根據(jù)埃森哲的最新預(yù)測，到2020年，1/4的全球經(jīng)濟(jì)會(huì)被數(shù)字化，但這一預(yù)測并沒有告訴我們整個(gè)故事。因?yàn)樗械纳虡I(yè)流程都不僅僅在經(jīng)歷數(shù)碼化-從模擬到數(shù)字信號(hào)-更進(jìn)一步是在經(jīng)歷數(shù)字化-這一轉(zhuǎn)變將把實(shí)體和虛擬混合在一起。
許多組織對(duì)此無能為力。事實(shí)上，根據(jù)Forester數(shù)據(jù)，只有5%的的公司宣稱他們已經(jīng)熟練利用數(shù)字化轉(zhuǎn)型取得了競爭性差異，對(duì)制造型企業(yè)來說這一挑戰(zhàn)更為嚴(yán)峻。從研發(fā)到制造到物流，都能看到運(yùn)營業(yè)務(wù)在被數(shù)字化科技改變。
從研發(fā)部門開始，研發(fā)數(shù)字化轉(zhuǎn)型的四條道路如下：
Fully one-quarter of the world’s economy will be digital by 2020, forecasts a new report from Accenture. But that prediction doesn’t tell the whole story. Because increasingly, all business processes will be not only digitized – converted from analog to digital – but also digitalized – transformed in a way that blurs the physical and virtual.
Many organizations are struggling to respond. In fact, only five percent of companies say they’ve mastered digital transformation to the point of competitive differentiation, according to Forrester.
The challenge is especially acute for manufacturers. From innovation to production to logistics, manufacturers are seeing their operations revolutionized by digital technologies.
That starts with research and development. Here are four key ways digitalization is transforming R&D:
1. 終端消費(fèi)者更自主
科技給予用戶更多自由。如今用戶已經(jīng)擁有及時(shí)和穩(wěn)定的信息，包括產(chǎn)品、質(zhì)量和價(jià)格 – 無論是你還是你的競爭對(duì)手。過去，如果你已經(jīng)是某個(gè)領(lǐng)域的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者，競爭者處于劣勢。今天，用戶們知道你是如何在世界范圍和對(duì)手們較量的，你過去的市場領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者地位變得無關(guān)緊要。
這不光是銷售和市場的問題，這也變成研發(fā)的問題，因?yàn)樗麄儽仨氂米羁斓乃俣葘?duì)客戶改變的需求進(jìn)行反應(yīng)，好消息是科技已經(jīng)有了解決方案。例如，重新設(shè)計(jì)智能產(chǎn)品，利用了物聯(lián)網(wǎng)（IoT）傳感器，研發(fā)人員可以獲取使用數(shù)據(jù)去了解客戶的需要，以及產(chǎn)品表現(xiàn)數(shù)據(jù)，可用來學(xué)習(xí)以及快速改進(jìn)產(chǎn)品。
1. End consumers are more empowered
Technology has put consumers in the driver’s seat. Customers now have instant, constant access to information about products, quality, and pricing – for both you and your competitors. In the past, if you had established yourself as a leader in a region, the competition was at a disadvantage. Today, customers know how you stack up against rivals around the world, and your past market leadership is irrelevant. This isn’t just a problem for sales and marketing. It’s also a problem for R&D, which must respond – in as near to real time as possible – to changing customer demands. The good news is that technology is also the solution. For example, by designing smart products that leverage Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, R&D can capture usage data to understand customer desires and capture performance data to learn how to improve products rapidly.
2. 透明化重建生產(chǎn)者合作的方式
信息化正在改變制造業(yè)內(nèi)部以及供應(yīng)商打交道的方式。這對(duì)每個(gè)部門都適用，尤其是研發(fā)部。
當(dāng)研發(fā)新的智能產(chǎn)品時(shí)，需要的研發(fā)技巧在改變。汽車行業(yè)就是個(gè)很好的例子。十五年前，汽車開始使用電子化，例如發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)控制系統(tǒng)。今天，幾乎所有的汽車研發(fā)都可以看到。十年內(nèi)，電子化會(huì)讓汽車朝無人駕駛的方向發(fā)展。
這會(huì)極大地改變汽車的設(shè)計(jì)。過去，機(jī)械工程師領(lǐng)導(dǎo)著汽車設(shè)計(jì)，電子只不過是點(diǎn)綴。時(shí)至今日，軟件開發(fā)-和之前很不一樣的需求和設(shè)計(jì)周期-開始進(jìn)入整個(gè)流程。在汽車行業(yè)以及幾乎每個(gè)行業(yè)，產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)都在帶入新的利益相關(guān)者，就必須考慮采用新方法來合作。
2. Transparency is rewriting how manufacturers collaborate
Information access is changing the way manufacturers interact both internally and with suppliers. This is true for every function, but especially for R&D.
As R&D creates more smart products, the skills it requires are changing. The automotive industry is a case in point. Fifteen years ago, cars began to incorporate electronics such as engine-control systems. Today, electronics are where most automotive R&D is happening, and within 10 years, electronics will allow cars to pretty much drive themselves.
