In today’s complex industrial landscape, organisations worldwide are grappling with persistent challenges like missed project deadlines, scalability issues, and unplanned downtime. A significant portion of leaders report being impacted by these issues, with manual processes, outdated information, and skills gaps often cited as key contributing factors. The drive for digital transformation is clear, with many businesses increasing their investment in digital tools and data sources. However, a striking finding reveals that a substantial number of these efforts are not yet delivering the expected value.
A primary hurdle lies in the lack of connectivity between various data visualisation tools and platforms, leading to significant time spent on manual reporting and data consolidation—equating to an average of 117 working days a year. This highlights a crucial gap: simply adding more digital tools does not inherently solve underlying operational challenges or guarantee a return on investment. In fact, for some, an increase in digital tools appears to be creating more work and even affecting stakeholder alignment.
The report delves into how organisations can bridge this “investment/value gap” by focusing on strategies that ensure data access, connectivity, and continuity. It introduces the concept of a “digital thread” – an always-connected data flow across an entire enterprise that provides continuous intelligence on all operations and assets. While many organisations are already utilising digital thread technology to a high degree, varying approaches to data connectivity are yielding diverse results. The path to unlocking the full benefits of digital transformation, the report suggests, lies in navigating a “digital thread maturity curve” through best practices.
To gain a deeper understanding of the specific challenges faced by industrial businesses and discover expert insights on advancing digital thread maturity, download the full Hexagon’s Digital Thread Report.
