Manufacturing Sector's Evolution: Adaptation to Change

Author: Whitelee Lee

COVID-19, including the manufacturing business, has shaken up every industry. Some companies went out of business because the changes in the market were so significant, and only a few could adapt and stay in business. In this article, we'll tell you what happened in the platform engineering industry during the pandemic and what some companies did to stay in business.

During the Pandemic, how effective was the manufacturing industry?

Holdups in Shipping

During quarantine, many businesses stopped making things, slowing the platform engineering services. Because of precautions taken in case of COVID-19, these delivery delays kept happening from time to time.

Uncertainty

Only a few manufacturers have been able to change with the times. To do well, they had to learn how vital Industry 4.0 is. Is this enough, though? Who can say that their business will not go down no matter what?

Higher Costs

In case their usual supplier was not available, manufacturers have had to look for other suppliers so they could keep making things. Usually, they cost more. Because of these costs, the prices of the final products have gone up.

Changes in Demand

On the one hand, manufacturers have had to deal with a drop in demand. For example, less need for import and export facilities and materials, as well as less demand for energy. On the other hand, demand for packaged consumer goods, electronics, and medical equipment has increased.

Masks and hand sanitizer have been in high order during the pandemic because they are crucial for stopping the virus. As more people work from home, there has also been a rise in the demand for electronics.

How Manufacturing Industries Will Stay In Business after The Pandemic

So, how can industries that make things keep up with this market? The answer is simple: they need to come up with digital plans. Here, we will talk about how helpful it can be to use technologies from Industry 4.0.

Technology has helped the healthcare industry, and robots are now used to check a patient's temperature. Robots also watch over masks. Masks and ventilators can now be made at low-cost thanks to 3D printing. Big Data has enabled it to get all the clinical data about a patient in real time. Technology seems to have helped with the pandemic, so why wouldn't it help the manufacturing sector?

Benefits of Adopting New Technologies

Change can be scary, but platform-engineering services must adapt to new technologies to compete in this volatile market. Here are some of the ways that manufacturers can benefit from Industry 4.0 below:

Keeping track in real-time:

This will only make it easier to find where parts and products are in the plant or while being delivered, reducing the time it takes to make things.

Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance is done on machines to ensure they never slow down production because they need to be fixed.

Planning

Use past and present data to make possible scenarios so that a change in demand doesn't catch you off guard.