The #MondayMusings Industrial Transformation blog series provides insight and analysis for executives from the previous week’s briefings, events, and publications @LNSResearch.
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Oracle Cloud has Momentum in Supply Chain
For the last several years the main theme of the Oracle Modern Supply Chain Experience (MSCE) event in San Jose CA has been the move to Cloud. This year’s event maintained and even increased that focus, but there was a new attendee among the 2,800, “Mo” Otherwise known as momentum.
In previous years, Oracle has outlined and made the case for customers to adopt the new suite of SCM Cloud apps: Inventory Management, Logistics, Manufacturing, Order Management, Procurement, Product Lifecycle Management, Product Master Data Management, Supply Chain Planning, and Maintenance. In contrast to many other vendors, these are not legacy ERP and supply chain apps that have been ported to the cloud or in memory. These are entirely new applications, built from the ground up and optimized for cloud and in memory (the latter being something I never thought I would hear Oracle state explicitly).
This year, many customers are no longer considering if they should move to the Cloud-based on parity comparisons to legacy on-premise apps. They are instead considering when they should make the move to Cloud and there are substantial numbers saying today is the right time. Longtime customers, like GE and NCR, were on the mainstage discussing how the move to SCM Cloud apps supports their corporate initiatives for Digital Transformation.
Additionally, Oracle executives seemed quite pleased with Cloud revenues (SaaS and PaaS) which grew at 68% to over $1.1BB in the most recent quarter, on pace for Larry Ellison’s goal to be the first Cloud company to reach $10BB in annual SaaS and PaaS revenue.
Besides the high-level message on the company’s financial success and need to move to supply chain apps in the Cloud, there were a number of specific announcements supply chain, manufacturing, and IT executives should be staying abreast of. To see more on:
- The LNS take on Oracle’s overall supply chain strategy
- Cloud at Customer
- IoT Supply Chain Apps
- Maintenance Cloud Launched
- Coming Quality Cloud
- Progress of NetSuite and LogFire
Read the full vendor spotlight report here.
Challenges & Opportunities Ahead for Utilities on Display at Distributech 2017
Jason Kasper and Mehul Shah attended the marquee event for Transmission and Distribution companies this year, and it did not disappoint. This year records were broken for attendees – 13,569, and 77 member countries. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the utility industry is ripe for change and disruption when considering how the infrastructure and technology landscape is accelerating.
The event validated LNS forecasts for technology adoption in utilities. We had an opportunity to speak with many players in the vendor community, as well as end users. What is clear is that there were two diametric views when looking at the Asset Performance Management (APM) market and where the industry wants to go. The first is utility Executives have big ideas and visions on how to digitally transform, the second is turning this into reality within maintenance organizations.
Vision vs. Reality – Executive Vision and Maintenance Reality
This year, we explored the Mobility and Asset Management tracks as they closely align with our vision on Asset Performance Management.
When attending the tracks, most of the presentations focused on real-world issues that require efficiencies. Many of these real-world issues were based on the management of mobile workforce efficiently, storm response improvements, and inspections of infrastructure. These successes resulted in small efficiency gains, and are items that organizations have been pursuing for many years.
The bottom line? There is a need to move maintenance departments forward with next-level technology, people, and processes.
As the grid moves forward with Smart Connected Assets, organizations need to evolve their approach to the maintenance of assets by using Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Platforms and Predictive Maintenance techniques. Organizations need to move from small efficiency gains to preparing for a tsunami of technology and workforce change that is just on the horizon.
The tracks were in direct contrast to the keynotes and the tradeshow floor; big industry visions and directions were painted. Executives at the keynotes were working towards and preparing for disruptive change, including how Asset Management is approached by using the latest technologies to help support Digital Transformation efforts.
For example, GE Power showed virtual and augmented reality to planning, scheduling, and maintenance roles. Itronics, partnered with Bsquare, wants smart meters on steroids to move and measure management energy usage towards analytics at the edge to measure more data points; ultimately gaining more insight. Schneider Electric is now offering Microgrids as a service. This involves Schneider teaming up with utility organizations to support the need for power at the point of performance, for their customers to support requirements for higher resilience of mission-critical power applications.
To learn more on all the utility industry innovations announced at the event, dealing with the changing regulatory environment, and keys to closing the vision for reality gap, see the full vendor spotlight report here.
