Manufacturers Will Embrace Digitalization, the Cloud, and Containerization

Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2024.  Read them in this 16th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

As a manufacturing technologist, I am always interested to see how (and which) leading technology proliferates and cascades down to end-users at manufacturing facilities. While it's true that manufacturing tends to lag behind other industries in terms of technology adoption, it's also true that business leaders are keenly interested in making their production more efficient and streamlined. Based on my conversations with business leaders, system integrators, and customers, I believe digitalization, the cloud, and containerization will be top-of-mind for manufacturers in 2024.

Making greater strides to digitalize

In a nutshell, manufacturing's latent adoption of advanced technology is due to perceived time constraints and historical skepticism of new solutions. While we could spend several hours discussing the why behind this phenomenon, the what is more straightforward. Today, many manufacturers still rely heavily on manual, paper-based operations and data capture-but even so, they're keenly aware of the new technology available to them.

What manufacturers need are undeniable proof points of the benefits of advanced technology like automation, AI, and real-time data analytics. They need to see first-hand that not only are these solutions not cumbersome to implement, but they're game-changers for any business looking to boost efficiency. To be sure, use-cases abound in other industries, but manufacturers need assurances from within their own industry before they take the plunge.

As new solutions demonstrate their utility and staying power, and as more manufacturers witness their peers and competitors reaping the tangible benefits of their digital initiatives, I believe we'll see a more concerted effort toward digitalization across all operations and process types.

Manufacturers can't discount the cloud

Though it may seem like old news for other industries, the cloud will have top billing for manufacturers in the year to come. In fact, many manufacturers have yet to complete (or even begin!) their migrations to cloud-based infrastructure. For widespread cloud adoption to take hold in the industry, two key developments must occur.

First, manufacturers must see tangible improvements in the cloud's speed and connectivity between servers and production sites. As secure, stabilized Wi-Fi proliferates and becomes commonplace, connectivity and bandwidth reliability between sites and the cloud will increase, bolstering the efficacy of cloud solutions and encouraging manufacturers with real-time application needs to continue to embrace cloud offerings. That said, manufacturers and their IT teams must familiarize themselves with the security ramifications of cloud architectures. Many real-time technology solutions-like manufacturing execution systems (MES)-require secure and protected integration. While there are, of course, plenty of cloud security solutions on the market, it's crucial that manufacturers have confidence in their team's ability to manage these business-critical applications. Until they feel better equipped to wield these security solutions, manufacturers may be hesitant to move forward.

Once manufacturers have assurances that the cloud is relatively fast, reliable, and easily protected, we'll see a widespread migration from on-prem architectures.

Containerization will be easier to attain

Containerization unlocks the rapid creation and deployment of applications, and it has gained traction across industries in recent years. To reap the benefits, however, businesses must first build container-friendly infrastructures. In manufacturing, many companies have not yet been prepared to do so.

In the year to come, I believe we'll see a rising tide when it comes to implementing containerization and building the requisite architecture. As with most new technologies, the initial barriers can be relatively expensive for most would-be adopters. However, once these technologies take hold, they become better commoditized and more accessible-virtual machines (VMs) are a great example of this pattern, and I think the same will be true for containers.

In 2024 and beyond, I think we'll see containerization take greater hold in the manufacturing industry.

Through concerted digitalization efforts, widespread cloud adoption, and more accessible containerization, I think manufacturers will make significant technological strides in 2024. These technologies will help businesses fulfill orders promptly, meet customer expectations, and boost the overall efficacy of their facilities.