A global lockdown opens up new manufacturing insights

The “lighthouses of manufacturing” initiative, a joint project by McKinsey and the World Economic Forum (WEF), was in its third year—and full swing—when COVID-19 hit.

The project identifies global manufacturing sites that have delivered significant operational and financial impact by adopting leading-edge technology at scale. These lighthouses then share their insights with other companies to advance innovation across the manufacturing industry.

The work has so far identified 44 lighthouses around the world, factories with self-driving vehicles, collaborative robots, virtual reality, lights-off operations, and more. With employees as the creative force leading the changes, the results can be eye-popping improvements in performance.

In mid February, as the pandemic began to shutter factories and businesses, the lighthouses were often in a better position to respond because they could be managed remotely, using digital technologies. With full transparency into the supply chain from end to end, teams were able to adjust quickly to changes, fine-tuning their processes, timing, and outputs. Several lighthouse factories were able to re-purpose their production lines to produce personal protective equipment  (PPE) such as face masks, face shields and ventilators in as little as a few days.

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Πηγή: mckinsey.com