Manufacturing is a high intensity business. Maintaining profitability while managing the supply chain demands of delivering on-time and on-budget is a priority, as is managing the inventories of raw materials to meet the needs of a busy plant.

Network-led solutions help solve the everyday problems manufacturers face. Smart factory initiatives improve efficiency and continuity, with cloud-based applications and services connecting all users and locations of a manufacturing operation.

Adaptability is key

As manufacturers embrace new technologies, protecting against bad actors and malicious access is a growing concern. Organizations must adapt quickly to evolving demands and a heightening threat landscape by investing in the right network, cloud access and associated cybersecurity tools custom assembled to meet the needs of the operation.

“Manufacturers aren’t unique in the sense that digital transformation is something every company is wrestling with,” says Richard Vidil, Vice President of Sales Engineering, Americas at network and security services provider GTT. “But the specific characteristics of the manufacturing sector make that especially challenging.”

Towards centralized control

As structurally complicated companies with many physical locations, often with wide distribution networks and fast-moving inventory, manufacturers cannot afford network outages or a loss of continuity. “There is a lot of pressure on manufacturers to evolve their technology without significant disruption,” adds Vidil.

Connectivity and centralized control between different locations, extranets with partners or cloud applications, is increasingly critical to business continuity. That’s why more businesses are thinking about how to modernize their facilities, tools and processes, and what role the cloud and network connectivity can play in achieving this.