Finding a way forward is challenging. But a recent survey conducted for Microsoft by the ARC Advisory Group maps a route that manufacturers can take to navigate a changing world. ARC’s recent report: “The Digital Manufacturing Journey—An ARC Global Analysis.” is based on a survey of over 1,000 Information Technology (IT), Operational Technology (OT), and Engineering Technology (dare I use the acronym “ET”?) decision-makers from North America, Asia, and Europe with deep knowledge of their status and plans for factory digitalization efforts over the next three years. The report makes the strong case that digitalization is key to manufacturers’ success. “Not only are companies faced with changing the number of people needed to do the work,” the report’s authors write. “But they must also rewrite how that work gets done.”¹ Greg Gorbach, one of the authors of the ARC Report, has described manufacturers facing a “Digital Transformation Mid-Life Crisis“.

During the ARC Industry Forum 2023 in Orlando, Florida, I had the opportunity to share Microsoft and ARC’s insights from the survey with manufacturers from around the globe.

ZF Group digital transformation journey

Watch the ARC Keynote featuring Gabriel Gonzalez-Alonso, SVP of Production Management, ZF Group Germany, making digital transformation real, relatable, and actionable. Gabriel also generously joined me on the Keynote panel to take questions on ZF Group’s six-year digital transformation journey with Microsoft and PwC for their Digital Manufacturing Platform, which is scaling out to 100 factories over the next year. Gabriel also shared how ZF Group streamlined communications for 110,000 frontline and office workers and is streamlining manufacturing processes with Microsoft Power Platform.

ZF Group is clearly making significant progress on its digital transformation, but for a more sobering look at the ‘broader mid-life crisis’, download the full ARC report for insights and recommendations about kickstarting or accelerating your own digitalization efforts.

Watch my full interview with Greg Gorbach, VP of Digitalization at ARC, for our discussion of the ARC Report. A few key insights and teasers are below:

The Digital Manufacturing Journey—An ARC Global Analysis 

Security is still a concern but those in the cloud feel more secure

Securing the cloud rises to the top as the most important challenge when thinking about digital transformation on the factory floor. However, ARC’s primary research conversations have revealed: “those who have made the move to the cloud actually feel more secure.”¹

These survey respondents said employee security training (38.2 percent), security monitoring and threat analysis (37.9 percent), and a dedicated security policy (35.9 percent) were essential to digitizing factories. This is especially true as manufacturers build their digital transformation on the cloud, with those in key OT roles showing the most concern about public cloud adoption.

Manufacturers expect security to be ‘built-in’ to the factory platforms and solutions they use for factory modernization.

Sustainability is a top priority

The report notes that we are in a “critical time” regarding taking the steps needed to mitigate climate change. Manufacturers are under intense scrutiny on this count. After all, almost by definition, manufacturing is an asset-heavy, energy-intensive activity. With even more pressure to optimize resources, many manufacturers are already working hard to reduce carbon output and reach low-emission goals. This can be accomplished with the help of software and AI, along with connected machines and workers, digitalization, automation, and the introduction of new operating and business processes.

Respondents were asked about nine factory-level sustainability activities manufacturers can undertake that drive sustainability, such as identifying emissions data to be tracked and accurately collecting carbon data. However, only slightly more than 50 percent of manufacturers have undertaken even one of the nine steps. Only 2.4 percent have completed all nine activities:

1. Identify all relevant public reporting standards and requirements.
2. Inform plant managers they will be held responsible to achieve factory sustainability targets.
3. Identify the specific emissions data to be measured.
4. Connect to data sources and accurately collect required carbon data.
5. Establish public and internal emissions and energy targets and goals.
6. Integrate into financial and other reporting systems.
7. Provide visibility into the data and progress towards goals.
8. Derive insights and leverage them to create decarbonization action plans.
9. Track and manage the progress in executing action plans.

Progress on factory sustainability initiatives was also one of the areas where progress varied dramatically geographically, with Asia leading the way, and North America lagging behind Europe.

European respondents reported the most measurable improvements from digital transformation investments but were more conservative in their plans for digital wins and industrial metaverse investments.

North American respondents claimed the highest cost benefits from digital transformation programs and had a high focus on realizing safety benefits. AI is a key focus for their smart factory investments over the next three years.

Manufacturing executives surveyed in Asia appeared to be further ahead in their factory digitalization efforts, moving workloads to the cloud, and more inclined to work with hyper scalers for their smart factory initiatives.

Manufacturers are making progress on IT, OT, and ET convergence

Much is written about IT and OT convergence, but ET decision-makers were added to the mix for this survey.

IT is more optimistic than its OT counterparts about moving to the public cloud over the private cloud. OT still has a higher concern about security and latency and moving workloads to the public cloud. IT feels more comfortable with some of the unknowns, such as edge technologies moving to the private versus public cloud. These findings highlight the further opportunities for IT and OT to cross-pollinate their experiences, align, understand each other, and determine what needs to be prioritized.

Engineering respondents focus more on improving technology and efficiency using new, innovative solutions like AI or Digital Twin than their IT and OT counterparts. Engineering also led the way in expressing the need for easy integration of purchased technology solutions with standard office collaboration and productivity tools.

Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing can help you achieve more

Download the full report for ARC’s insights on key technical requirements for modern factory solutions, and recommendations on how to:

• Advance your digital transformation journey.
• Select and prioritize your transformation target areas.
• Understand cybersecurity and how to secure your factories.
• Leverage the different skills across the complex manufacturing ecosystem.
• Use technology to empower the frontline workforce.

Learn more

Sign up to receive updates about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing and reach out to your Microsoft sales representative for expert support.

Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing

Empower your workforce with smart manufacturing solutions.

Discover more

¹The Digital Manufacturing Journey—An ARC Global Analysis, ARC White Paper, December 2022.

The post Manufacturers’ digital transformation: A mid-life crisis? appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

• Start with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing as the guide to the right solutions for your needs.  
• Learn how manufacturers are increasing resilience and sustainability in their factories and supply chains. 
• Addressing manufacturing skills gaps by embracing new solutions helps to harmonize people and automation. 
• Explore the new opportunities presented by industrial metaverses.

Start with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing as the guide to the right solutions for your needs 

Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing brings the best outcome-driven solutions and capabilities from Microsoft and our partners to accelerate time-to-value for our customers in an end-to-end, holistic, and scalable way. 

