(German: Die Schlosser von Morgen sind Softwareentwickler)
Manufacturing companies require increasingly complex skills to maintain production and optimize operations.
This is not just about saving costs, but also about having the expertise to implement complex and innovative improvements – beyond what suppliers have to offer.
In the past, machines were bought for production and serviced by the supplier. Then operators realized that it was not only cheaper but also smarter to perform the maintenance oneself.
From the ability to carry out maintenance autonomously, it is not a far step to acquire the competence to modify, extend, and supplement machines in a way that aligns best with one’s business processes.
The exact same applies to business software today!
If you initially had industry solutions developed or bought them off the shelf and had them customized, now is the time to gain the expertise to expand, supplement or even modify the software yourself.
While this has always been explicitly possible with ERP solutions (especially SAP), and has been an absolutely critical factor in the long-term success of ERP providers, it is still the exception with other software.
However, especially for use in production and in connection with increasing automation, it is extremely relevant not only to combine software solutions with each other, but also to be able to modify existing solutions and, at best, to master them completely.
Only with the ability to “skillfully own” your software stack will it be possible to fully master operational processes in the future. And only then will it be possible to customize them as needed and design them for business success.
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