Road to Innovation

There is a saying," Make something and the Chinese will make it cheaper." Well, the fact of the matter is they not only make it cheaper but also in bulk. The tale of Chinese manufacturing over the past two decades has been nothing short of a phenomenon, as reported by David Rae.

Containers filled with a vast array of products, comprising from toys to electronics, are dispatched from the bay of China to the rest of the world; products that are not only cheap but also meeting the general standard norms.

The British industry has also bore the brunt of this trend as it has not only resulted in closure of numerous factories but also in job losses in considerable proportions.

Interestingly, it has also brought forth a new realm of opportunity and innovation which is evident from the fact that the quality of British manufacturing seems to have enhanced and enhanced like never before.The cardinal reason for this is while the Chinese are concentrating on the commodity - style marketing, the British are more inclined towards innovation and exploring the niche segment.

But that doesn't necessarily mean the focus has shifted away from cost. On the contrary, British manufacturers are keeping a keen tab on it.
Ian Bleazard, CIO of DEK International, which is a leading provider of printing machines for the electronics industry says, "We can’t do things without having cost at the heart of it; I'm able to bring the technology side with the business side, so I can make the business case. We have to be cost - focused, but the other side of that is that we also have to invest."

However, there is an area of concern that seems to be bothering Bleazard and to which many manufacturing CIO's would swear by it is the cyclical nature of the industry which does not give a fixed revenue as it is primarily based with the order placed in the company at any given point in time. This situation has to be tackled by the IT of an organization.

So, be it Chinese, British, Indian or American the mantra remains the same - Manufacturing IT is the pathway towards Innovation.