Industry 4.0 supplier ecosystem to reach $420bn by 2020

27th October 2015

Nat Bowers

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The evolution of manufacturing in line with Industry 4.0 trends is poised to disrupt business rules and dynamics across existing supplier landscapes. This will bring about a fundamental change in the way suppliers offer solutions and services. The emphasis on a heterogeneous value proposition is gaining traction, leading to fresh synergies and partnerships among vendors in industrial automation, measurement and instrumentation, ICT and banking and financial services.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Industry 4.0 Business Ecosystem—Decoding the New Normal, finds that the new Industry 4.0 supplier ecosystem is set to reach $420bn in terms of value by 2020.

Karthik Sundaram, Program Manager, Industrial Automation and Process Control, Frost & Sullivan, commented: “The increasing influence of ICT on the shop floor will give rise to novel business scenarios of collaboration, 'co-opetition' and competition in the industrial landscape. Connectivity and mobility, supported by Ethernet, cloud computing, virtual reality and big data analytic technologies, will form the cornerstone of next-gen manufacturing.”

While the matrix of cross-industry influence shapes future manufacturing and production, technology standardisation will be critical for the creation of alliances and partnerships among disparate vendors. An uncertain economic environment along with weak consumer demand will be a hurdle for end users seeking to expedite modernisation targets.

Further, the digital factory idea will remain incomplete without a coherent return on investment framework. Establishing profit models and go-to-market strategies for different tiers of end users founded on a service approach will help suppliers emerge as an indispensable partner for manufacturers.

“Industrial suppliers, although in a position of privilege due to their expertise, will be faced with a two-fold task,” added Sundaram. “Enhancing existing products through collaborations and diversifying value to customers by delivering end-to-end solutions that go beyond traditional boundaries.”

Innovations that encompass technology, service delivery and business models will be the breeding ground for new markets, thus defining the road-map for the industrial world.