The role of IT in Manufacturing during 2015

Guest blog spot: In the first in a two part series Glantus, an ISN partner looks at the role of IT in Manufacturing during 2015. IT has had a dramatic effect on the way businesses conduct their operations over the last decade, it has made procedures faster, cheaper, and more intelligent. But what does the outlook for the role of IT in the Manufacturing sector look like for the year ahead? According to Computerworld’s 2015 Forecast survey, 24% of respondents said that their companies plan to add more IT employees in the year ahead. Now whilst this survey was conducted using IT executives from a range of work environments, our focus will be on the meaning of this in the Manufacturing sector. We have all read the headlines surrounding the growth prospects of the manufacturing sector and estimations as to where it will go during 2015, but the question still remains as to how this growth will be achieved and the answer it seems, is through IT. But how has this conclusion been drawn? Well, from analysing the selection of technical skills that appear on the results list, the majority of them are paramount for Manufacturing enterprise expansion suggesting that organisations are not only continuing to invest in IT infrastructures, but that they place IT development high on the list of contributing factors to ongoing business growth. Here’s a look at the 10 IT skill sets to be most in-demand for 2015 and the percentage of respondents who plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months:

Programming/Application Development – 48%
Project Management – 35%
Help Desk/Technical Support – 30%
Security/Compliance Governance – 28%
Web Development – 28%
Database Administration – 26%
Business Intelligence/Analytics – 24%
Mobile Applications and Device Management – 24%
Networking – 22%
Big Data – 20%

With regards to most of these skills it is safe to assume that the majority will impact upon your operations with issues such as Programming, Business Intelligence, Project Management, Tech Support, Security and Networking maybe playing a more crucial role in the advancement of your business strategy. These areas are pivotal to not only the development of your business but also its continued success and should be continued to be invested in if you’re planning to expand your operations during 2015. What about budgeting? The bottom line when it often comes to growth incentives is cost and when asked what changes the respondents organisations were planning to make to their IT budget over the next 12 months an impressive 43% stated that they had plans to increase budget – further emphasising the importance being placed on IT advancement. In fact, during Glantus’ own Customer Survey in 2014 we asked respondents if they think IT will assist them with the realisation of their business strategy in 2015 and 86% responded positively, with 43% of the audience planning to increase IT spend in 2015 and the remainder keeping their budget the same. One of the major struggles however that all organisations are facing regardless of sector (but one that is of particular relevance to the Manufacturing sector), is the growing shortage of highly skilled workers. So whilst companies may be planning to increase their IT budget in hopes of growing their IT capabilities it would appear that the effort may be wasted if the correct talent cannot be sourced.

So what can you do? The answer – Outsource these skills to a third party provider. This takes away the need to increase budget spend and waste valuable time and resources in searching for highly skilled personnel that are in short supply! Part two of this blog will look at the concept of Outsourcing VS. Hiring In-House employees and the steps you should take in selecting the right provider for your business.

About the Author:

Glantus

Glantus is an innovative technology company that focuses on development and implementation of software applications which transform their customers manufacturing processes. They have over 20 years industry experience working with systems including ERP, Document Management, Data Collection, Scheduling, EDI and Business Intelligence to name a few. Everything they do is custom-built for the individual, ensuring the most objective, tailored and up-to-date advice and services – guaranteeing their solutions match their client’s.

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