Author:
Artur Sadzik, Project Industry 4.0 Manager, APA Group
Global consulting firms report that companies that use data analytics successfully achieve up to 20% better results (EY and Xplenty survey; Business Services Week). “Data-driven organization” is the slogan for Industry 4. 0. Numerous conferences and articles deal with this subject. But we often have a problem with what such an organisation should really look like. What does it take to transform your company in this direction?
It is possible to distinguish two main groups of elements that are necessary to support processes in an organisation on data. The first group concerns technical issues:
- Technology that allows us to build the right infrastructure for data processing.
- We need to be able to collect our data in an appropriate and verifiable quality and integrate it with different systems, including cyber-physics systems.
- Suitable tools for data processing and analysis as well as ways to apply algorithms.
Often, however, it is the second group that determines the success of our activities. It covers organizational issues and corporate culture:
- The culture of the organization – what it is now and how the transformation affects it.
- Exchange of knowledge and data.
- A culture of learning and continuous development based on working with others
In practice, paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 mark a major technical and organisational revolution in the company, which already requires a change in the company’s strategy.
We can use one of the basic principles of implementing digital transformation solutions – testing. Testing and piloting ensure that the organisation is able to evolve into a data-driven organisation at the current stage of development.
How does testing solutions in real-world conditions work? Efficient know-how for this process has been developed in the Technology Test Center for Industry 4. 0. As part of the pilot project, a hardware component (so-called NAZCA BOX) will be supplied that allows to explore the data of the selected device from the company’s industrial infrastructure. In addition, a professional IT infrastructure is implemented in the form of a cloud solution. This enables the collection, analysis and interpretation of the industrial data obtained. The whole thing can be realized in just 24 hours and does not cause any difficulties in production or business processes. The result of the pilot project is the possibility to test the full working capability in practice with the data of machines and equipment. In addition, the company receives a comprehensive report on the operation of the pilot project, as interpreted by the data analyst.
The whole pilot process provides answers to the following questions:
What will be the economic impact of such implementation?
How to avoid unnecessary, costly implementations Is my organisation / department technically ready for such solutions?
Can I work with data?
Can such an implementation add value to my actions?
The pilot project makes it easier to decide on a company’s digital transformation path by providing a quick and cost-effective answer to how digital processes will affect the organisation in the future and which areas of activity should be covered.