MAY 2021CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM 19installations to enterprise-wide capability. In this role, he is responsible for product strategy, industry strategy, and go-to-market activities related to operations solutions, including HMI/SCADA, Midstream Pipeline offerings, and Unified Operations Center. He has over 30 years of experience in software development for the industrial automation market. He holds a master's degree in computer science from the Florida Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering from a reputed university in India. Why do you think that digital transformation is the key to business success in today's market?According to an AVEVA survey, 86 percent of organizations agree that digital transformation is a critical component of their company's strategic plan today. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for cloud adoption. Even though most manufacturing companies acknowledge that cloud adoption is critical, before the pandemic, many did not have concrete plans to execute their cloud strategies.There is no argument that the cloud and other platform and integration technologies such as IOT, IIOT, and smart and edge devices can drive down the cost of digital transformation in the manufacturing sector. Their use is often described as Manufacturing Operations Transformation (MOT), or the beginning or continuation of transformation activities that align manufacturing IT systems across the business to provide operational and business improvements.How does AVEVA help customers leverage such digital capabilities?Toward the end of 2020, as the manufacturing sector pushed to increase business continuity and sustainability, AVEVA and Microsoft expanded their partnership to help customers explore new ways to leverage the value of cloud technologies, such as Microsoft Azure (infrastructure, data, and AI services), boost collaboration across people and systems, enable adaptability through data, and realize a sustainable future.Why is collaboration across people and systems necessary in enhancing operations in the manufacturing sector?Fostering effective collaboration between people and systems in a digital, automated, and integrated fashion is critical to improving manufacturing operations. By digitalizing operational processes, companies can adopt electronic workflows, connect assets and systems, collaborate across people and systems, and empower the next generation mobile workforce. As a part of this process, paper and legacy systems are often replaced with software that provides automation while ensuring the adherence of work processes with the targets. Cloud computing­based tools also allow suppliers to collaborate faster and more efficiently. For example, an engine maker can share three-dimensional models of component design within its network. Each supplier, in turn, can share information about price, production timelines, quality, and delivery.AVEVA and Microsoft have established high standards for the innovative digital platforms that keep manufacturing employees connected, agile, and, more importantly, safe. Utilizing connected worker technology gives manufacturers the power to transform their workforce.Could you narrate an instance that highlights the practicality of AVEVA's performance management solutions? Using cloud and asset performance management solutions, manufacturers can successfully shorten their lead times, reduce inventory, and improve supply chain performance. Visibility of operational execution and inventory status based on automatic data exchange with enterprise systems in near real-time enables better decision making and collaboration between plant and enterprise functions.In one instance, an Illinois-based fertilizer manufacturer and distributor used AVEVA's Enterprise Asset Management software, which can take data from available Microsoft documents, such as Excel, and provide insights, enabling the company to monitor assets and improve efficiency. With our system in place, the client completed an analysis in just ten minutes, a feat that used to take two weeks. What does the future hold for cloud solutions in the manufacturing sector? As manufacturing companies looking to meet sustainability goals, technology solutions like the cloud are being designed to ensure faster deployment, reduce energy consumption, cut emissions, and share collaborative innovation, all of which are leading to major enhancements in efficiency. The cloud makes built-in connectivity to existing plant floor systems, devices, and equipment a reality--making it a crucial, long-term tool for manufacturers. We will continue to build out our portfolio of solutions to help our customers solve their real-world business problems
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