Collaboration realized.

PwC Digital ServicesConnected manufacturing

Manufacturing has been on a constant evolution since the Industrial Age. Today, digital technologies are creating new ways for manufacturers to deliver value. Those able to leverage ubiquitous data in meaningful ways across product development, sales and operations; across devices; and with customers are developing new models of collaboration. Whether you refer to this as Next Manufacturing or Industry 4.0, the possibilities are endless.

Meet Nimbus: a vision of digital in manufacturing.Imagine perfect visibility across a supply chain. Or knowing, in real-time, what customers really need. Digital technologies underpin all of these possibilities. Nimbus is our way of describing what happens to the manufacturing ecosystem when the data created by its many elements – people and machines – are digitally connected.

Watch how the opportunities for collaboration unfold in new ways and areas. Read more in PwC’s Next Manufacturing series.

Some of the scenarios we describe are in the market. Others are theoretical, but clearly realistic. They all represent threats and opportunities for today’s manufacturers.

Our perspectivesManufacturers are leveraging data like never before.Internet of Things

How robotics is transforming manufacturing – and its workforce.Robotics

3D printing and the new shape of industrial manufacturing3D printing

Digital in manufacturing.

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Let’s see how it all could work...

Value-added servicePhysical goods manufacturers find new value as information publishers

When you know how customers use your products, you can make very different decisions about how you sell and support them. And the information itself takes on new value, because it often contains insights that are meaningful to the end-user. These new information services are more than just a revenue stream; they’re a way of connecting with customers that’s very difficult to copy.

ClientelingAdvanced design tools are helping companies become faster on their feet and responsive to their customers.

Today’s product designers look beyond features. They want to know how people use products, and how they can cut failures. A new generation of tools like rapid prototyping, multivariate simulations, and virtual reality is helping creators design and test the options that look the most valuable. And with photogrammetry, which can help create static and moving 3D models of real-world products, and sophisticated 3D printers, designers, working closely with sales staff, can now see how a concept might work in hours rather than days.

The manufacturer looks out at the facility, thinking about harnessing data.

The salesperson and the engineer look at different commercial applications for a design idea.

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Self-directed factoriesThe Internet of Things will bring smart factories, where machines cooperate with each other.

From automated replenishment to self-healing equipment and machines that learn, we’re starting to see the rise of smart factories. Machines that schedule their own work and route around bottlenecks will improve throughput and cut cycle time. And that helps provide more certainty to suppliers and customers.

Next generation manufacturingNew manufacturing techniques mean companies can produce exactly what their customers want.

Computer-aided manufacturing was just the start. Additive manufacturing methods now let companies make items in virtually any three-dimensional shape, out of materials as varied as tungsten, ceramics and paper. In some cases, costs are now approaching those of traditional manufacturing. So designers can now develop product ideas without constraints imposed by how they’ll be constructed.

Transparent supply chainsCompanies are finding new ways to collaborate across the supply chain.

Customer experience takes on a different dimension in a B2B environment. A manufacturer’s customer is someone else’s supplier, with ship dates of its own. Instead of guarding information, many companies are actively sharing it and planning jointly. They’re turning B2B into a peer-to-peer world by automating links to customers’ ERP systems, providing access to real-time production status, logistics updates, and even allowing customers flexibility how they schedule work. By sharing information, they let their customers make better decisions, and they turn buyers into partners.

Machines on the factory floor “wake up” and prepare a production run.

The 3D printing station begins modeling the prototype in double-time.

The customer checks their dashboard to see their order status and more.

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Data miningCompanies will use unstructured data to interpret real-time customer feedback.

Customers are always sharing information – but they do so in their own language, where and when they please. It can take months for their observations to make it back to headquarters, if it ever does. New tools will let producers parse social media comments as they’re made, in any language, anywhere around the world. And by connecting the dots with “voice of the customer” surveys, focus group responses, and even remote sensor data, manufacturers will get a much broader perspective on what their customers really think.

Applied analyticsApplied analytics will help manufacturers see what their customers want – even before the customers know.

Manufacturers collect a lot of data about what their customers buy. But data alone doesn’t say why they’re buying it, or what else they might want. Applied analytics lets a company find hidden correlations that show complementary products and emerging trends. It can also detect usage patterns that point to unmet market needs, and simulate different options for meeting them. Predictive algorithms also allow companies to model how different products might perform in the market.

Operational forecastingPlanning processes will be based on real-time information all the way across the supply chain.

Production planners are constantly adapting to changes: weather, labor actions, supplier delays and more. Some changes can’t be avoided, but others come down to imperfect information – and they’ll become far more rare. As supply chains become more transparent, lean manufacturers will have even more control over delivery times and production costs. Better forecasts will change the way businesses source and use capital. And better planning means fewer unused resources and more time with customers.

Nimbus scans social mentions and product reviews for a different take on the market response.

Nimbus finds new solutions and matches them to potential clients.

The Manufacturing Manager sees the successful transaction and goes off to plan next steps.

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From coffee to cars, user experiences impact our buying decisions. We can help you discover the ideal customer experience by determining what success looks like, innovating your business, and creating new value. Go beyond what you already know... before someone else does.

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PricewaterhouseCoopers gives no express or implied warranties, including but not limited to any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use and shall not be liable to any entity or person using this document, or have any liability with respect to this document. This report is for general purposes only, and is not a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.

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