Automation post-Covid

Corona turned our way of manufacturing on its head. Digital transformation shifted up a huge gear. Work of years, became work of months as business leaders realized that digital is the only way to be future-proof. But what will automation look like in the world post-Covid?

Innovating purely for innovation's sake is passé. The pandemic may have proved a huge driver for digital transformation, but pragmatism has always been paramount. By 2022, 70% of all organizations will have accelerated their use of digital technology: to increase customer engagement, establish higher productivity and become a resilient organization. If today only 27% of all companies have undergone a comprehensive digital transformation, by 2024 it will be 75%. Digital will become the new normal in businesses and society in no time. By adopting hyperautomation technology combined with rethought production processes, companies will be able to reduce their costs by as much as 30% by 2025. So automation and digitization does pay off.

Tech innovations are not an island

There is a lot of interest from the market in artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins and also robotic process automation (RPA). But these technologies only add tangible value to business results if they do not operate on a separate island. Out with the siloed approach, on to an integrated approach by putting the right capabilities together to solve specific problems and discover opportunities. This process is called hyper-automation. It is a process that is never ending but rather a disciplined approach to quickly identify and evaluate which business and IT processes would benefit from automation. It revolves around different technologies working together to form a single architecture. And that doesn't apply to businesses alone. Cities are also betting on IoT, artificial intelligence and digital twins to bring the physical and virtual worlds together and improve infrastructure management.

People and machines together

This decade must end the battle between humans and robots. The best-performing organizations will be the ones that understand how digital technology can be seamlessly integrated to increase human productivity. Everything that can be done will also be automated; all other processes must be supported. In other words, machines will automate 80% of the processes and provide information to people to make the right decisions in the other 20%. New forms of automation will directly or indirectly support a quarter of remote employees before the end of the year. By next year, 65% of them will be armed with data, artificial intelligence and security to go on the road for better productivity, adaptability and decision-making skills in ever faster changing conditions. But it is not limited to that domain. By 2023, half of knowledge workers would have their own robotic assistant with artificial intelligence to help them prioritize tasks, gather information and automate repetitive work.

From industry leader to innovation hub

When technology sits on the same platform, only then can true quality, consistent data and powerful insights be delivered. Over the next few years, companies leading the industry worldwide will have acquired at least one start-up artificial intelligence software company by 2023. By doing so, they want to ensure they have the right skills in house and retain ownership of their intellectual property. The need for integrated data, by the way, will make it harder for companies to survive as stand-alone technology players. But integration is not limited to acquisitions. There will also be networks of companies working together at a very deep level. Digital innovation factories are called them. 40% of IT and OT vendors are expected to join hands to step into the market with holistic solutions. By 2025, 75% of industry leaders would use digital platforms and ecosystems to adapt their value chains to new markets and industries.