In this interview, John Ferreira, managing director-Manufacturing for Accenture Management Consulting, discusses the state of manufacturing.
Ferreira argues that manufacturing is at an inflection point. Its traditional focus on cost efficiency and quality are now just table stakes: the real opportunity is for manufacturing to once again become a driver of revenue growth and competitive advantage. Challenges for manufacturers include supporting more highly customized products with shorter production runs, and generally becoming much more agile to compete in an increasingly complex marketplace.