After decades of development, digital tools have become increasingly integrated into People’s Daily life and business activities, everywhere. Today, nearly two-thirds of the world’s workforce (64%) telecommute. More than 3 million industrial robots automate repetitive, high-risk operations in factories worldwide. As communication becomes increasingly digital, 347.3 billion emails are sent every day.

In this era of digital explosion, our procurement, production, delivery and service are increasingly dependent on information technology. Whether in production operations, or in collaboration with customers, markets and the surrounding environment, industrial companies urgently need to enhance the digital literacy of their workforce and master the leading digital technology capabilities.

Schneider Electric believes there are four key steps companies can take to digitally transform and upgrade their business models while addressing broader challenges such as supply chain shortages and sustainability:

Step 1: Embrace data

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Since the information age, “data insights” have become perhaps the most valuable resource – contextualized data can provide highly actionable insights for professional decision makers to drive real optimization of the way they work. IDC predicts that by 2026, 30 percent of the Global 2000’s revenue will come from data, applications, and business initiatives shared with partners, industrial entities, and business networks. Digital information has become a new asset for enterprises.

Before tapping into this “digital workforce,” manufacturers need to first consider the relationship between “people” and “technology.” More and more employees are becoming digital natives, who can work as “data engineers” to drive, identify and even create processes that increase industrial efficiency and unlock new business opportunities, freeing them from repetitive tasks. At the same time, organizations must have clear and integrated data management to deliver high-value, reliable, and job-specific analytics and insights that benefit all employees, helping them perform at their best and achieve business goals more easily and productively.