The unified manufacturing industry of the future

The unified manufacturing industry of the future

Industry 5.0 will empower people by positioning them back at the center of manufacturing. This will be achieved by focusing on a more strategic collaborative relationship between humans and machines in addition to increasing sustainability and resilience. Getting there isn’t only about embedding new technology – it will require a shift in mindset where companies move toward more unified ways of working and create data systems that flow smoothly across teams, tools, and processes.

Transparency, innovation and compliance

With a unified, real-time view of processes, operations, and supply chain ecosystems, manufacturers can enhance visibility, agility, and responsiveness across entire organizations and accelerate transformation. Breaking down silos to improve decision-making and innovation relies on creating a collaborative network in which commercial organizations, governments, and individuals share and apply data using a unified platform. This can be broken down across three fundamental pillars: transparency, innovation, and compliance.

With real-time visibility into supply chains, manufacturers can adapt to disruptions more effectively and increase the reliability of their processes and systems. Strong collaboration among ecosystem participants fosters the development of new ideas and solutions that drive competitive advantage. An optimized unified ecosystem breaks down the challenges of keeping up with regulatory requirements, such as the EU Data Act, which mandates digital data passports for products.

Implementing a robust data strategy

A robust data strategy is essential for success, as it enables collaboration through data-sharing ecosystems and creates value by connecting insights from data that is aggregated and contextualized across boundaries.

Fragmented data is an all-too-familiar challenge in the manufacturing industry as a lack of standardization, for data collected from a myriad of sources makes it harder to manage, integrate, and analyze. As manufacturers strive to optimize production and enhance innovation, the need for a unified approach to handling data becomes much more important. Creating a single, secure, agnostic environment that aggregates and contextualizes data means that all ecosystem members — from a plant floor worker to a partner or customer — can tap into data-driven insights to optimize their part of the value chain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions revealed the necessity for real-time data exchange. As the industry’s first collaborative open data ecosystem, Catena-X, founded in 2021, enables automotive manufacturers to identify and address potential bottlenecks before they escalate, ensuring critical components are sourced and delivered on time.

Data-sharing ecosystems like Catena-X will become the norm across industries, combining a comprehensive data strategy, effective IT and business collaboration, and a management framework supported by the right skillsets and culture. Integrating advanced technologies, such as AI, further enhances their effectiveness, enabling predictive insights and seamless collaboration.

Seeing AI as a tool and not the ultimate goal

As the next stage of the digital, environmental, and human transformation of global manufacturing, supply chains are increasingly being driven by automation, intelligent analytics, and cognitive computing.  Through this process, manufacturers must not lose sight of the importance of implementing AI responsibly, guided by frameworks, risk assessment principles, and collaboration.

The manufacturing industry isn’t new to automation as it’s been integrated since the 1960s. What is new is the approach towards using the right kind of automation to achieve goals. Manufacturers are moving from task-performed automation, in the form of RPA, towards prompt-based automation, in the form of generative AI.

New technological innovations should be seen as a tool to modernize and optimize processes, rather than the end goal. While they can unlock significant efficiencies, better decision-making, and more intelligent automation, the real value comes from their application to support human insight, streamline workflows, and deliver solutions to ever changing real-world challenges. When businesses treat AI as the solution, they risk losing sight of their core objectives. The focus should always be on outcomes, such as better customer experience, more resilient operations, or sustainable growth, with AI and other technologies supporting those goals.

Unified manufacturing is a team sport

Success for the manufacturing industry of the future will depend on seamless collaboration across people, departments, and technologies. From engineers and operators to supply chain managers and data analysts, every role will play a critical part in delivering quality products efficiently.

Manufacturers face a multitude of challenges, including talent shortages, expanding data silos, growing customer expectations, and continued supply chain disruptions, all of which can lead to lost opportunities for innovation. Like any other sport, manufacturers want to win — this requires drafting the right team, ensuring they receive the training and development to hone their skills, understand the playbook, and cultivate a culture of trust.

Manufacturing industry leaders should strengthen collaboration by leveraging their expertise — supported by a robust data strategy, aligned IT and business efforts, and a management framework built on the right skills and organizational culture. With this foundation, the manufacturing industry of the future will be data-driven, enabling manufacturers to thrive amid complexity and rapid change, meet the expectations of customers, investors, and governments, and contribute to a green, digital future.

About the author

This article was written by Helena Jochberger. As the Global Industry Lead for manufacturing, Helena Jochberger is responsible for the strategic design, development and direction of CGI’s global manufacturing portfolio. In this role, she supports client relationship development, drives decision-making on industry strategies at both the global and local levels, steers investments in growth areas and solutions, and engages with senior client executives to accelerate CGI business units’ growth plans.