Page 6 - Industrial Technology magazine February 2021 issue

INDUSTRY

UPDATE...

Resistance to digital progress among

half of engineering business leaders

OUTDATED ATTITUDES TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY AMONGST SENIOR BUSINESS LEADERS ARE
AT RISK OF JEOPARDISING FUTURE BUSINESS SURVIVAL, NEW RESEARCH HAS FOUND.

he Connected Enterprise report, produced by “The engineering sector must be agile and open- business technology, and less than half (49%) think that
digital transformation specialists Sigma minded in order to cope with the impact of these, and events such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have
Dynamics, in partnership with applied futurist other, national and global challenges that we will all made business technology more essential to success.
TTom Cheesewright, reveals that nearly half (49%) inevitably face, and it will soon become almost impossible Only a third (34%) think that they will have to imple-
of engineering industry C-suite executives, directors and for businesses in the industry to thrive without the help of ment more technology in order to remain competitive,
senior managers are sceptical about the
benefits of implementing new business
technology. Exploring this scepticism, the
research shows that 49% are doubtful that it
improves efficiency, 40% cynical about its
ability to improve productivity, and 66%
question its positive impact on customer
relationships.
Interestingly, more than two fifths (44%)
think technology can cause problems if not david.b@atlas.co.uk
implemented carefully, while a quarter (24%)
believe that the cost often outweighs the
benefits, 1 in 10 worry that it can create an
unnecessary burden on employees. strategically planned and implemented technological while 15% said that they believe that the technology they
Colin Crow, managing director of Sigma Dynamics, innovations. However, from our research it’s frustratingly currently use will be sufficient for the foreseeable future.
commented: “From these statistics we can infer that there clear that these events still have not served as a wake-up Applied futurist, Tom Cheesewright, added: “Covid-19
are many engineering leaders that have been burned by call for complacent business leaders.” undoubtedly catalysed investment in technology in the
previous digital transformation efforts. It is unfortunately The report found that 44% of those surveyed believe engineering sector, but that investment was often overdue.
quite common for businesses to choose the wrong that Brexit will have an impact on their customers’ If we are to avoid playing catch-up when the next
technologies, or roll them out without enough support for demands and expectations over the next five years, while challenge hits – or the next opportunity appears – then we
employees, which can be very costly mistakes. 81% think that the pandemic will, suggesting that the should be thinking now about what changes to our
“Some of these misconceptions are therefore vast majority are conscious of some of the difficulties that technology, processes, culture and models can best
understandable, but as the twin threats of Brexit and the potentially lie ahead. However, only around a third (34%) prepare us for the future. Making the right investments in
Covid-19 have shown us over the past year, the business said that they believe that changes in customer demands technology, and skills, is a critical part of future-
landscape can change with incredible speed. and expectations will require the adoption of more proofing any business, adding resilience and agility.”

6 INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • January/February 2021