NAMES16: 4 Key Takeaways for the Era of Industry 4.0

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Earlier this month, leading Supply Chain executives from around the globe convened in Chicago for the 2016 North American Manufacturing Excellence Summit (NAMES16). The annual event draws the “who’s who” of thought leaders and expert practitioners for provocative presentations on the future of manufacturing. Various companies brought their best from across the manufacturing spectrum (Plant Manager, Quality, Continuous Improvement, Operations) to share ideas and best practices. Additionally, several technology companies, including Softtek, attended to demonstrate how cutting-edge solutions can rewrite the rules when it comes to delivering quality products on the shop floor. IIoT.jpg

Softtek was the official kit sponsor for the summit this year, sharing customer success stories in Supply Chain Management, IT Outsourcing, SAP implementations and support and GE Digital’s Predix manufacturing platform. Business leaders from Kraft Foods, Unilever, GE Digital, BMW, Bridgestone Americas Tire Manufacturing Group, among others, shared best practices, challenges and exciting developments in their companies. 

Here are 4 of our takeaways from NAMES16:

  • Digital transformation and the use of technology to advance manufacturing is on the agenda of almost every manufacturing leader we met at the conference

  • Put as an analogy, the 400m relay for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform providers is still in its first 100m, but some companies are already pulling away from the competition and vying for the gold (i.e. GE Digital, SAP, Oracle)

  • Global manufacturing jobs are increasingly returning to North America thanks to a focus on operational excellence as demonstrated by some of the strongest industrial manufacturers, such as Caterpillar and Ford Motor Company

  • Leading manufacturing firms are leveraging the IIoT to drive innovative products and new business models to compete in a more digital world (i.e. BMW Manufacturing focusing on the customer experience)

I look forward to continuing the impactful conversations that were started at NAMES16. For more information about our success cases and how Softtek is helping manufacturing customers solve their challenges in the digital era, check visit our webpage or connect with me on LinkedIn!

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