STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Manufacturers in the U.S. increasingly are investing in smart manufacturing technologies, both in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and as part of ongoing trends toward cost reduction and selling products as a service, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Manufacturing Industry Services report for the U.S. finds that the pandemic has had several effects on the country’s manufacturing enterprises, some of which have accelerated pre-existing trends. Automation, virtualization and local manufacturing are gaining traction.

“Given the level of disruption the pandemic caused to the manufacturing sector in 2020, companies found an even greater need to transform their operations to create a high level of resiliency,” said David Lewis, partner and Americas manufacturing industry lead for ISG. “In unpredictable times, agility, customer experience, and cost control are paramount.”

Social-distancing requirements forced U.S. enterprises to operate with fewer workers on shop floors, making remote monitoring, connected machines and predictive maintenance necessary in a growing number of factories, the report says. This change dovetailed with the move toward paperless factories, so companies commissioning or updating assembly lines seized the opportunity to implement a high degree of automation.

Supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic have, for instance, spotlighted the fact that chronic issues such as machine downtime often go unnoticed, ISG says. Companies are deploying automation and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to bring downtime under control. Likewise, supply-chain challenges have helped to spur investments in virtualized manufacturing and smart local factories closer to customers.

These changes are occurring against the backdrop of a shift from exclusively making and selling products to providing digital services for them, the report says. For example, automakers are developing their vehicles for over-the-air software updates and even shared-mobility models, which present opportunities for continued revenue and ongoing engagement with customers after purchase. This trend, along with accelerating product cycles and declining customer loyalty, are making data about consumer preferences and the use of products in the field more important to manufacturers.

Pandemic-related challenges have also made manufacturers more open to bolder ideas for cost reduction. These include captive buyouts, in which a manufacturer’s outsourcing partner acquires some of its assets and operates them, and IT as a service, obtained from partners that provide end-to-end systems for functions such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), the report says.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Manufacturing Industry Services report for the U.S. evaluates the capabilities of 81 providers across five quadrants: Smart Manufacturing Services – Automotive, Smart Manufacturing Services – Hi-Tech, Production Automation Solutions, Manufacturing Virtualization Solutions and OT Security Solutions.

The report names Capgemini (Altran), Dassault Systèmes, HCL, Infosys, LTTS, Siemens, TCS, Tech Mahindra and Wipro as leaders in two quadrants. It names ABB, Ansys, Armis, Attivo Networks, Claroty, Cognizant, DXC Technology, eInfochips, Emerson, GE Digital, Honeywell, IBM, Indegy (Tenable), Nozomi Networks, PTC, Rockwell Automation, SAP and SCADAfence as leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, iBASEt, Leading2Lean, Mindtree, NTT DATA, SAP, SIGA OT and UST are named as Rising Stars—companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in one quadrant each.

Customized versions of the report are available from Armis, LTTS and eInfochips.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Manufacturing Industry Services report for the U.S. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

Pandemic Accelerates Smart Manufacturing Trend as U.S. Companies Face Disruptions, Continue Push Into Services