The global manufacturing sector is increasingly characterized by a VUCA, Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity competitive environment. Manufacturing companies must mitigate risks, just as significantly, capitalize on the opportunities presented by new technologies such as AI.

The obsolescence of traditional manufacturing models is the theme for Operations in the present. This is closely linked to the broader shift toward the smart factory, which includes the integration of digital solutions. New technologies are transforming manufacturing companies, bringing a radical change in the way value is created, delivered and captured in the marketplace from tangible to intangible, from make to serve.

Traditional operating models must be rethought, making product and process innovation the Key Success Factor for maintaining competitiveness today and tomorrow.

The manufacturing model of the future must develop along 4 lines: