In our last post, we took a quick dive into the emerging tech that’s set to transform the manufacturing industry.
As ever, for any tech to come to fruition you need trailblazers. Those businesses that take the lead and enhance their operations with the right emerging tech that fits their businesses needs. They lead the way.
Here we’ll look at two of the examples in our last post in greater detail. Specifically, D2C and Cloud Collaboration.
Let’s start with the latter.
Cloud Collaboration – the Epec Example
Epec Engineered Technologies is a leading provider of custom build-to-print products for all sectors of the electronics industry. A couple of years ago, they first implemented Box, which is a secure content and online file sharing platform that enables every department in the company to store any kind of document in the cloud. This can then be easily retrieved on the spot from any location.
It’s continually being updated to cater to the needs of their people and operation.
Box has one simple interface and instantly reduced the number of required steps per transaction, while keeping all essential documentation in one place. It was an integral piece of tech to enable the entire operation to grow and scale in a consistent and uniform way.
CEO of the company, Ed McMahon commented at the time: “Having office locations all across the United States and on 3 continents doesn’t make a difference to how we run our business. Our IT infrastructure is setup to support 10 times the amount of employees that we have. No matter where you are in the world, as long as you have an internet connection you can access anything, anytime.”
The upshot of this is greater efficiency throughout all of the business across three continents while eliminating lag time. Employees will know exactly how to work, instantly removing any frustrations.
This cloud technology has now been extended to engaging directly with consumers too. An interesting development we’ll be keeping our eyes on.
D2C – the Tesla Example
In our previous post we covered the emergence of manufacturers using e-commerce sites to go direct to their consumers. It’s a simple and effective strategy to cut out any middlemen costs and build customer trust and intimacy.
Tesla is leading the way in a space more often associated with dealerships and bricks and mortar customer interactions. But you can buy a Tesla quickly and easily online through their ecommerce site.
You can customise your car in their Design Studio, choosing from a few different options with the price and estimated delivery date changing accordingly. You just need to provide your delivery address and pay a deposit of $4000 and you’re good to go.
Again, it’s such a simple idea. But it’s slick, efficient, scalable and cost-saving.
And that’s the key point. When it comes to bringing tech, whether emerging or established, into your operation, it must be simple. And if it solves a problem for your consumers, while making your operation more efficient that’s the sweet spot.
At Bolland & Co, we work with manufacturing and complex organisations to understand operational inefficiencies and customer requirements to identify the right tech to respond to the individual challenges of the specific sector and client.
You can learn more about our client approach and results through our case studies, as well as our work in the manufacturing industry at one of our upcoming events.