As we’ve previously announced, our Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing investments are in five key business areas delivered as composable and extensible solutions with an end-to-end focus on the sustainability and security needs of manufacturers:

1. Transforming the workforce.
2. Building more agile factories.
3. Creating more resilient supply-chains.
4. Engaging customers in new ways.
5. Unlocking innovation to deliver new services.

Watch Improve factory visibility and decision making with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing to get a sneak preview of what we’re working on to enhance operational visibility, the foundation of manufacturers’ smart factory strategies—giving them the performance insights they need across multiple factories, lines, and production equipment while also serving as the starting point for sharing best practices—and enhancing factory and multi-factory collaboration between frontline workers, engineering experts, and the partner ecosystem that keep their factories running.

And speaking of partners here’s what AVEVA, PTC, and Rockwell Automation had to share about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing:

“AVEVA and Microsoft connect people, assets, and data to the customer’s business to empower their teams, enable enterprise-wide visibility and enhance collaboration across their value chain. AVEVA and Microsoft have a decades-long collaboration. Our joint solutions have enabled customers to convert opportunity into business value, accelerating industrial transformation while embedding sustainability across the value chain. Now we are extending that value to data-led innovation delivered in the cloud.”—Kerry Grimes, Head of Global Partners | AVEVA.

“With PTC’s ThingWorx digital performance management (DPM) solution, manufacturers gain greater visibility into process bottlenecks that hinder production. Leveraging DPM with the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, they can extend this bottleneck analysis to other systems to track and assign tasks, facilitate communication between management and operators on shift, and create more opportunities for digital collaboration.”—Catherine Kniker, EVP, Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer | PTC.

“Working together, Rockwell Automation and Microsoft are in a unique position to deliver value to manufacturers and our entire ecosystem. By leveraging the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, our customers can accelerate the speed at which they collaborate, develop, and consume applications to achieve their business objectives—connecting assets, providing data in context, and enabling visibility to otherwise hidden information.”—Andrew Ellis, VP Global Portfolio Engineering | Rockwell Automation.

You can hear from more partners in the blog Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Partnering to manufacture a more resilient and sustainable future.

Learn how manufacturers are increasing resilience and sustainability in their factories

If you’re skeptical about doing more with less, check out Judson Althoff’s keynote where he talks with multiple manufacturers, including Jorg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production and Supply Chain Management. Read more about the partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft collaborate to boost efficiency, resilience and sustainability in car production.

We were proud to showcase and announce the General Availability of the Microsoft Sustainability Manager at Hannover Messe earlier this year, and I encourage you to learn more about how we are Driving innovation for ESG progress with Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability as we help manufacturers rein in the more elusive Scope 3 emissions data. With this update, we’re enabling organizations to ingest waste data, track waste partners, track disposal methods and materials, and make required calculations based on out-of-the-box or tailored models.

Addressing manufacturing skills gaps by embracing new solutions help to harmonize people and automation

Doing more with less often means cutting back on travel and engaging with customers in new ways. For manufacturers, this means activating digital selling and modernizing the service experience to enable always-on service. Read the following to get the latest on how we are Bringing more intelligence to sales teams with Dynamics 365 and Introducing new AI, automation, and collaboration capabilities for Dynamics 365 across sales and service.

In a special Into Focus session at Microsoft Ignite 2022, we showcased new AI, automation, and collaborative solutions that help manufacturers be more efficient, engage better across teams and departments, and deliver more breakthrough customer experiences.  

Manufacturers continuously remind us that Microsoft Teams has become a mission-critical platform for them and have helped shape many of our frontline workers’ features such as Teams Shifts and Walkie Talkie push-to-talk (PTT). You can see a sneak peek of how Teams is being integrated with manufacturing data services in the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing breakout session. Also check out Whats New in Microsoft Teams, where we share news on Honeywell, which now joins our ecosystem of devices integrated with Walkie Talkie push-to-talk on Teams and there’s a great story on how 3M’s Post-it® Brand and Microsoft join up to create the Post-it® App for Microsoft Teams.

Just like Microsoft Teams, manufacturers are seeing the value of low code across all of their business processes, including their factories. Learn how Johnson Controls has leveraged Teams and Microsoft Power Platform to build and deploy a set of applications they call Power Smart Factory to help streamline frontline operations and improve factory operations. Read how we are improving low-code governance with Managed Environments for Power Platform.

Explore the new opportunities presented by industrial metaverses

While we announced how Microsoft and Meta are partnering to deliver immersive experiences for the future of work and play in the consumer metaverse, I recommend you watch Judson’s keynote to learn more about how Microsoft is approaching commercial and industrial metaverses and customer examples of how some aspects are already here today—such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries, one of the world’s leading robotics companies, is exploring with Microsoft how the industrial metaverse could allow engineers, service technicians, and frontline workers to work together in the factory of the future utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT), digital twins, mixed reality, and collaborative spaces like Mesh for Microsoft Teams. 

Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA) winner Bosch’s Digital Twin is another example of an industrial metaverse that “takes human-machine collaboration to the next level”.  

Use Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing to do more with less

As rising costs, supply chain issues, and other challenges continue to mount—manufacturers need more intelligent cloud solutions and technology to do more with less. To future-proof your manufacturing organization, it’s imperative to find new ways to make data-driven decisions through industrial IoT, cloud, AI, and mixed reality solutions. 

Learn more

Follow Microsoft Manufacturing on Twitter and visit our Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing website to learn how Microsoft and our partners are helping manufacturers create a more resilient and sustainable future.

Sign up to receive updates about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing.  

The post Manufacturing at Microsoft Ignite 2022: Do more with less appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

Some manufacturers are embracing the ways that technology and innovation can help them bridge the chasm into the future. By building agile, smart factories these manufacturers are a step toward creating resilient, sustainable, and profitable operations.

There is no better time for manufacturing organizations to adopt innovative and intelligent cloud and edge technologies and solutions with significant progress made in connecting devices in factories and making smarter connected products for customers. But, with connected devices and products, new challenges are emerging, such as cybersecurity, new skills gaps in Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT) integration and application development, and increased expectations of purchased solutions to be composable, extensible, and support low code or no code.

Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing is hosting several sessions at this year’s Microsoft Ignite event:

• Expert Meet-up: Cloud for Manufacturing: Thursday, October 13, 2022, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time (in-Person)
• Improve factory visibility and decision making with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Thursday, October 13, 2022, from 1:00 PM to 1:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time (Digital and available on demand after the live event)
• Ask the Experts: Improve factory visibility and decision making with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Thursday, October 13, 2022, from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time (Digital and In-Person)
• Ask the Experts: Improve factory visibility and decision making with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Thursday, October 13, 2022, from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time (In-Person)

Among the topics that will be covered at Microsoft Ignite, there will be time dedicated to discussing the benefits of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing for accelerating the development of factory applications, as well as other topics addressed in the Top 6 findings from IoT Signals: Manufacturing Spotlight.

Accelerating the journey to smarter factories.

As manufacturers continue their move into the future, a majority are moving to implement smart-factory strategies, with 91 percent of manufacturers who have already adopted IoT pointing to increased operational efficiency as the top benefit.¹ Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) stands out as one of the most critical performance indicators for measuring that operational efficiency, asset productivity, and the overall success of their smart factory strategy.

With as much as 76 percent of manufacturing assets now connected, many manufacturers are moving workloads and applications from on-premises infrastructure to public and private cloud platforms, hoping to reduce costs and build more intelligent factory applications.¹ Moreover, many manufacturers plan to increase investments in smart connected IoT products.

However, even with the broader adoption of smart and connected devices, some manufacturers still face the hurdle of getting those devices and technologies to “talk” to each other. The greatest challenges constraining smart factory strategies are:

• Developing new applications (49 percent)¹
• Securing OT networks (43 percent)¹
• Interfacing with enterprise applications such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) or manufacturing execution systems (MES) (42 percent)¹
• Managing different data formats and protocols (42 percent)¹

Exacerbated by skills gaps:

• Advanced data analysis (45 percent)¹
• IT cybersecurity (44 percent)¹
• Cloud OT system coding (39 percent)¹
• Cloud IT system coding (38 percent)¹

Manufacturers are addressing these skills gaps by:

• Training (64 percent)¹
• Buying more complete digital offerings (54 percent)¹
• Additional reliance on existing partners (53 percent)¹

Operational visibility is the foundation of their smart factory strategies, giving them the performance insights they need across multiple factories, lines, and production equipment, while also serving as the starting point for sharing best practices, enhancing factory and multi-factory collaboration between frontline workers, engineering experts, and the partner ecosystem that keep their factories running.

Learn how Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing accelerates the path to operational visibility, empowering frontline workers, supervisors, and engineers to collaborate to analyze problems and take action in real-time with real results, and new low code and no code applications.

Learn more about smarter factories and better outcomes at Microsoft Ignite

As rising costs, supply chain issues, and other challenges continue to mount, manufacturers are turning to intelligent cloud solutions and technology to build more agile, smarter factories. To future-proof your manufacturing organization, it’s imperative to find new ways to make data-driven decisions through industrial IoT, cloud, AI, and mixed reality solutions. To learn more about these technologies and the insights they can provide, join us at Microsoft Ignite.

Stay informed

Follow us on social and visit our website to stay informed about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing.

¹IoT Signals: Manufacturing Spotlight report, 2022.

The post Deliver solid foundations for your smart factory appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

If you want to gain an edge in manufacturing, now is the time to embrace intelligent cloud solutions and drive new levels of agility. Learn how in the fourth installment of our on-demand webinar series, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing Series: Part 4 – Agile Factory of the Future. You’ll discover how to get clear manufacturing process insights and make informed decisions to improve quality, productivity, and efficiency within your operations. Plus, you’ll hear success stories from Microsoft customers like Outokumpu that are building agile, smart factories by adopting a data-driven mindset.

“Imagine if the technology existed so you could know exactly where each coil of steel you buy comes from, what’s in it, and how large its CO2 footprint is. Then you start to create an additional business opportunity, a new feature that nobody else has at the moment: the ability to guarantee a certain environmental footprint.”—Stefan Erdmann, Senior Vice President and CTO, Outokumpu.

In this webinar, you’ll also learn more about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, which is now available for preview. Learn how to increase agility with this industry-tailored, end-to-end cloud platform that helps securely connect your people, assets, workflow, and business processes.  

Build smart factories with innovative manufacturing solutions

Recent research shows that driving operational efficiency and agility is a top priority for manufacturers—and they’re working to achieve this goal through intelligent manufacturing solutions and smart factory strategies. According to the Microsoft 2022 IoT Signals Report surveying more than 500 manufacturers, most manufacturers across the globe are accelerating their efforts to build smart factories.

The upcoming report also shows that operational efficiency is still a top goal for manufacturers. Four out of five manufacturers consider overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) to be the most important area for improvement. However, over the next three years, they expect to see the biggest improvements in cybersecurity, sustainability, and quality. Additionally, manufacturers are facing new challenges with smart factory initiatives—particularly when it comes to developing new software applications and dealing with skills gaps in data science, AI, and cybersecurity.  

In the fourth installment of our on-demand webinar series, we’ll discuss these and other findings with our partner PTC Inc. Plus, you’ll find out how to drive digital transformation and smart factory efforts with PTC’s cloud solution, Factory Insights as a Service.

You’ll also hear how forward-thinking manufacturers are embracing internet of things (IoT), edge computing, AI, and machine learning to improve performance and anticipate supply chain shifts through actionable insights and real-time visibility. They’re tapping into these tools to build more agile factories and:

• Ensure business continuity and build resilience.
• Drive safe and secure production with reliable quality and yield.
• Optimize their use of resources.

3 ways to amplify agility in manufacturing

1. Boost asset productivity. Manufacturers can build agile factories and smart manufacturing processes with predictive technologies, IoT, and mixed reality. This allows them to improve throughput, quality, and delivery while reducing costs.
2. Enhance operational visibility. By providing a 360-degree view of overall plant systems and workflow, manufacturers empower operators to analyze problems and enhance workflow efficiency.
3. Improve production operations. Manufacturing organizations can increase production efficiency and quality and reduce downtime by advising, assisting, and augmenting factory workers with AI and autonomous systems.

To learn more ways to build agile, smart factories, download the infographic, “Build more agile factories.”

Explore how Microsoft partners are driving agility

Our large ecosystem of industry partners expands the value of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing with additional solutions to help manufacturers overcome their greatest challenges. Manufacturers are gaining better visibility and building more agile factories through a combination of these intelligent manufacturing solutions, including edge computing.   

