Manufacturing Magazine - June 2021 | Page 123

EMPOWERED PEOPLE REPORT
INTRODUCTION

Empowered People

Empowering a business ’ most valuable asset , people , is critical to success in Industry 4.0

No amount of automation , AI or ML will supplant the ingenuity of the human mind . From the C-suite to the shop floor , people will always be central to any organisation . Better informed people make better business decisions , and by breaking down barriers , companies can achieve more .

Empowered People is one of the four pillars of SAP ’ s Industry 4.0 initiative , alongside Intelligent Factories , Intelligent Products and Intelligent Assets . Andy Hancock , Global Vice President , Centre of Excellence at SAP Digital Supply Chain , says : “ We ' re never going to replace the people , or take the human out of the process . But the key thing is , if we can automate predictable tasks and mitigate risk through technology , those highly skilled workers can move to high value , complex decision-making tasks that are further up that chain .”
Here he explores how empowering people comes to life in an organisation , how each individual can achieve more and , ultimately , how businesses can remain competitive and innovative in the era of Industry 4.0 .

We ' re never going to replace the people , or take the human out of the process

Accessing Industry 4.0 data remains a major challenge for employees .
Company executives believe only

50 % of manufacturers currently provide access to all who need it

Source : MPI Group manufacturingglobal . com 123