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Managing the Cultural Impact of Industry 4.0 in Manufacturing
Amel Gardner, regional vice president – Middle East, Africa & India, Epicor Software elaborate on the key steps to manage the transition to industry 4.0 SmartSMB / March 2020
The success of digital transformation isn’t just about investing in the right technology. As with any large-scale project—from a change in working location to a company merger—the impact on the people involved needs to be a key consideration when putting a strategy and implementation plan in place. However, in a bid to keep up with the latest technology trends, manufacturers could be shooting themselves in the foot by not addressing change management and cultural aspects from the outset. In fact, recent research has found that only a quarter (26 percent) of busi-
nesses consider change management strategies to be an important part of the move towards Industry 4.0 and the connected enterprise. This suggests that a large proportion of manufacturers are not putting steps in place to manage the impact of such a change on corporate culture, which could affect the ultimate success of any digital transformation project.
Six steps to success
Despite pressure on Middle East businesses and individuals to remain at the cutting edge, no one wants to be an early adopter and get it wrong.
