SAP INDUSTRY 4.0
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
The Intelligent Future of Manufacturing
SAP ’ s Mike Lackey explores the benefits Intelligent Factories bring to efficiency , resilience , and agility , and how SAP is guiding businesses through their digital transformation journey to future growth and innovation
In light of global disruption and shifting customer demand , the manufacturing sector finds itself faced with too many questions and not enough answers . The solution is Intelligent Factories , says Mike Lackey , Global Head of Solution Management for Digital Manufacturing at SAP . Rather than promising a one-sizefits-all solution , the model is infinitely configurable and as varied as the business cases and disruptions it aims to solve .
Lackey describes the system as “ self optimising ”. Driven by data , the Intelligent Factory can react to immediate issues , as well as improving over time to minimise disruption and boost efficiency in the long term . “ As the factory is producing more intelligent products , and as it incorporates more intelligent assets , you ’ re able to collect more data than ever before ,” Lackey explains . “ But it ’ s not just about more data , it ’ s about
MIKE LACKEY looking at the real data that impacts the business and acting upon it . To bring cost , customer , and supplier data all down to the shop floor , that ’ s what we mean by the Intelligent Factory .”
INTELLIGENCE IN THE PANDEMIC ERA
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an eye-opening experience for business leaders , accelerating the rate of change across all industries . Though the global outbreak is the most extreme circumstance , manufacturers are all too familiar with the disruption of global events beyond their control . Geopolitical upheaval such as Brexit and global trade wars brought their own set of complications to the sector in 2020 , while earthquakes , tsunamis and other natural disasters can be equally damaging , as evidenced in the ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips .
In these situations , demand can fluctuate between 400 % capacity down
104 June 2021