Business is increasingly digitized. IDC analysts predict that by 2022 60% of global GDP will be "digital". At the same time, growth in all industries will be driven by enhancing the offer, operations and relationships using digital technologies. * Manufacturing companies are trying to adapt to this trend and not to lag.   Business leaders see the fundamental growth engine and the opportunity for competitive advantage in new technologies. Cloud computing, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, the internet of things and mobile technologies are just some of the "tools" available to transform not only individual organizations but ecosystems and the industry.

However, the experts observe that digital transformation is a serious challenge that is not always a success. One of the main causes of failure is the lack of adequate preparation. The transformation must be well planned, and to plan it, it is necessary to understand the situation of the company.
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Maybe instead of attempting to count the ROI, it is better to analyse the effects of the implementation  and identify areas that were improved by the implementation of the ERP system and review to what extent the stated objectives have been achieved.  When considering the results of the report carried out in 2018 by Panorama Consulting you can enumerate 5 main implementation benefits indicated by ERP systems users.


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The boundaries between the analogue and digital world are becoming more fluid and new information and communication technologies open previously unimaginable possibilities to provide customers greater value. Digitalisation means not only new services but also new models of delivering them. However, it is not free from threats and many companies with professional services are not well prepared to challenge digital transformation. This was confirmed by Insight to Action report: The Future of the Professional Services Industry* prepared by Deltek which shows that 81% of senior managers are not ready for the risk arising from the implementation of the breakthrough technology.

So how should professional services industry be prepared for digital transformation? They have to particularly focus on foundations. The implementation of CRM and ERP integrated systems helps to generate more sales leads and facilitates better resource management. As the number of profits shrinks and their costs rise, competent, based on current information, assessment of the situation becomes crucial. The survey conducted by Deltek shows that even 58% of companies spent “hundreds of hours” on preparing the reports to provide increased performance and planning improvement. At the same time, more than half of the representatives of the companies acknowledge that these reports focus more on the past than on the future and, moreover, they are available too late - key decisions that should be relied upon them are taken previously. Therefore, there is a need to focus on sales, projects and people: when and which contracts are needed, how much will their delivery cost and whether we have the relevant resources available. 
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According to the research carried out by the Pew Research Centre from 2011 number of Americans who use smartphones rose from 35% to 77%, while 95% has any mobile phone[1]. At the same time, there are more and more opinions that the use of Blackberry smartphones should be limited. Is this true?

First, it should be noted that the commitment to smartphones started with their increasingly developed features and capabilities used both in private and professional life, including even such simple functions as notes or calculator or photo camera. Being online in practically anytime and anywhere significantly enhances and speeds performing various daily activities such as shopping, placing orders, reservations and many more. Convenience and comfort that the smartphones give us made us use them more and more and have them with us practically all the time, which unfortunately leads to addiction. The very rapid development of mobile devices and online services created many new addictions and civilization diseases such as nomophobia - the fear of inability to use a mobile phone, phonoholism - which, according to research conducted by CBOS, affects 92% of Poles[2], network addiction, internet sociomania, FoMO (fear of missing out[3]) etc. "SecurEnvoy, a security company, carried out research which showed that in the United Kingdom 66% of people has some form of nomophobia. 41% of research participants have at least two devices so that they stay in touch".[4]
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2019 Professional Services Maturity™ Benchmark* latest report prepared by the analytical company SPI Research shows that last year professional services industry recorded a growth of revenues of 9.7%. In the group of 622 surveyed organizations employing a total of 380 thousand consultants average annual income for each of them was 206 thousand USD.

Investigated organizations can also boast of consistently rising for a few years gains - the average annual net profit estimated from 2016 at the level of: 14,2, 16,8 and 18,5 %. How was this achieved? Primarily it is the result of growth of the so-called returned income and expenditure limitation of general and administrative expenses.
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A similar phenomenon can be noted in business. Technological progress is huge and accelerates every year. Digital transformation entails negative effects as well as opens new possibilities. However, it must be acknowledged as a fact and the company should be adjusted to the current reality. This is a large and unavoidable challenge for managers.

Above all, customer requirements have changed, and that must be answered in order to remain on the market. A good example of this situation is Uber that created the platform for ordering drivers and severely endangered some taxi corporations. E-commerce, online payment platforms, online visits scheduling and electronic banking are also developing in dizzy speed. The real revolution is also noted in the way of marketing and advertising. Huge changes have also occurred in the recruitment process – the selection of different channels and methods - as well as in the development and training of workers - e.g. webinars.
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Epicor "2027 future factory” vision implies above all increased use of smart technologies. There is no doubt the future factory would be automated. But this is only the "the tip of the iceberg". Changes related to the Industry 4.0 will cover virtually all areas of activity: from sales and marketing, through project management, operations and production management, shopping, services and products management to finance and HR. Let’s take a closer look at how - according to Epicor - production will evolve over the next few years.

Today servitisation already shapes the "production landscape" - companies try to create more revenue streams from the service. In future services market will be increasingly automated. This will allow the deepening of integration with customers’ systems and processes to easier understand their needs and resolve problems more quickly. IT technologies will make manufacturers stop being suppliers and become business partners. The analytical systems provide sales and marketing departments with information on how many and which products customers expect. And - thanks to flexible products’ design, agile prototyping - it would be possible to create products’ versions fitting closely to the specific needs of each customer. Supply chains will be replaced by the supply network to automatically optimize collaboration with suppliers in real time.
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An example of practical use of the IoT concept may be Boers & Co FineMetalworking, manufacturer of mechanical parts and products of high assembly precision. Through combining the Epicor ERP system with Internet of Things, Boers created a smart factory with the use of affordable and available on the market components.

To improve operational efficiency Boers created the plan of the company in which workers have a preview of each machine with status marked with a colour. This makes it easy to see when the machine starts to show signs of performance degradation, which may suggest the need for maintenance. In the result, lines operate smoothly and the company avoids serious mechanical failures.
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According to research conducted by MonsterPolska.pl, only 15% of young people in the labour market would like to work in a large corporation. 45% prefer medium-sized companies. Nonetheless, also payment no longer represents a key criterion while choosing a job. Only 27% of respondents have chosen this factor.[1]

What is there to be done in present times in order to create attractive workplaces for young talents? Which factors will have positive effects on the selection of a company as a place of work? First of all, you have to know the needs of potential employees because MonsterPolska.pl research results clearly show that the majority of employers do not know nor understand them.
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How to prepare for challenges of tomorrow? Can the future be effectively provided at all? In particular in the information technology area? This is certainly not easy, but there are examples that prove that it can be successful sometimes - Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, knows something about it, although he also experienced spectacular "failures".

Precise forecasts are of course long shot, but looking carefully at the socio-economic megatrends and key technologies shaping the contemporary world you can be really close to accuracy. Epicor decided to look at the megatrends that will have the greatest impact on the factories in the next few years. If we know what precaution should be taken and how to use it, we could acquire an opportunity to generate two significant benefits: increase of efficiency and reduce costs.
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