In fact, innovations are taking place so quickly that SAP, Oracle, IBM and Microsoft are struggling to keep up, yet startups are disrupting innovation and targeting business users, rather than enterprise IT. These fledgling firms are finding their niche by offering unique products in Analytics on Cloud, on-demand machine learning and visual discovery.
A main challenge that data analytics software makers face is the ability to forecast demand and adjust supply, according to Christer Johnson, a partner with EY. Given the inherent complexity of manufacturing various products, the question is, how quickly can the manufacturer take real information from the marketplace and then shape the demand? Essentially, the more closely a manufacturer can tie unique decisions around a product’s attributes to what’s going on in the field, the more it will improve its ability to reduce the amount of time to adjust manufacturing.
While the ability to quickly deliver market/customer-facing solutions is clearly a need, certain capabilities aren’t available yet, such as API First, says Mindtree’s Mohanty. Although a few vendors have started offerings in this space, it needs to mature and become an integral part of their line.
Despite the complexity of this dynamic industry, some basic principles still apply. Experience trumps price when trying to sell software and service in manufacturing analytics space, says Johnson. His colleague, Amber Morgan, a senior manager with EY, says data analytics integrates well with basic socio-cultural issues, such as labor skills and education.
Moving forward, in the digital convergence era, the driving force will become DevOps, says Mohanty, and that will require a change in vendors’ mindset. Packages and environment management systems/solutions will be integrated with data analytics’ vendor offerings, but before this can happen, there must be experimentation, rapid prototyping, testing and a willingness to disregard solutions that don’t meet consumer expectations.
Looking ahead five years, Johnson predicts the vendor landscape will be dominated by big European MRP systems, with SAP’s S4 serving as a tidal wave in business processing. We can also expect the sector to shrink, says Morgan, as the trend around the consolidation of smaller niche players will continue and there will be an uptick of new players using better technology.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