“Manufacturing edge environments are remarkably complex with high levels of infrastructure, data, and system variability across sites. They need to connect everything that matters in real-time. Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, with its emphasis on open standards, cloud-based architectures, global reach, and best-in-class security, helps remove barriers and creates efficiencies that enable companies to scale their successes.”—Catherine Kniker, Chief Strategy Officer, PTC Inc.

Additionally, Celli Group, which produces dispensing equipment for global beverage companies, transformed its business model with IoT. Partnering with Microsoft and PTC, Celli Group created IntelliDraught—a connected beverage distribution system that turns equipment into smart devices that unlock insights where beverages are dispensed. The solution improves quality, sales, service, and inventory management for Celli Group’s customers.

“When our business side is engaging with customers, their IT teams feel peace of mind when they see we’re working with Microsoft and PTC.”—Paolo Cavalsassi, Global Commercial Director, Celli Group.

Create the productive, smart factory of the future

As rising costs, supply chain issues, skills gaps, and other challenges escalate, manufacturers are using intelligent cloud and edge solutions to build agile smart factories. If you want to future-proof your manufacturing organization, you must look for new ways to make data-driven decisions through industrial IoT, cloud, AI, and mixed reality solutions. These technologies and the insights they provide will help you improve quality, productivity, and efficiency within your production facilities and adapt quickly to change.   

Watch our on-demand webinar, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing Series: Part 4 – Agile Factory of the Future, to find new ways to drive agility and reimagine manufacturing. For more insights, download the infographic “Build more agile factories.”

The post Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Build agile factories of the future appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

Since we last met, Microsoft has released new solutions and capabilities to help our customers and partners thrive through this disruptive era. Most notably we announced Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, which brings together our manufacturing capabilities on Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform to help organizations across industries accelerate COVID-19 recovery and create operational resiliency.  

At the Microsoft Booth in Hall 4 Stand E34, we showed how Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing and Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability brings the best outcome-driven solutions and capabilities from Microsoft and our partners to accelerate time-to-value for our customers. 

Read Caglayan Arkan’s blog, Innovating for the future: Top four trends at Hannover Messe, for a broader recap of the partners who joined us at Hannover Messe 2022, our key product announcements, and hot trends.  

Empowering people for what’s next in manufacturing

As a gray-haired manufacturing veteran who has been grappling with the industry’s skills gap and the appropriate role that technology should play in addressing it, I’m gratified that during Hannover Messe 2022, the meetings, the conversations, the showcases that attracted the most traffic on the Microsoft booth—and at other exhibitors—weren’t autonomous systems that eliminate people. It was the showcases that augmented, upskilled, or reskilled people, combining people, processes, and technology.  

A lot has changed since we last met at Hannover Messe in 2019, where I reflected on the opportunity to address the manufacturing skills gap by augmenting human intelligence. Amongst the manufacturing community that attended Hannover Messe 2022—and beyond—there’s a new awareness of the impact of responsible manufacturing, its massive impact on our daily lives, and on sustainability. Through Microsoft’s mission of empowering every person and organization on the planet to achieve more, we can help manufacturers and their workforce create a more resilient and sustainable future for us all.

People, processes, and technology at Hannover Messe 2022

Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing capabilities and solutions fulfill our mission of empowering people:

• Helping manufacturers increase asset and frontline worker productivity in safe and secure factories.
• Planners, schedulers, and expediters to create resilient supply chains.
• Sales representatives to sell remotely.
• Service technicians to deliver always-on service.
• Engineers to unlock cloud-based innovation.

If you couldn’t join us at Hannover Messe, please make sure you read Emma Williams’s blog, How Microsoft is equipping manufacturing workers with the tools of the future, with some great customer stories:

• Johnson Controls leveraged Microsoft Teams and Power Platform to build and deploy a set of applications they call Power Smart Factory to help streamline frontline operations and improve factory operations. Learn how their solution helped optimize workloads, reduce machine downtime, improve product and service quality, and save money.

• Manufacturers like Blum are leveraging tools like Microsoft Viva Connections and Microsoft Teams to promote employee culture while optimizing for the factory of the future. Learn how Blum created a customized employee experience app for their frontline workforce with Viva Connections.

One of the most popular showcases at the Microsoft Booth showed how Kawasaki Heavy Industries, one of the world’s leading robotics companies, is exploring with Microsoft how the ‘Industrial Metaverse’ could allow engineers, service technicians, and frontline workers to work together in the factory of the future utilizing IoT, digital twins, mixed reality, and collaborative spaces like Mesh for Microsoft Teams. 

And while all the winners of the “Oscar for the manufacturing industry”—the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA)—are worthy winners in their category, I’d highlight Bosch’s Digital Twin that “takes human-machine collaboration to the next level” as the one that builds on this theme.

WomenPower at Hannover Messe 2022

We were delighted to host a session at the WomenPower event on June 2, Hannover Messe’s 19 Career Congress designed to offer a platform for topics around diversity, equality, sustainability, and career development. In this session, female leaders from Microsoft and the manufacturing sector gave their perspectives on how digitalization and sustainability are transforming the industry, both creating a need for new talent and an opportunity for female leaders who want to make a mark on the sector. In this lively panel discussion, manufacturing was defined as THE industry to work in to see a real and immediate impact from initiatives around sustainability and digitalization. The need for further work on diversity and inclusion was clear for all, as well as its importance for better business outcomes. In their closing remarks, the speakers reflected on what had helped them on their personal career journeys, and shared some advice with the audience, from being prepared to take risks and go outside their comfort zone, to finding their voice and taking their seat at the table. Our thanks for an inspirational panel go to:

• Dr. Paula Doyle, Senior Vice President, Energy, Cognite AS.
• Katarina Heining, Head of Digital Sales and Marketing, DMG MORI Digital.
• Laurence Janssens, Head of Manufacturing Industry, Microsoft Western Europe.
• Dr. Antigoni Chrysostomou, EMEA Business Leader, Azure HPC and AI, Microsoft Germany.
• Dr. Zoubida El Hachemi, Global Director, Strategic Partnerships, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence.
• Merce Borrull, Channel Sales Executive, Microsoft Switzerland.

Read Laurence Janssen’s blogs for more on why manufacturing is the place to be for diverse talent, and interviews with some of the panelists.  

A lot has changed since we last met at Hannover Messe in 2019. For this gray-haired manufacturing veteran who has been grappling with the industry’s skills gap, Hannover Messe 2022 was really about empowering people for the future of manufacturing.

Stay informed

Follow us on social and visit our website to stay informed about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing to learn how you can help manufacture a more resilient and sustainable future. 

