ServiceNow: Why Manufacturers Are Moving Toward Centralized Operations Control

Manufacturing companies are under greater pressure to remain consistent in their output, ability to deliver high quality, and ability to be responsive to supply chain disruptions across different sites, multiple systems, across geographies. Given the state of the manufacturing landscape, disconnected operating environments are simply not viable anymore. The move toward ServiceNow Centralized Operations Control for manufacturing has become a strategic requirement to give manufacturers near real-time visibility to operations, improve decision-making with speed, and enhance resilience at scale.

What Is Centralized Operations Control in Manufacturing?

Centralized Operations Control (COC) offers a single source of truth for businesses that want to unify their manufacturing processes from data for product creation through systems used to run workflows into one central location or command center. In addition to integrating IT and OT, Centralized Operations Control also enables manufacturers to take advantage of real-time visibility, predictive analysis, and coordinated response to incidents due to the integration of both information technology and operational technology systems.

Using platforms such as ServiceNow, manufacturers can accomplish this by streamlining their operations, automating workflows, and creating one source of truth for all operational data that changes the way incidents are detected, analyzed, and resolved.

The Challenge of Fragmented Manufacturing Operations

Due to working in a complicated mixture of IT systems, operational technology (OT), legacy systems, and tools used at the plant level, most manufacturing environments operate through a mix of all four technologies. When the systems work as independent silos, manufacturers cannot see their entire operations, respond quickly to incidents, or optimize their operational performance through the production life cycle due to inefficiencies in communications across the business processes.

Production halts at any one facility (due to equipment breakdown, interruption of network, or supply chain disruption) can quickly add up to production delays, failure to meet SLAs, and increased operational costs.

Key Drivers Behind the Shift

• Real-Time Visibility Across the Value Chain
• Faster Incident Response and Resolution
• Integration of IT & OT Environments
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Standardization Across Multiple Plants

The Role of ServiceNow in Centralized Operations Control in Manufacturing

ServiceNow serves as the centralized hub for operational processes through Digital Workflow, which allows for the connection of disconnected systems and automating workflows on a single platform. Manufacturers can take advantage of event management, predictive intelligence and workflow automation through ServiceNow to:

• Detect and resolve issues proactively
• Automate repetitive operational tasks
• Improve collaboration between IT, operations, and plant teams
• Enhance operational resilience and uptime

By using ServiceNow, manufacturers can move away from having siloed operations to having all their processes connected and optimally designed to work together.

The Road Ahead

With the evolution of the manufacturing industry, agility, resilience, and efficiency requirements will continue to evolve exponentially. The centralized operations control (COC) construct is becoming the foundational building block for creating smart manufacturers that can scale operations; decrease risks and maintain competitiveness in an evolving market. Manufacturers embracing this shift will capitalize on the operational complexities, taking them from a reactive mode of firefighting to proactive and intelligent operations. With Emergys, organizations can accelerate this move by leveraging integrated technology platforms, workflow automation solutions and an industry focus that delivers real-time visibility and control throughout the entire manufacturing ecosystem.