MHI's annual report sees inflection point, investment spike, for digital technologies

摘要

MHI's sixth-annual, survey-based report illustrates rising interest in digital technologies like Cloud computing, artificial intelligence (Al) and robotics, as well as a sharp increase in spending plans. A keynote panel discussed the report's findings at ProMat last month, highlighting an industry ready to move forward with the next stages of adopting digital technologies. "I think we are leaving the period of experimentation," said panel member Joel Reed, CEO of IAM Robotics. The participants included co-moderators George W. Prest, CEO of MHI, and Scott Sopher, principal for Deloitte Consulting's Supply Chain Practice. Deloitte assists MHI with the survey that is featured in the annual report. The panel consisted of Annette Danek-Akey, SVP Supply Chain, Penguin Random House; Jim Liefer, CEO of Kindred Al; IAM Robotics' Reed; and Randy V. Bradley, assistant professor of informa- tion systems and supply chain management, Haslam College of Business, The University of Tennessee. The 2019 MHI Annual Industry Report, "Elevating Supply Chain Digital Consciousness," suggests investment in supply chain innovation is at an inflection point, with a trend of declining investment from 2015 to 2018 being more than countered by a 95% increase in projected spending in 2019.