BFPA Directory 2019

Digital transformation in the real world IMI Precision Engineering has done a lot of thinking, debating and research on digital transformation and the Internet of Things over the past four or five years. In terms of definition, it is quite a difficult subject to fully comprehend initially because it can cover such a vast area. I suppose you could draw a parallel with other macro issues in that digital transformation can be one of those conversations that seems to be held all the time but without people necessarily understanding precisely what they need to be talking about and what it actually means in practice. With this in mind, we have had many discussions about digital transformation and what it means in a practical sense, and what we came up with is what we believe to be a useful ‘real-world’ definition for what digital transformation actually means. So, how we think of digital transformation at IMI Precision Engineering is the application of connected technology to improve operations and service environments for customers and ourselves. The key part of that statement is what it does for customers, and we spent quite a bit of time understanding how our customers want to use these connected technologies. Key question areas We thought about the impact upon customers and produced a vision for IMI Precision Engineering focused on three key question areas: How does digital transformation impact on IMI Precision Engineering’s own operations? How does digital technology impact on our go to market strategies vis-à-vis how we interface with and communicate with customers? How does digital transformation impact on products – what products do we want to offer, who should they be developed for and how do we position them in our customers’ systems? If we look in more detail at the product theme there are several different levels to consider. First of all, we wanted to make sure that our products are connected, that we were able to generate data through the addition of sensors within our products as well as have the ability to connect products effectively, simply and easily. The second is more of an emerging area in that rather than generating data we need to be able to generate information. Again, this is where we need to start to add localised intelligence to products so data isn’t simply a readout from a temperature or pressure sensor but rather data elements that can be interpreted in order to determine that product is functioning efficiently or whether, a part needs to be replaced in three months’ time. This type of data should also be able to be interrogated in detail in order to determine equipment performance trends over a specific timeframe. The third element concerns how this knowledge is then transferred into a wider environment or ecosystem. From our perspective, we are very engaged at a component and subsystem level but have no ambition to develop a full ecosystem. Our reasoning behind this is that there are already a few large players in the market generating these. Making the connection Our priority is to ensure we are highly knowledgeable about how we can connect into those environments. In this regard, our salespeople and engineers are trained to a high level of competence regarding digital transformation in order for them to be able to provide the best possible practical service to customers. In the early stages, many customers are not as clear as they could be in terms of what digital transformation could actually mean for them specifically, so this is a key component within our products and services strategy. Improving operations and service environments 42 www.bfpa.co.uk By Chris Prince, Global Engineering and New Product Development Director, IMI Precision Engineering.