CIOs at manufacturing companies have a reputation as no-frills, no-nonsense types with a knee-jerk aversion to technology fads and the “The Next Big Thing.” That’s for the dot com guys, right? Whether this attitude reflects the nature of the industry, an inherent personality type or the fact that IT budgets in the space are notoriously lean is open to debate. Regardless, manufacturing CIOs who dismiss emerging technologies as hype are missing an opportunity to drive significant benefit.
Social, Mobile, Cloud and Analytics (SMAC) technologies are redefining the pace and focus of product innovation, enabling almost real-time insight into market trends and customer preferences. This insight can help manufacturers enhance and innovate existing product lines, as well as develop new products that are more directly targeted to customer needs.
