Boosting Visibility, Agility and Profits with Digital Manufacturing

whitePaper | September 1, 2022

A tale as old as industrialization itself. The former driven by producers, the latter by consumers. Every business is subject to the supply and demand paradigm, but manufacturing organizations in particular, since they determine the supply side of the equation. When we talk about “demand,” we are talking about the quantity of a specific good or service that consumers are willing and able to purchase during a given period of time. When we talk about “supply,” we are talking about the quantity of that specific good or service that is available to consumers.

whitePaper | December 14, 2021

This paper provides insight and analysis based on research and survey data on the evolving automotive supply chain and the emergence of smart manufacturing associated with industry mega trends, in particular the escalating shift to electric vehicles (EV). The automotive industry is the crucible for so many of the fundamental changes that are taking place in manufacturing because of technology convergence.

whitePaper | September 4, 2022

It’s the clarion call of today’s marketplace and the prime directive for executives in any business that designs or produces physical goods, no matter how simple or sophisticated. Fortunately, every product can be improved and made at less cost. But how quickly a company can satisfy such demands – before, say, its competitors do, or the market moves on to something new – is largely a function of the product-development cycle. Shorten that cycle, and you can improve the numbers across the board, from customer satisfaction to market share to profitability. However, one seemingly intractable barrier to faster product development lies within the traditional design process. That process starts with identifying a need in the market or within one’s organization; it ends with the manufacture of a finished product, whether a massive, complex assembly or one tiny part. In between are multiple iterations of designs and tests: engineers sketch out a solution, prototype and test it (or run a computerized simulation), and then go back to the design to address any shortcomings. But trade-offs complicate matters each time the cycle repeats: make a part lighter and it’s likely to become weaker, make it stronger and it will probably cost more, and so on. A workable, if not optimal, solution can usually be found. However, finding it often takes longer than the product-development timeline or budget will allow.

whitePaper | October 10, 2022

Manufacturers are performing in a highly volatile environment Today’s manufacturers face a number of urgent challenges that they need to overcome in order to keep their business on track and gain competitive advantage. These challenges include customer demands for faster deliveries, greater product innovation and more Product as a Service offerings (servitization). Additionally, customers, investors and regulators are pressuring manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint and improve transparency along their supply chains.

whitePaper | November 23, 2022

AI-enabled industrial control automation creates fresh opportunities to innovate and adapt manufacturing processes, building on a foundation of digital transformation and network advances across the intelligent edge

whitePaper | September 10, 2022

From the very beginning, SmarterChain’s vision has been to democratize top-tier supply chain knowledge and expertise. Through the years, we have been fortunate to work with best-in-class organizations and academic institutions and understand the importance of easy and systemic access to practical, top-tier strategic advice. As a plan of action designed to achieve a longterm ambition, strategy is what makes or any type of organization from a company, a nation, or an individual. The word ‘strategy’ itself comes from the ancient Greek words for ‘army’ (‘stratos’) and ‘lead’ (‘egy’) – it means leading your army into battle. And, as such, strategy is about the leadership required to make big ambitions a reality. For centuries, the biggest, most influential organizations and companies have led with radical approaches that have shaped the way we do business, as well as how we teach business to future generations.