actions to take or refrain from taking , and there are equally as many with regard to ourselves as global citizens. As a company whose mission is to help the business world reduce its reliance on manual processes, Exela is in a unique position to facilitate change amongst our fellow global citizens in the corporate arena.

Our pledge to Planet Earth

Accordingly, “We” at Exela, both as individuals and as global citizens, are pledging to make 2020 the year we make an impact by making less of an impact. We have several initiatives already in development and as a business, we are working to emphasize to our customers and potential customers the importance of incorporating digital transformation, automation and innovation into their businesses for the betterment of the planet. We are planning our inaugural 24-hour global “One River” event, during which Exela employees, friends and family will step in to literally stem the flow of plastic into the vast ocean that comprises nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface. As a collection of 23,000 humans across the globe, Exela is, this month, ushering in its “I’m Accountable” campaign, through which we will be asking every single one of our employees to make a personal pledge to take specific action in the interest of environmental sustainability--and to hold themselves accountable. We’ll be keeping track of our progress here on the Exela Blog, so please stay tuned for updates on our “I’m Accountable” campaign. 

We look forward to making a big impact by lessening our environmental impact in the coming year and we hope you will do so as well.

About Exela

Exela Technologies is a global leader in digital transformation, information strategy, and business process automation. Our innovative data-driven business solutions drive growth, competitive advantage, and agility for businesses in all industries. Let us transform your business processes into efficient workflows generating actionable intelligence. Here are just some of the solutions Exela offers that promise to change make your business more efficient and the world a cleaner, more sustainable place.

It’s a straightforward strategy – effective big data management can help lead to better predictive abilities for businesses, and increased predictive abilities can help create better decisions. As a data-driven approach to business decisioning takes hold across industries, it also becomes a progressively more prominent part of creating a competitive advantage for your company. Those that manage big data in the most effective ways, and unlock the insights it can hold can gain an advantage.

But even if effective big data management is becoming a widely-held tenet of effective business administration today, what may be less clear are the steps, systems, processes, and best practices that enterprises must implement to do so effectively.

When it comes to launching a big data management program, enterprises should have a clear vision for the ideal impacts these efforts will have. Several important competencies will serve as the foundation for that vision: from obtaining the right technology, to forming a clear strategy on how to use this information to drive decisions. But of course, that vision only serves as a starting point. Running and managing one of these programs in a best-class manner requires continual improvement and on-going best-practices. Here are five strategies to help your enterprise leverage big data to drive desired outcomes.

    1. Focus on the Proper Data

More data proliferates on the internet every second than was stored on the entire world wide web just two decades ago. So, it’s important to think about what will be most helpful for your specific goals by narrowing your focus. Harnessing the right data can provide enterprises the ability to enhance customer experience, tailor go-to-market strategies, and improve operational processes.

But to do so, enterprises need to find the right data. Companies can hone in on a more effective strategy to mine data for operational insights by being precise about the corporate difficulties and opportunities they want to address. Oftentimes, the data that is truly the most useful is already within the enterprise itself, and is centered around employees, processes, customer or clients. For instance, the insights that will help improve processes and operations can lie within daily or monthly service reports from managers. Where are you employees spending their time? How productive are they in terms of reaching benchmarks? Armed with this information, and the right technology platforms, real, actionable insights can begin to be gained.

    2. Pair Data with the Right Technology

Not every big data management platform is right for every enterprise. What should business leaders look for in such a platform? You’ll want one that matches and integrates with your legacy technology systems, and which also meets the requirements you need to ingest and analyze data from both structured and unstructured data sources. These can include social media feeds, customer accounts information, client histories, employee performance data, or other sources. Once you understand the type of data your platform will need to address, as well as the type of results you are seeking – you’ll have a better idea of what an ideal platform looks like. Typically, an effective approach is gained from a partnership with a provider who offers these platforms as a service or a license, and which integrate with your data streams.

    3. Secure Stakeholder Buy-In – IT, Leadership, and Managerial

What exactly are you trying to accomplish by taking a more serious approach to big data management? Whatever those goals may be – make sure they are clearly communicated to IT, managers and leadership, the stakeholders that matter most in this type of operational improvement. By doing so, you can avoid the pitfall of gathering massive amounts of information only to end up with questions of what exactly you should do with it all now.

Make sure the platforms you procure align with legacy technology to keep the IT team happy, and clearly communicate the benefits that can be derived from big data-driven insights to create further buy-in from management. Letting stakeholders know that this is a well-constructed plan, with clear goals and benefits in mind can help ensure that this endeavor will be a successful one.

    4. Speaking of Management…

It requires large amounts of data and sophisticated platforms to truly reshape marketing and communication efforts, process improvements, or strategic leadership directions. This can be intimidating for those in your organization that are not data-focused – managers in other areas of your business such as operations, marketing, or sales. This requires intuitive, easy to use platforms, tools, and interfaces that can help them understand these data-driven insights through a range of dynamic visualization tools, ideally including a summary dashboard view, with the ability to drill down on select traffic for more pointed investigations. Any platform you evaluate should offer such features.

    5. Digitally Transform your Company’s Competencies

Collecting, analyzing, and communicating your data-driven insights is a transformative undertaking in and of itself. But in the larger context of a sustainable, effective digital transformation – what’s described in this article is just the beginning. The real work begins once you’ve accomplished what we’ve outlined here, and entails improving your processes according to what the data is telling you. The insights you can gain by putting big data to work for you can create a powerful blueprint for digital transformation. But ultimately, a blueprint is just a plan. It’s up to the stakeholders of each enterprise to put that information into implementable strategies – ones informed by deep, data-driven insights.