Ushering in a new era of manufacturing
November 16, 2017
RESEARCH REPORT
In brief
In brief
- Converging breakthrough technologies—analytics, artificial intelligence and more—enable mass real-time customization with smart, connected products.
- “Industry X” is radically shifting the tide among leading companies across industries—from automotive, industrial equipment to pharmaceuticals.
- Accenture Labs research sees Industry X playing out at every stage of the manufacturing process.
- Recent research illustrates enormous potential value waiting to be unleashed from Industry X.
The future of product engineering
As Industry X becomes established, the industrial landscape is changing beyond recognition in three ways:
Transforming work itself
By offering businesses smarter, more closely connected and data-driven agile processes, Industry X completely transforms the way we work.
Engaging the workforce
New tools engage and empower a highly collaborative workforce.
Involving customers
Industry X offers businesses a new opportunity to involve customers throughout the product lifecycle via living services.
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Powered by the convergence of a whole spectrum of breakthrough technologies—from AI, edge intelligence and augmented/mixed/virtual reality, to 3D-printing and analytics—Industry X is a game-changer.
A mechanism to understand what consumers value
Today, new products are launched in the market only after companies make significant investments into design and prototyping. Always-connected products will fundamentally change that construct. The products themselves become a data point for automating the design of new products and modifying products that are already in use in real time. Industry X will facilitate how businesses integrate multiple technologies to compress timelines from months to days, and digital businesses will go to market with new products in a fraction of the time it takes their less digital competitors.
From concept
Instead of relying on expensive, time-consuming market research and analysis, use the crowd to conceptualize new products and test on customers.
To design
Industry X applications will flow through the product engineering lifecycle with augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality technologies.
To prototype & simulation
The automotive manufacturing process can take 36+ months—with prototyping and simulation1/3 of costs. That will change dramatically in Industry X.
To Industry X
Industry X will encompass processes, workers and customers, driving change across business functions, operating models and new connected products.
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The future is here
Industry X will be pervasive much sooner than most people think. Encompassing every area of operations from processes, to workers to customers, it will drive completely new digital setups across business functions, operating models and new software-enabled connected products. Wholesale digital disruption of the industrial sphere will follow.
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