In a post for its ‘Forbes Technology Council’ series, Forbes (1/2, Clemons) reports that although “members of the C-suite may rarely interact directly with smart technologies, they are nonetheless vital to achieving the strategic objectives of the business, including improving customer service, achieving operational efficiencies, innovating for the future, reducing risk, meeting standards and regulations, and improving company management.”
Every operations and customer service innovation “requires another, in a never-ending arms race to serve the customer the way the customer wants while maintaining cost-effective production,” the article states. Forbes quotes Mondelez International Director of ITS Erik Nistad saying, “What used to take generations is happening at a very rapid pace now. When you start talking about a demand-driven supply chain, the factory is core.” Nistad adds, “We need to make plants more predictable, reliable and responsive if we’re going to meet the needs of the changing market.”