That dramatically changes how cars are designed. In the past, mechanical engineers led design efforts, and electronics were merely an add-on. Today, software development – with its very different requirements and design cycles – is integral to the process. In the automotive industry and in virtually every other industry, product design will involve new stakeholders who must work together in new ways.
3. 商業(yè)模型越來越靈活
過去，產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)師們?yōu)殇N售產(chǎn)品的公司服務(wù)。但越來越多的情況下，公司不在賣產(chǎn)品，而是賣服務(wù)。這給研發(fā)帶來根本性的影響。
一個(gè)很好的例子是SAP的中型企業(yè)客戶生產(chǎn)工業(yè)用氣體壓縮機(jī)。前幾年，它們意識(shí)到顧客要的不是氣體壓縮機(jī)，而是壓縮氣。然后他們就開始提供給顧客壓縮氣體，作為一項(xiàng)服務(wù)。在這之前，他們設(shè)計(jì)和生產(chǎn)空氣壓縮機(jī)，并賣給顧客。現(xiàn)在，他們設(shè)計(jì)和生產(chǎn)空氣壓縮機(jī)，裝到顧客的公司，然后賺顧客壓縮氣的錢。
這一嶄新的商業(yè)模式會(huì)改變研發(fā)部是如何安排設(shè)計(jì)的。第一，需要設(shè)計(jì)物聯(lián)網(wǎng)傳感器來實(shí)時(shí)監(jiān)控壓縮機(jī)，同時(shí)保證預(yù)測性維護(hù)。第二，需要優(yōu)化維護(hù)的長期性和易用性。公司實(shí)現(xiàn)的一個(gè)方法是讓工程師定期和現(xiàn)場服務(wù)人員溝通，第一時(shí)間了解機(jī)器是怎么運(yùn)行的。
3. Business models are growing more flexible
In the past, product designers worked for companies that sold products. But increasingly, manufacturers will sell not products but services. That affects R&D in fundamental ways.
A good example is a midsize SAP client that makes industrial air compressors. Some years ago it realized customers wanted not air compressors but compressed air. So it began offering compressed air as a service. Before this time, it designed and manufactured air compressors and then sold them to customers. Now, it designs and manufactures air compressors, installs them at customer sites, and then charges for the compressed air customers consume.
That new business model changes how R&D develops products. First, it needs to design in IoT sensors to monitor the compressors in real time and enable predictive maintenance. Second, it needs to optimize longevity and ease of maintenance. One way the company achieves that is by having engineers regularly spend time with field service to see firsthand how equipment is performing.
4. 商業(yè)流程變得越來越面向顧客
事實(shí)上，83%采訪對(duì)象相信數(shù)字化正在從供給側(cè)的規(guī)模經(jīng)濟(jì)效應(yīng)向建立在顧客和合作伙伴相互關(guān)系上的需求側(cè)的經(jīng)濟(jì)。公司必須和顧客連接更緊密，這是新的商業(yè)模型的需要。再來看空氣壓縮機(jī)的例子，公司并沒有投資在資本密集型的空氣壓縮機(jī)上，而僅僅是簽訂壓縮氣的合同。合同的最后，如果切換到更便宜的合同會(huì)要求點(diǎn)補(bǔ)償。同樣的模式將會(huì)運(yùn)用在好多其他行業(yè)的產(chǎn)品上。
4. Business processes are becoming more customer centric
In fact, 83% of executives believe digitalization is driving a shift from supply-side economies of scale to demand-side economies based on interconnection with customers and partners, according to the Accenture report.
Manufacturers will have to be more connected to customers, because new business models will demand it. Take the air compressor customer. It hasn’t invested in a capital-intensive air compressor; it’s simply contracted for compressed air. At the end of the contract, there’s little disincentive to switching to a more attractive contract. The same will be true for many products across many industries.
這將如何改變研發(fā)呢？為了保持核心差異，設(shè)計(jì)周期必將要加速。例如，很多汽車制造商只是當(dāng)顧客來店里維修時(shí)更新電子類。Tesla與眾不同，他們直接把新指標(biāo)和功能做定期軟件更新。如果競爭者也開始學(xué)的話，不要被嚇著了。
總而言之，數(shù)字化經(jīng)濟(jì)起于顧客，終于顧客。顧客更有權(quán)力，所以公司必須變得更面向客戶，沒有哪個(gè)部門比研發(fā)部更合適的了。
How does that change R&D? Design cycles will have to accelerate to maintain competitive differentiation. For example, most carmakers update a car’s electronics only if the customer happens to come in for service. Tesla has upped the ante by sending new features and functions directly to the consumer through regular software updates. Don’t be surprised if its competitors start to follow.
Ultimately, the digital economy begins and ends with the customer. Customers are more empowered, so companies need to become more customer-centric. And nowhere is that more true than in R&D.
For more insight on the new customer-centric digital economy, see Customer Relationship Status: It’s Complicated.
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