Helping manufacturers digitally transform and prosper

Manufacturers were already reexamining how they use technology when COVID-19 hit and significantly accelerated that need. Some transformed and were able to pivot quickly, but others are still grappling with challenges in their supply chain and demand fluctuations.

There will be more changes, including unexpected ones, and manufacturing operations must adapt quickly.

Digital transformation has some real advantages in the industry. The top 10% of digital tech adopters grow two times faster than the bottom 25. In addition, ServiceNow Employee Workflows solutions have resulted in more than 18,000 hours saved per year, time previously spent assisting employees.

The latest ServiceNow innovation Operational Technology Management (OT Management) brings the Now Platform to the factory floor. It extends the platform across to OT to help manufacturers:

• Understand system relationships and dependencies.
  
• Reduce risks.
  
• Streamline compliance efforts.
  
• Avoid downtime.
  
• Improve response and recovery.
  

Customer service management in manufacturing

Clearly differentiating your products is essential. So is distinguishing your relationships with your customers and resellers. How? By using a single system of action that connects your entire manufacturing value chain.

Volvo Construction Equipment, which supports construction equipment worldwide, takes its aftermarket business seriously with a strong focus on customer uptime. The company built a tool on the Now Platform called CHAIN, short for case handling instructions. This tool consolidated 12 applications covering everything from technical support to mechanics and international support for parts, delivery, and quality.

Previously, the company used many individual systems that required a lot of manual work. Now that’s all on CHAIN, which 8,000 employees and 265 dealers use.

Traffic and parking industries company TAPCO used ServiceNow to create links between customer service and field service and saw significant changes: improved service efficiency, reduced downtime, better customer experiences, lower total cost of ownership

ServiceNow Connected Operations also let TAPCO transform from merely selling a product to offering a monthly service.

Digital transformation in manufacturing

With advancements such as smart manufacturing and the industrial internet of things (IIoT), manufacturers have never had a better time to digitize processes. Despite that, Heineken ran on paper-based processes and had no standardized way to share knowledge across its plants and breweries. The various locations even measured success differently, meaning the company could neither learn from its other plants nor compare productivity.

It solved those problems by creating a single, mobile-based system of engagement now used by more than 18,000 workers worldwide.

Siemens, which supports 360,000 employees and retirees in 70 countries and handles transactional business worth $17 billion, needed to digitalize in terms of people, its ecosystems, and the field. The company used ServiceNow to create systematic and intelligent digital transformation that makes it more flexible and productive and provides a great user experience worldwide.

Collaborating with suppliers

Having a connected supply chain ensures business continuity. It also keeps a manufacturer competitive. Yet, a Deloitte study found that 60% of transport management clients use more than three technology platforms to manage their connected supply chain. With a single system of action connecting critical workflows, you gain visibility, insight, and productivity.

“When we use ServiceNow, we…improve about 40% of data quality through partner management on the one hand,” says Timm Riesenberg, director of the technology center and ServiceNow talent group for Deloitte Germany. “On the other hand, we can improve about 10% of the delivery performance for the partner and supplier management.”

Download the Manufacturing Book of Knowledge to learn more about how your manufacturing operation can take advantage of technology and thrive.

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