The post Hannover Messe 2022: Empowering people for the future in manufacturing appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

• Planning and optimization. Increase service levels and reduce cost with the flexibility to plan and execute in the cloud and at the edge. Make sure there will be business continuity when a facility gets disconnected from the cloud. 
• Visibility. Use supply and demand signals to minimize risk and capitalize on future opportunities. 

Learn more in part three of our on-demand webinar series, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 3–Supply Chain Resilience. You’ll hear how to make your organization more adaptable and get real-time visibility into your data using the cloud. You’ll also hear how partners like Blue Yonder are helping improve end-to-end supply chain resilience. 

“Increasing transparency across the supply chain to get everyone the insights and answers they need exactly when they need them (without breaking the bank or bogging down IT) is the perfect recipe for the cloud. That’s why Blue Yonder and Microsoft have been working together so closely to develop intelligent solutions that are scalable, mobile, secure, and highly available from anywhere and on any device—at a cost that beats what you might build in a datacenter.”—Hong Mo Yang, Senior Vice President of Industry Strategy, Blue Yonder. 

In this webinar we talk about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, now available for preview. Learn ways to make your organization more resilient with this industry-specific cloud platform that connects your workflows, processes, people, and assets more securely. 

How to create more resilient supply chains 

Now that we are more than two years into COVID-19, two-thirds of manufacturers are optimistic about the future. However, shipment delays are still a top concern, with lead times twice as long as usual.² 

In response, manufacturers are adopting solutions that streamline processes. “As a manufacturer ourselves, we understand the complexities of a global supply chain and we have, in fact, transformed two very complex ones of our own.” Says Caglayan Arkan, Vice President Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Microsoft, in his new series focused on building a resilient supply chain.

Here are three ways you can use Microsoft technology to make your supply chain stronger: 

1. Put your data to work. Digitizing your manufacturing processes creates a lot of data, but it’s not necessarily useful. Consider a platform that unifies data from many sources and makes it digestible in real time so decisions are easier. For example, an intelligent priority-based planning tool can help you keep just enough inventory on hand while avoiding stockouts. Learn more by watching our on-demand webinar, Manufacturing resilient and sustainable supply chains.
2. Increase collaboration and trust. Invest in your relationships with vendors and logistics partners—you may be able to help each other in ways you haven’t thought of yet. For example, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) asked suppliers to share their supply chain data in a vendor collaboration portal to break down siloes. DTNA then analyzed that data using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Insights, part of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, to predict supply shortages. 
3. Predict disruptions independently. Create a digital twin of your supply chain, complete with model scenarios and simulations, to anticipate problems. Then you can automate the best response in advance, saving time when disruptions happen. For example, manufacturers are preventing unexpected equipment downtime using mixed reality and the Internet of Things (IoT) to do proactive equipment maintenance. 

Using Microsoft Dynamics 365 to improve resilience  

Organizations like GN Group and the Microsoft Circular Centers program are making their supply chains more agile with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing solutions like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. Here’s how: 

• GN Group, which includes audio and video brands like Jabra and ReSound, made delivery estimates more accurate by giving employees real-time visibility into parts on hand. They also streamlined inventory management by building a vendor-managed inventory (VMI) mobile solution that warehouse staff now use to scan products. Learn more about future-proofing from the GN Group customer story.
• Microsoft Circular Centers, a program that processes e-waste from Microsoft datacenters, needed a way to collect, manage, reuse, and recycle old parts. A Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) development team created a circular, reverse supply chain using Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. Now Microsoft Circular Centers has a streamlined way to process, sort, and route end-of-life materials, from receiving and testing to packing and storage. As a result, the first Circular Center location is reusing 83 percent of critical parts and recycling 17 percent. Learn more about increasing supply chain efficiency and resilience from the Microsoft Circular Centers customer story.

Prepare for the future by making supply chains more resilient 

Those are just a few examples of organizations overcoming today’s supply chain disruptions by using technology. Manufacturers face many challenges, but improving supply chain visibility, planning, and optimization will help you thrive. Specifically, leaders should focus on increasing transparency, unifying data and distilling it into actionable insights, and using intelligent solutions to model scenarios and predict problems. 

Get more details about how your manufacturing organization can strengthen its supply chain in the on-demand webinar, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 3–Supply Chain Resilience. You can also join Caglayan Akran and the Microsoft manufacturing and supply chain team at Hannover Messe from May 30 to June 2, 2022, where we’ll be exploring how digitalization and automation can create the industry of tomorrow. And for more insights, download the infographic “Create more resilient supply chains.” With the cloud, we can lower costs and increase service levels while preparing for anything that comes next. 

Follow us on social and visit our website to stay informed about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing to learn how you can help manufacture a more resilient and sustainable future.

¹Building a resilient manufacturing supply chain, Manufacturing Digital. 

²Covid-19 Round 4 Research: Impact to Supply Chain, Institute for Supply Management.

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In those three years, we’ve seen manufacturing leaders accelerate their digital transformation journeys as they strive with Microsoft and our industrial ecosystem to manufacture a more resilient and sustainable future for us all. So it’s fitting that as we converge on the home of Industry 4.0 in Hannover Germany, we’re pleased to be joining a community of around 2,200 industry exhibitors to showcase customer, partner, and Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing solutions for this year’s key theme of “Digitalization and Sustainability.” 

Engage with Microsoft at Hannover Messe 2022 

So, what does Microsoft have in store for you at Hannover Messe 2022, from May 30 to June 2, 2022? Here are five things to put on your calendar and to-do list: 

1. Register for Hannover Messe and visit the Microsoft booth Hall 4 Stand E34, where you can join guided tours, and book meetings with Microsoft executives and manufacturing experts on hand to discuss how Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing brings together Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform capabilities that help: 

• Build more agile factories. 
• Transform your workforce. 
• Engage customers in new ways. 
• Create more resilient supply chains. 
• Unlock innovation and new services. 
• Secure manufacturing solutions from edge to cloud. 
• Accelerate your sustainability journey.

Sign-up to tour the Microsoft booth.

2. Learn about the “Oscar for the manufacturing industry,” the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA), and meet with MIMA 2021 winners at the Microsoft booth. 

3. Join us at WomenPower on day four. Manufacturing is undergoing a huge transformation. And that transformation is opening a wealth of new opportunities to bring diversity to the industry. Learn why manufacturing is the place to be for diverse talent, and join our workshop session at WomenPower featuring women leaders from Microsoft, customers, and partners. 

