For those manufacturers that have attempted digital transformation, but have not yet fully unlocked value from their investments in digital capabilities, the Covid-19 crisis has provided a much-needed wake-up call and has forced them to reimagine how they do business.
2020 will be remembered – in addition to its horrendous global human toll – as a challenging year for manufacturing businesses, but also as the time when concrete steps were finally taken to make the promise of digital technology a reality.
At the same time, as the global pandemic eventually recedes, manufacturers will need to be agile in adjusting to the new normal with respect to customer expectations, and using digital as a valuable point of differentiation.
This report highlights how the technical and human components of digital transformation are crucial for success in an industry where customer journeys are increasingly made across virtual touchpoints, and competitiveness is defined by the quality of customer experience (CX).
The research also looks at how executives working in the manufacturing sector responded to the 2021 Digital Trends survey, comparing their answers with those of their peers from other industries. There is also an examination of the differing strategies employed by top-performing manufacturers and those of the mainstream.