Digital transformation: where are we going?

The reason is that companies that do not adapt to digital advances run the risk of losing competitiveness compared to their competitors and, therefore, have more difficulties to adapt to the future.

But what exactly do we mean when we talk about digitization?

We call digitization the process of using digital technologies to transform processes, services or business models, with the aim of improving efficiency, accessibility and competitiveness.

However, the implication of what this means has varied greatly over time.

What did digitization mean in the past?

In its beginnings, digitization focused on automating specific processes.

During the 70s, engineering began to use computer tools to replace traditional methods such as paper plans, manual calculators or drawing tables.

If we think about e-mail, which was also invented in this decade, we quickly realize that it is also a form of digitization.

During this era of digital upheaval, MRPs (material resource planners), the forerunner programs of modern ERPs, were also born.

In the beginning, the MRPs allowed to manage inventories and calculate the material resources needed for production, but administrative functionalities were added to this, such as the management of invoices.

Later, MRPs began to offer a more holistic view of production, such as the calculation of a company's current production capacity or a planning of the material and human resources required for certain processes.

Where are we in the present?

Today, digitization goes far beyond certain technical processes, as it has evolved to the point of assuming complete business management.

The evolution of MRPs to modern ERPs, together with the evolution of other technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), has allowed us to move from independent and fragmented digital tools to working in a unified and interconnected environment.

Going from digitizing specific tasks to digitizing all business management leads to an improvement in the agility of processes and competitiveness, an improvement in the accessibility of data and an improvement in communication and collaboration between teams, among many other advantages .

That being said, where are we going?

The recent evolutionary leap of AI has affected virtually every sector and business management is no exception. And one of the great advances we are experiencing is the ability to use AI for predictive decision-making.

Gradually and thanks to the implementation of AI, ERPs will offer advanced automation and the ability to make complex decisions based on data and company history.

Consider, for example, the optimization of projects. Thanks to the history of projects, the AI will be able to manage timings in an optimized way, that is to say, guaranteeing efficiency and avoiding burnouts.

The more data you have, the more you will be able to anticipate potential bottlenecks, avoid inefficiencies and perfect the optimization of human and material resources, therefore improving the profitability of projects.

And this is where we come to an important conclusion: companies that spend the longest time storing their business data in an orderly manner will start with a competitive advantage.

And they will do so simply because the AI will base its learning on a better database.

Guarantee the competitiveness of your engineering with digital transformation

A good way to store your data in a unified and organized way is to have an integral management software (ERP) the sooner the better.

However, digitization yes, but not in any way. On the one hand, the adoption of ERP software must be a clear management commitment and, on the other hand, it is necessary to spend time making a careful decision about the management tool, since this will determine the organization and processes of your company for years to come.

At Coneix, we have more than 20 years of experience offering an ERP specialized in engineering that, thanks to a system of modules and tailor-made programming, unifies everything necessary for the optimal performance of businesses like yours.

If you ever find yourself in the challenging process of adopting an ERP, don't hesitate to contact us!