2024’s Revolution with IT-OT convergence transforming operations, training, and customer support

By Rupesh Lunkad, Managing Director – India and South Asia, TeamViewer

In recent years, the manufacturing sector has emerged as a pivotal driver of India’s economic growth. Key industries such as automotive, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and consumer durables have played a significant role in shaping the landscape. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, manufacturing contributed 16-17% to the country’s GDP before the onset of the pandemic, and it is poised to be one of the fastest-growing sectors in the post-pandemic era. This surge in investment sets the stage for a transformative journey within the manufacturing sector. One can expect a paradigm shift as manufacturers increasingly embrace advanced technologies, including those that form the foundation of the metaverse. This move towards innovation is aimed at bolstering smart factories and driving Industry 4.0 initiatives, as well as vision-picking in warehouses.

The industry will start to see a widening gap in terms of the outcomes between those who adopt IT into their OT systems and those who don’t. This will impact both the employee and customer experience. Moreover, by bringing IT and OT systems together, businesses will be able to increase quality and productivity across their operations. It is not just about remotely connecting to a device or machine but going one step further to collect and analyze operational data to drive automation and control, as well as using augmented reality/mixed reality technology to improve usability and collaboration. This convergence will be critical in offering fast and scalable aftersales support, and training. It will enable getting the right information to the people who need it promptly.

Furthermore, enterprise adoption will rise even further as digital-twin and augmented reality use cases are adopted alongside IT with the potential to improve efficiency where complex industrial equipment is needed like warehouses, logistics, and aerospace environments.

Beyond ChatGPT, Embracing Automation, Edge Analytics, and a Human-Centered Future
There is no doubt that despite AI being around for a long time, whether in the form of machine learning or rule-based expert systems, the launch of ChatGPT has brought it to the forefront. We are in the era of big data, where we can collect and process large volumes of data, both structured and unstructured, at speed. This is where AI is being implemented in businesses to drive efficiencies, streamline processes, and reduce human error.

Processing this big data will consume a large amount of computer processing power and storage, and while this is mainly being done with cloud computing at the moment, we will see a shift. Next year we will see more investment at the edge as when it comes to AI analytics it can be more than a dumb data collector.

Despite the continued cyber security considerations, this won’t hold back advanced businesses as the benefits outweigh the risks. There has been some hesitance about understanding data flows and analysing data due to security and regulation concerns. While these concerns won’t go away, businesses can no longer afford to use these as a reason not to tap into the data they have. They must take a responsible approach.

Business leaders should look to carefully implement this technology with a human-centered approach that empowers employees to learn new skills and undertake more value-driven tasks. If implemented responsibly, AI will support the workforce to be more productive, efficient, and accurate. Which will ultimately help businesses in all industries overcome the increasing skills shortage.

From Traditional to Tech-Savvy, How Existing Factories Need to Embrace Innovation
This is an area of great potential, and not just for those looking to build a smart factory from scratch. While the Hyundai factory in Singapore that just opened will be the ultimate smart factory, the reality is that many businesses can’t start with a greenfield site.

Similarly, 2024 will see a significant growth in smart factories but this will come from existing factories becoming smart. Those operating factories need to be progressive and look at the processes on the shop floor to develop smart capabilities. Having operational data on the factory floor will become a crucial step in developing verticalized solutions and driving efficiencies. It will all come down to the data and analytics to deliver results. In addition, augmented reality will be used more on the factory floor. Whether to train staff or enable anyone to fix physical problems on the ground. Through smart glasses and AR software, the person on site can be walked through processes by an expert based anywhere. This will deliver increased uptime to the factory and enable employees to optimise their processes.

In 2024, we will see more companies invest time and money into understanding processes on the shop floor and use this operational data to turn their factory into a smart factory.