4. Meet Microsoft’s co-innovation partners. Addressing the industry’s need for a platform that enables co-innovation and collaboration, our incredible ecosystem of industry partners expands the value of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing with additional solutions to address today’s most pressing challenges.   

Joining us at Hannover Messe in 2022 are ABB, Ansys, Accenture, Avanade, AVEVA, Blue Yonder, Cognite, C3.ai, ICONICS, o9 Solutions, PwC, PROS, PTC, Rockwell Automation, Sight Machine, TCS, and Tulip. 

5. Accelerate your sustainability journey. Join us at the Microsoft booth to learn how to manufacture a resilient and sustainable future. We’ll be showcasing how the Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability—available to test drive or purchase on June 1, 2022—empowers manufacturers to accelerate sustainability progress and business growth. We’re partnering with our customers to advance their progress by bringing together a set of environmental, social, and governance capabilities across the Microsoft cloud portfolio in addition to providing solutions from our global ecosystem of partners, such as ABB, AVEVA, TCS, and Wienerberger, the MIMA winner for sustainability. These integrated capabilities allow manufacturers to gain the transparency and insights they need to manage their environmental footprint, embed sustainability throughout their organization and value chain, and create new value in a transforming landscape.  

Our booth features several customers and partners advancing their sustainability efforts. We’ll also feature Microsoft Circular Centers’ use of the Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability and demonstrate how manufacturers can:

• Unify data intelligence: Gain the visibility required to effectively drive sustainability reporting, sustainability efforts, and business transformation. 
• Build a sustainable IT infrastructure: Identify opportunities to replace tools, systems, or activities with cleaner options and add business value. 
• Reduce the environmental impact of operations: Minimize the environmental footprint of your operational systems and processes. 
• Create sustainable value chains: Facilitate greater transparency and accountability through your value chain, from sourcing materials through the end of use.  

And if you can’t make it to Hannover Messe in person, visit the Microsoft Hannover Messe virtual booth where you can explore on-demand videos, showing how Microsoft is helping manufacturers create a more resilient and sustainable future with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing solutions. 

Join us in person at Hannover Messe 2022 

Register for Hannover Messe today. 

Follow us on social and visit our website to stay informed about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing to learn how you can help manufacture a more resilient and sustainable future. 

The post Hannover Messe 2022: Manufacture a resilient and sustainable future with Microsoft appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

In this environment, manufacturers are looking for tools that will help them close the skill gap and boost employee productivity. In part one of our on-demand webinar series, we discussed how Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing enables manufacturers to engage with customers in new ways. Watch the second installment of the series, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 2 – Transform Your Workforce, to explore how manufacturers can drive workforce transformation and help their workers be more productive from anywhere. We’ll discuss ways to accelerate innovation while empowering frontline workers and building a safer work environment. Plus, you’ll hear about some of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing capabilities that are already helping some of our manufacturing customers—like Chevron and Alcoa—transform their workforce.

You’ll also learn more about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, now available for preview. Explore how this industry-tailored cloud platform helps manufacturers build a more resilient and sustainable future by more securely connecting people, assets, workflow, and business processes. This end-to-end solution includes capabilities designed to empower workers to collaborate from anywhere, which leads to increased productivity. Our ecosystem of industry partners extends the value of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing with innovative solutions that can help manufacturers address even the most difficult workforce challenges.  

Three ways to drive manufacturing workforce transformation

The pandemic triggered manufacturers to invest heavily in digital manufacturing, from smart factories and IoT platforms to cloud computing and advanced analytics. Despite these investments, many manufacturing frontline workers—who represent the backbone of manufacturing operations—feel like they’ve been left behind. In fact, 36 percent say that they don’t have the right digital tools or technology to do their job effectively, and 54 percent feel like they’ve been learning on the fly with no formal training.²

In this climate, it’s critical for manufacturers to address the skill gap and keep up with the complexities of digital manufacturing. Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing is helping manufacturers transform their workforce in three specific ways: 

1. Connect and empower manufacturing frontline workers. Manufacturers can empower their frontline workforce with digital tools and modern devices that enable real-time communication and collaboration.
2. Enhance training for a better future. To build a more resilient and sustainable future, manufacturers need to identify skill gaps and equip frontline workers with the skills and training they need to succeed—all while providing easy access to knowledge across the organization.
3. Improve worker wellness, health, and safety. Digital manufacturing solutions can help promote a safer work environment. By reducing manual effort through automation, manufacturing organizations can optimize production and profitability while ensuring health and safety requirements are met.

Discover how Microsoft customers are promoting collaboration

Manufacturing organizations are tapping into Microsoft solutions to drive workforce collaboration, streamline communications, and increase productivity to grow their businesses.

For example, Chevron refined its digital workplace and increased global efficiency with Microsoft Teams. “Teams ushered in an open communications model where everybody can present their ideas in an immediate and transparent way,” says Cory Smithson, Head of Supply and Trading Information, Chevron. Smithson leads the 350 IT professionals who support 200 systems and apps used by Chevron Supply and Trading (S&T) to ensure the most efficient, cost-effective routes for delivering Chevron products to customers. “Compared to the past, where exchanges happened via phone calls or email between two people, now we have more inclusive, open discussions. Today, we arrive at better solutions, faster than we would have previously.”

Iceland-based Alcoa also uses Microsoft Teams to maintain around-the-clock operations and a safety-conscious culture. With varying schedules and new ways of working in place, Alcoa employees continue to stay connected and productive. “With Microsoft Teams, we’re able to share information with the entire factory at once,” says Friopjófur Tómasson, Pot Room Supervisor, Alcoa Iceland. “Without Teams, all the crucial information would have been spread across various platforms and difficult for people to find.”

Improve employee engagement to boost manufacturing productivity

If organizations want to increase manufacturing productivity, they need to embrace new ways to close the skill gap and enhance worker engagement. Manufacturers looking to transform their workforce must empower employees with modern digital manufacturing tools, automate processes to streamline employee tasks, ensure the health and safety of frontline workers, and offer better training and educational opportunities.

Watch our on-demand webinar, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 2 – Transform Your Workforce, to explore trends, insights, and strategies to accelerate manufacturing workforce transformation.

To learn more ways to improve employee engagement, get the Transforming the manufacturing workforce infographic.

¹Latest findings from PwC’s Pulse Survey, PwC.

