Low-Code applications within the manufacturing industry

To keep growing, industrial companies need to make their core systems more flexible. However, innovation and agility are hampered by outdated legacy systems, such as ERP and warehouse management. To evolve into the smart industry of the future, industrial companies are discovering the potential of low-code tools with the right mindset.

The manufacturing industry is at a tipping point. To optimise processes, many new technologies are available such as AI, Internet of Things applications and integration capabilities to further optimise processes. There are also opportunities to equip objects, machines, robots and AGVs with cameras and sensors. This allows data to be collected to make smart automated decisions. However, the core IT needs to move with the times to fulfil these ambitions. This requires investment in a flexible IT and factory environment.

However, outdated IT systems are an obstacle to progress and innovation. Companies have invested in standard ERP systems supplemented by customisation, making the core IT environment rigid and inflexible. This complicates progress and innovation. The increasing volume of data puts pressure on core IT. Two elements come into play here. IT's focus is on keeping existing systems up and running while the business wants to set up new and efficient processes. In addition, Legacy systems need to be preserved because they contain valuable business rules and drive primary processes.

There are tools to extract business intelligence from legacy systems and make it available to new business applications that, for example, improve production quality and provide better customer insights. A low-code shell around existing legacy IT ensures that new technologies flourish within outdated configuration. If the risks are manageable, obsolete elements can be replaced in phases. This improves the collaboration between business and IT, leading to fast time-to-market and improved operational excellence.

With low-code tools and the right mindset, the manufacturing industry can adapt its production and logistics processes quickly and flexibly. The smart factory is getting closer and closer. Wishes on the shop floor are developing rapidly, processes are being smartly automated and self-management is becoming leading.

We like to help you innovate, grow and prepare for the smart industry of the future.

You can read the full story on Industrie Vandaag.