Optimize your resources with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing
With a myriad of supply chain issues, rising inflation, and a labor market that is undergoing a generational transition, manufacturers continue to face unprecedented disruption, only compounded by the continued ripples of COVID-19. In addition to this, rising energy costs are testing the resilience of energy-intensive manufacturers in Europe and Japan, with some shutting down production lines, and in some cases, entire factories.
Many manufacturers have been on a multi-year transformation journey to a sustainable and responsible operation, which has already yielded energy savings and carbon reduction. To adapt to the current environment, they are looking to their existing technology investments to identify areas where they can quickly optimize costs while maintaining production levels and sustainability commitments, this is where Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing can help.
Navigate disruption with Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing
Build resiliency and sustainability through operational visibility, data integration, and digital collaboration.
As a technology provider to the industry and digital transformation partner to manufacturers across the world, Microsoft is committed to supporting the industry navigate this disruption by helping make the most of the manufacturer’s operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) stack to enable faster decisions, empower employees, and optimize costs.
Mainly, we see 3 areas where our capabilities can quickly support manufacturers in this mission:
1. Upskill and onboard the workforce faster
Quickly onboard employees and help them build skills with effective and easy-to-use communication tools, custom role-based learning paths, and mixed reality capabilities. Leverage Microsoft Teams for frontline workers as a powerful tool to enhance communication and collaborations while increasing operational efficiencies. Microsoft Viva Learning provides a powerful learning platform integrated with Microsoft Teams to quickly train new employees or upskill your current workforce for tasks in other areas. For manufacturers that already have an augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) strategy in place, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist provide an immersive experience to onboard employees and to deploy expert technical skills from anywhere in the world, reducing downtime and associated maintenance costs. In a recent study by Forrester Consulting,1 Microsoft Teams for frontline workers significantly enhanced supervisory productivity, which in turn returns USD9.1 million worth of working time to time-strapped frontline managers.
Learn how customers are using these capabilities. Read the case study on how Toyota Motor North America is leveraging Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Dynamics 365 to increase operational efficiency.
2. Gain real-time visibility, optimize operations, and supply chain
With Microsoft Supply Chain Platform which includes, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, manufacturers can accelerate time to market, optimize inventory allocation, improve cost management, increase machine utilization, and reduce downtime. In a study by Forrester Consulting,2 manufacturers leveraging Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management improved operational efficiency from 2 percent to 3 percent by reducing unplanned machine downtime. To learn more about how to gain value from this solution, read how Coca-Cola Bottling Shqipria and its partners streamlined daily operations and brought people closer together.
3. Migrate applications to the Cloud and save
Many business applications are still in on-premises environments requiring a heavy focus on your IT department and incurring direct energy consumption costs. By quickly migrating some of these applications to Microsoft Azure, manufacturers can achieve agility, save costs, and increase resilience in the supply chain. Microsoft Azure is an enterprise-ready cloud that is built to power complex industrial operations at a global scale. For example, you can save up to 85 percent compared to pay-as-you-go rates with Microsoft Azure Hybrid Benefit when migrating Window Server and Microsoft SQL Server to Microsoft Azure.3 To see how your peers are gaining flexibility and agility by moving their workloads to Microsoft Azure, review the Kennametal case study.
A rich ecosystem of specialized partners with optimization solutions
Microsoft understands the daunting challenges the industry is facing and is already helping hundreds of customers navigate these industry disruptions to make the most of their current technology investments. Microsoft has a vast partner ecosystem that leverages our cloud infrastructure and security to unlock more ways to optimize your current resources through assessments, consultations, and quick time-to-value offerings.
Learn more
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1The Total Economic Impact Of Microsoft Teams For Frontline Worker, Forrester, July 2022
2The Total Economic Impact Of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, August 2021
3Based on Azure pricing as of October 2022. Prices are subject to change. Actual savings may vary based on location, instance type, or usage.
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Source: Microsoft Industry Blog