²Technology Can Help Unlock a New Future for Frontline Workers, Microsoft WTI.

The post Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: 3 ways to transform your manufacturing workforce appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

Manufacturers know that they need to take action, and they’re searching for innovative ways to engage customers—but many don’t know where to start. In the first installment of our on-demand webinar series, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 1 – Engage Customers in New Ways, we discuss these complex challenges and offer manufacturing trends, insights, and customer engagement strategies. This webinar series will highlight some of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing capabilities that are already helping our manufacturing customers accelerate their digital transformation efforts.

During this webinar, you’ll also learn more about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, which is now available for preview. This end-to-end solution supports the core processes and requirements of the industry and empowers manufacturers to build a more resilient and sustainable future. Addressing the industry’s need for a platform that enables collaboration, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing more securely connects people, assets, workflow, and business processes. Plus, this industry-tailored solution includes capabilities to help manufacturers improve customer engagement and boost profit margins.

Drive customer engagement with digital experiences

As customer engagement becomes a top priority, manufacturers are searching for new ways to connect with customers and elevate their experiences. A growing number of manufacturers are tapping into technology to overcome their greatest customer engagement challenges. For example, some organizations are turning to AI and cloud solutions to optimize inventory and streamline sales processes. Additionally, many manufacturers are deploying virtual assistants to provide efficient customer service experiences and using smart, connected products to gain valuable insights.

In the last year, 91 percent of manufacturers have increased their investment in digital transformation². With cloud solutions, industrial IoT, AI, and other modern technologies, manufacturing organizations can improve customer satisfaction, attract new customers, and empower sales teams to close more deals.

In our first webinar of this series, discover two specific ways Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing is helping manufacturers improve customer engagement:

1. Activate digital selling

With digital selling, manufacturers can empower sales teams to win more deals and increase margins. These digital customer engagement solutions include quote-to-cash, configure, price, quote, and contract lifecycle management.

2. Enable always-on service

Always-on service helps service agents, dispatched technicians, and virtual assistants install and monitor connected products and engage remotely with customers and experts. This allows teams to exceed service expectations by predicting, detecting, and resolving service issues before customers even know there’s a problem.

Powerful partnerships: Joining forces to engage customers

Our extensive ecosystem of industry partners extends the value of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing with additional solutions to address today’s most pressing challenges, including customer engagement. Together with these partners, we’re helping manufacturers elevate customer experiences and empower their sales teams to close more deals.

For example, one of our partners, PROS Smart Configure Price Quote (CPQ), serves as the connected pricing and selling fabric that allows Microsoft business applications to embed its capabilities into each selling experience. This platform features capabilities spanning all manufacturing customers’ pricing, selling, and e-commerce needs.

“Industry changes, global competition, and increasing customer expectations are placing manufacturers under immense pressure to shift to digital commerce. Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing delivers a comprehensive platform, applications, and infrastructure, that scale to support manufacturing-specific solutions and drive this digital transformation. PROS Smart Configure Price Quote integrates seamlessly into Dynamics 365 as an out-of-the-box solution which enables manufacturers to accelerate the delivery of quote-to-cash strategies with optimized offers for every selling interaction. PROS and Dynamics 365 combined are a selling team’s central point of management for all quoting and sales agreement needs, empowering businesses to accelerate quoting speed from weeks to minutes, streamline approvals, and increase deal size.”—Les Rechan, Chief Operating Officer, PROS.

Accelerate innovation to connect with customers

If manufacturers want to differentiate their organization and drive profit margins, it’s more important than ever to improve customer engagement. Today, manufacturers have access to an array of tools and digital solutions that will help them attract customers, improve customer satisfaction, and empower sales teams to close more deals. Watch our on-demand webinar, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 1 – Engage Customers in New Ways, to explore manufacturing trends, insights, and new ways to engage customers.

To learn more about customer engagement strategies, get the Engage customers in new ways infographic.

¹Revolutionizing Customer Service in Manufacturing, Salesforce Research.

²2021 State of Manufacturing Report, Fictiv.

The post Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Discover new ways to engage with customers appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.

As observed by Catherine Kniker, Chief Strategy Officer, PTC:

“Manufacturing edge environments, are remarkably complex with high levels of infrastructure, data, and system variability across sites. They need to connect everything that matters in real-time. Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, with its emphasis on open standards, cloud-based architectures, global reach, and best-in-class security helps remove barriers and creates efficiencies that enable companies to scale their successes.”

Use the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing to empower your ecosystem

The Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing brings the best outcome-driven solutions and capabilities from Microsoft and our partners to accelerate time-to-value for our customers in an end-to-end, holistic, and scalable way. By connecting intelligent, integrated cloud, and edge capabilities of the Microsoft stack to the highest value manufacturing scenarios, we help businesses increase asset and frontline worker productivity in safe and secure factories, enable remote selling, and always-on service, and unlock cloud-based innovation—all with the utmost trust, security, compliance, privacy, and transparency.

Addressing the industry’s need for a platform that enables co-innovation and collaboration, our incredible ecosystem of industry partners expands the value of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing with additional solutions to address today’s most pressing challenges. Leading partners extending Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing core capabilities include: 

• ABB Ability™ Energy and Asset Manager.
• AVEVA Insight. 
• Blue Yonder Supply Chain Planning and Operations. 
• eLogic equipment360 for Dynamics 365 Field Service.
• Experlogix CPQ for Dynamics 365 Sales and CE.
• Icertis Contract Intelligence for Dynamics 365. 
• O9 Solutions Integrated Business Planning. 
• PROS Smart Configure Price Quote (CPQ). 
• PTC Factory Insights as a Service.
• Rockwell Automation Industrial IoT platform. 
• SAS for Improved Manufacturing Quality and Yield. 

This is just a glimpse of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, built to adapt to you on your terms and modularized to enable the digital transformation of your unique business. Here’s what some of our partners had to say about joining the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing preview:

Partners accelerating information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) convergence

“Global manufacturing customers are facing new imperatives to transform—not just the perennial priorities of reliability, safety, and efficiency, but also in terms of resilience, agility and sustainability of operations. We are pleased to make available the standard version of ABB Ability^TM Energy and Asset Manager through the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing. This latest step in our longstanding collaboration bringing together a distinctive blend of OT and IT expertise will support our joint value proposition for manufacturing customers aiming for long-term success.”—Andrea Temporiti, Head of Digital, ABB Electrification

“Rockwell Automation’s experience in OT and Microsoft’s expertise in IT is exciting as it gives us a modern way to help customers.  The Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing promises the opportunity to create a unified data model extending from the OT side to the IT side of cloud.  This enables Rockwell, Microsoft and our users to discover new insights and deliver value faster than ever.”—Andrew Ellis, VP Global Portfolio Engineering, Rockwell Automation 

Increasing resilience of supply chains

“Increasing transparency across the supply chain to get everyone the insights and answers they need exactly when they need them (without breaking the bank or bogging down IT) is the perfect recipe for the cloud.   That’s why Blue Yonder and Microsoft have been working together so closely to develop intelligent solutions that are scalable, mobile, secure, and highly available from anywhere and on any device—at a cost that beats what you might build in a datacenter.”—Hong Mo Yang, SVP Industry Strategy, Blue Yonder

“At a moment’s notice, today’s supply chains must be able to process information and make well-informed data-driven actions. To empower them, o9 Solutions is excited to be a part of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing as a partner for end-to-end planning and analytics. The combination of o9’s Digital Brain, including solutions like Integrated Business Planning, with leading-edge cloud-based services, will empower clients to convert data into actionable insights to drive high-quality business-critical decisions.”—Igor Rikalo, President and COO, o9

Activating digital selling and enabling always-on service

“Experlogix has been in partnership with Microsoft for 20 plus years.  Our Configure Price Quote (CPQ) software is built and delivered in Azure.  We remain impressed with Microsoft’s commitment to customer experience and deep partner integration.  Partnering on the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing will unlock innovation and activate digital selling.  Experlogix and the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing will enhance the customer investment in technology and showcase a massive ROI with CPQ via our enterprise ready manufacturing configurator functionality that integrates with both Dynamics 365 Sales and Supply Chain Management.”—Tina Sanders, Strategic Alliance Director, Experlogix

“Industry changes, global competition, and increasing customer expectations are placing Manufacturers under immense pressure to shift to digital commerce. Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing delivers a comprehensive platform, applications and infrastructure, that scale to support manufacturing-specific solutions that drive this digital transformation. PROS Smart Configure Price Quote integrates seamlessly into Dynamics 365 as an out-of-the-box solution which enables manufacturers to accelerate the delivery of quote-to-cash strategies with optimized offers for every selling interaction. PROS and Dynamics 365 combined are a selling team’s central point of management for all quoting and sales agreement needs, empowering businesses to accelerate quoting speed from weeks to minutes, streamline approvals, and increase deal size.”—Les Rechan, Chief Operating Officer, PROS

“Over the last decade-plus, we’ve worked closely with Microsoft to deliver solutions that have transformed how manufacturers realize the full intent and value of their contracts. Three of the top five manufacturing companies in the world use the Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform running on Microsoft Azure, and they’ve extended contract performance throughout all aspects of manufacturing in order to deliver ethically sourced, environmentally sustainable, and globally compliant products. With the release of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, we’re once again in a position to empower these and other industry leaders to further transform manufacturing and deliver more meaningful, measurable results from contract intelligence. To learn more, our solutions for Manufacturing can be found on Microsoft AppSource.”—Monish Darda, CTO and Co-founder, Icertis

“eLogic is excited to be a key partner for the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing and utilize this powerful platform and common Industry Data Model to further enable manufacturers to harness the end–to-end connected business processes that span the elements of an Intelligent Enterprise.  eLogic’s portfolio of industry-specific solutions including equipment360™ Field Service, Advantage Sales™, and Analytics and AI to support Demand and Supply Planning, Shop Floor Execution, and Inventory Management help our customers quickly achieve targeted business outcomes through connected use cases on the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing with data-centric, actionable intelligence,”—Tom McKee, Manufacturing Industry Principal, eLogic.

Adding insights that accelerate digitalization and unlock innovation

“AVEVA Insight presents a single, cost-effective digital dashboard to address these challenges while future-proofing industrial operations. By marrying the power of industrial data and AI with the scale and flexibility of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, AVEVA Insight creates a manufacturing environment where workers can access real-time supply and production data and analytics within a single, unified window for enhanced decision-making. Customers benefit from agile and scalable plants, safe and cost-effective operations, and flexible, remote access across their networks. The results speak for themselves. At the WEF-recognized lighthouse at Lexington, Kentucky, Schneider Electric realized a 6 percent reduction in unplanned downtime using AVEVA Insight.”—Andreas Hartl, Senior Vice President Cloud, AVEVA

“The variables impacting product quality have become exponentially more complex during this time of disruption. Frequent changes to suppliers, staffing, target markets, regulations, and so on have increased the pressure on operations leaders to make effective decisions in a dynamic environment. Manufacturers welcome the flexibility and power to comb through terabytes of data and quickly hone in on the variables that impact quality and yield.  SAS has “baked in” the most common advanced analyses required, along with built-in data models capable of handling high frequency, noisy sensor data from disparate manufacturing systems.  Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing makes it easy to stand up that solution and deploy it enterprise wide. The result? Production operations transform from a reactive to a proactive, and profitable, approach.”—Marcia Elaine Walker, Global Industry Principal for Manufacturing, SAS

“Manufacturers are creating a digital thread along the entire value chain that combines design and engineering data with live data coming from the physical world via the internet of things. They are changing the basic fabric of the business, optimizing and innovating across functions to deliver business impact: reducing operational costs, maximizing revenue, and creating flexibility and agility. PTC’s solutions, ThingWorx, Servigistics, Creo, Vuforia, and Windchill help deliver this impact by increasing effectiveness in engineering and manufacturing, growing revenue and profits in service and parts, and making workforces more efficient with augmented training and work instruction—all while enabling the digital thread across the value chain.”—Catherine Kniker, Chief Strategy Officer, PTC

Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing provides growth opportunities for partners

With Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, partners have greater ease and flexibility in building unique applications to respond with new and sometimes, groundbreaking solutions. Now more than ever, the manufacturing industry needs innovative, diverse, and transformative solutions that accelerate digitalization and empower a new era of hybrid work. We are honored that so many partners trust Microsoft to be their platform partner.

We invite you to follow Microsoft Manufacturing on Twitter and visit our Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing website to learn how Microsoft and our partners are helping manufacturers create a more resilient and sustainable future.

The post Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Partnering to manufacture a more resilient and sustainable future appeared first on Microsoft Industry Blogs.