Disruptive Technologies Part 2

Alan: These new disruptive business models that digital technologies are enabling, whether it’s product as a service or subscriptions or outcome based business models or, I mean, there’s a lot of things that bring manufacturers closer to their customers where you’re creating essentially lot size of one and you’re getting rapid delivery and, and you’re creating this intimate customer experience that requires intimate customer knowledge to create those offerings and revenue streams that are driven by those digital transformations.

Alan:  The topic that we were discussing today is how do we get started? Unfortunately, gentlemen, we’re running out of time here. But, if I could get you gentlemen to just comment for a minute here on the customer and the role that our, the manufacturer’s customer plays in digital transformation initiatives.

Alan: Chuck, you touched on it a little bit when you’re talking about, you know, lot size one, these, these, this customization and Jean-Yves, you know, doing something that’s very specific for a customer and being able to deliver it quickly and how that is disruptive. Comment on that.

Chuck: Well, I think that the customer today is delivering for the demanding consumer called “us”.

Alan: Yep. And we are demanding.

Chuck: We are very demanding. We want things now.

Alan: “Technologies, let us get them hands on!”

Chuck: We have devices in our hands now. They get us information instantly. Right? So, we are very impatient people and customers are trying to respond to that. So, that impatience drives potentially a company to be very, very responsive, and next thing you know, everyone’s going to them. Right? Because they really understand their customer and what the customer wants and or demands. Right. In this world. So that’s what Jean-Yves was talking about.

Alan: Like with Uber and taxis.

Chuck: Right! I think the customer is driving much quicker change in today’s world than in the past. It’s no longer okay for the customer who says, “hey, supplier! I need X, Y, Z!” And the supplier’s like, “well, that’s going to take a while. That’ll be seven weeks. I got to go talk to this. I got to go talk to that” etc. Those, those days are gone.

Chuck: I think that they’re pushing responsiveness big time.

Jean-Yves: Absolutely. And I think to get back to your question and then how, where do we start? I think to me, it always requires some review of where your current business objective is. And it also varies by by business, “where do you start?” I think it requires some good thinking upfront before you start investing money right, left and center, because sometimes it’s not a matter of money! There are technologies available that are extremely affordable that could make a huge difference in your corporation.

Jean-Yves: We have seen corporation still today using, in manufacturing, using an Excel spreadsheet. You and I have seen this many times to do your all your planning – scheduling your line, scheduling your plant, everything – for a very large plant! People are still – today – scheduling on the spreadsheets!

Jean-Yves: So, when you talk to those patients about doing a digital transformation to a corporation where still today, the planning, the align scheduling, etc. is done on an Excel spreadsheet, and you can probably get equipped with a good scheduler for a very reasonable amount of money? There’s no reason not to; especially when there are small steps that could be done as well.

Jean-Yves: So, I think this is where to me having a good session, looking what’s out there. I think it’s important.

Alan: So, naturally, this is our bread and butter. This is our business. This is what we do. And we certainly invite anybody to give us a call, and we can help guide you through that process of taking inventory of where you’re at and where your customers are at and what some of the expectations are and identifying some of those opportunities. And whether you use us or you, or you talk with somebody else or however it’s the time to do, it is now. Because every, every day, the technology gets more and more advanced, and the longer you wait to begin the transformation journey, which I don’t think is ever going to end, the longer you wait, um, the, the farther behinds, you know, uh, you get.

Chuck: And I would add to that, Alan, we’re, we’re happy to help them with blocking and tackling and getting down to the, the basics and brass tacks as to, um, where to focus your efforts and absolutely, you know, maybe potentially create a roadmap of sorts.

Jean-Yves: Helping them identify what is, uh, what is for them, uh, a game changer or the critical success factor for their business. And it’s different from business to business.

Alan: Very true that. Gentlemen, this has been a very good conversation. I appreciate you both taking the time to share some of your thoughts and experiences, and I hope that this proves valuable to somebody out there in the Internet land.