Two-thirds of Manufacturers Surveyed Say Integrating Data and Applications Across the Product Digital Thread is Important or Critical

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Sep 17, 2024, 09:00 ET

But most of them still don't have fully integrated ERP, PLM, or supply chain systems, according to a new report

STOW, Ohio, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A just-released report, about the state of global manufacturers' use of digital resources to achieve their business objectives, reveals a gap between understanding the need to implement the right tools to optimize productivity—and integrating those tools successfully.

The report, Integrating Data and Processes Across the Product Digital Thread, gathered and analyzed responses from 138 global companies that manufacture products or provide engineering services.

Graphic 1. Two-thirds of manufacturers report that the product digital thread is important—or critical—to their company's success and profitability. Only a fraction, one percent, say it is not important. Source: Tech-Clarity, Inc.

Graphic 2. The state of integration among survey participants stretches beyond the department level in two-thirds of companies, but only about one-quarter are integrated at the enterprise level. Very few have extended their digital threads to the outside value chain. Source: Tech-Clarity, Inc

Graphic 3. Manufacturer’s most common goal for their product digital thread is to drive product quality—but also efficiency across their span of operations, including those downstream in traceability and service. Source: Tech-Clarity, Inc.

Survey results found manufacturers worldwide are increasingly using digitally-based systems for product design and production. With this shift comes further emphasis on better data integration for programs run internally and across supply chains.

"The current challenge is that most manufacturers don't have fully integrated ERP, PLM, or supply chain systems, let alone integration across these and other domains that carry crucial product information," says Jim Brown, founder and president of Tech-Clarity, which published the report. "Yet why have companies taken up the digital thread? Because achieving quality, efficiency, and better decision-making depend on it," he notes. "Over two-thirds of the participants in the study report that integrating data and applications across the product digital thread is important or critical to meeting their business goals."

"The next frontier in productivity is optimizing the digital enterprise," says Eric Doubell, CEO of Razorleaf, which commissioned the independent study. "Companies have the data already in existing CAD, PDM, ERP and MES systems. Now they need to make the data readily available and seamlessly useable across domains, then apply this information in flexible, targeted ways to their specific product and business needs. Systems-agnostic integrators can help automate the interconnection of custom, native, and best-in-class tools, making it easier for departments and suppliers to communicate and make accurate and faster decisions."

Webinar and Full Report available free of charge online

A recent webinar on the survey, conducted with Tech-Clarity and Razorleaf spokespersons, is available at https://www.razorleaf.com/resources/webinars/

The full Tech-Clarity report, "Integrating Data and Processes Across the Product Digital Thread," can be downloaded for free at http://www.razorleaf.com

About Tech-Clarity Inc.

Tech-Clarity is an independent research firm dedicated to making the business value of technology clear. We analyze how companies improve innovation, product development, design, engineering, manufacturing, and service performance through the use of digital transformation, best practices, software technology, industrial automation, and IT services. Our mission is to help manufacturers learn how to improve business results through the use of PLM, portfolio management, CAD, simulation, MES / MOM, IoT, quality, service, analytics, and other solutions.

About Razorleaf

Founded in 2000, Razorleaf is a consulting & systems integrator with specialized expertise in PLM, MES, integration, migration, design automation and test automation. We are focused on helping manufacturing organizations connect products and processes across the digital enterprise to drive more value from the innovation process. Led by a highly skilled and seasoned team of experts across the United States, Europe, and Asia, Razorleaf transforms businesses by offering comprehensive consulting and implementation services focused on managing the digital thread across the product life cycle and supply chain. https://www.razorleaf.com

SOURCE Razorleaf Corporation