Successful start-ups like Uber/Ola enabled their businesses by harnessing the vehicles owned by independent contractors and making them available based on demand in real time, transforming the traditional transportation systems. It did affect the stakeholders in the conventional transportation system. Those who adapted to the change, thrived; but those who didn’t respond to the change, just kept complaining. Similarly, new technologies in manufacturing are being applied to transform traditional manufacturing processes and supply chains to new business models, driving business results beyond incremental year-on-year growth. Here too, early adopters of the change will gain. Of course, the debate on who leads and who follows will continue.
One needs to examine the change in the way companies are leveraging technology to augment product offerings with services or make manufacturing more responsive to customer demand.
