Defining digital transformation is hard. Even the terminology is somewhat vague: It has been suggested that we call it “digital transformation” because the term “disruptive change” is too harsh. But companies are helping their customers shape digital transformation by tying it to specific business outcomes at a time of labor shortages and supply chain disruption.
In the second of a two-part discussion, Machine Design spoke with Steve Dertien, executive vice president and chief technical officer at PTC about the challenges facing manufacturers when it comes to digital transformation.
READ MORE: Keeping Digital Disruption in Check
As Dertien told senior content director Bob Vavra in the interview, “how do we unlock that data so that you can effectively make sound decisions across the spectrum? That's kind of where everything's going on the engineering side, for sure. And then if you want to make really profound changes, the only people that can do that is engineering.”
Another major consideration is the full lifecycle sustainability of your system. While that, too, is a big problem, Dertien doesn’t see it as something that needs to be solved all at once. “it's going to be a while until we start to learn and figure that out. But I think that whole circular nature will be a big part of it. The good news? It doesn't matter what organization you are in, there's a lever that you could pull to make good in the world, and you certainly want to shine a light on that so people know where to get started.”
Also in This Series
Part 1: Lot Size One & Agile Manufacturing
