Resistance to digital transformation is futile

Corona turned our way of manufacturing on its head. The digital transformation shifted up a huge gear. Work of years became work of months, as business leaders realise that digital is the only way to be future-proof. But what will automation look like in the post-Covid world?

Innovating purely for innovation's sake is passé. The pandemic may have proved a huge driver for digital transformation, but pragmatism has always been paramount. By 2022, 70% of all organisations will have accelerated their use of digital technology: to increase customer engagement, establish higher productivity and become a resilient organisation. If today only 27% of all companies have undergone a comprehensive digital transformation, by 2024 it will already be 75%. Digital will become the new normal in businesses and society in no time. By adopting hyperautomation technology combined with rethought production processes, companies will be able to reduce costs by as much as 30% by 2025. So automation and digitisation do pay off.

Tech innovations are not an island

There is a lot of interest from the market in artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins and robotic process automation (RPA). But these technologies only add tangible value to business results if they do not operate on a separate island. Out with the silo approach, on to an integrated approach by putting the right capabilities together to solve specific problems and discover opportunities. This process is called hyper-automation. It is a never-ending process, but rather a disciplined approach to quickly identify and evaluate which business and IT processes would benefit from automation. It revolves around different technologies working together to form a single architecture. And this does not only apply to companies. Cities are also betting on IoT, artificial intelligence and digital twins to bring the physical and virtual worlds together and improve infrastructure management.

People and machines together

This decade should see an end to the battle between humans and robots. The best-performing organisations will be those that understand how digital technology can be seamlessly integrated to increase human productivity. Everything that can be done will also be automated; all other processes must be supported. Machines will, in other words, automate 80% of processes and provide information to people to make the right decisions in the other 20%. New forms of automation will directly or indirectly support a quarter of remote workers before the end of the year. By next year, 65% of them will be armed with data, artificial intelligence and security to go on the road for better productivity, adaptability and decision-making skills in increasingly fast-changing conditions. But it is not limited to that domain. By 2023, half of knowledge workers would have their own robotic assistant with artificial intelligence to help them prioritise tasks, gather information and automate repetitive work.

From industry leader to innovation hub

Only when all technology is on the same platform can true quality, consistent data and powerful insights be delivered. In the coming years, global industry leaders will have acquired at least one artificial intelligence software start-up company by 2023. In this way, they want to ensure they have the right skills in-house and retain ownership of their intellectual property. Moreover, the need for integrated data will make it harder for companies to survive as stand-alone technology players. But integration is not limited to acquisitions. Networks of companies collaborating with each other on a very deep level will also emerge. Digital innovation factories, they are called. 40% of IT and OT vendors are expected to join hands to step into the market with holistic solutions. By 2025, 75% of industry leaders would use digital platforms and ecosystems to adapt their value chains to new markets and industries.