Innovation Key Driver in the Future of Manufacturing in Asia/Pacific

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

IDC Manufacturing Insights reports in its latest infographic “Manufacturing – The Future” that product and service innovation continues to be the top business priority in Asia Pacific, thus driving key investments and decisions amongst enterprises.

The infographic, based on a recently concluded survey of 440 companies across Asia Pacific on recent trends adopted in manufacturing, provides a high level perspective on how technology is helping organizations and countries innovate for the future.

“Given the varying maturity level of technology adoption and priorities across Asia Pacific, each country in the region has its own innovation focus.  As the governments, in partnership with private players, define the road map for their country, key themes start emerging,” says S Ramachandran, Principal Research Manager, IDC Manufacturing Insights Asia/Pacific.

“Smart manufacturing in the form of 'factory automation' drives China due to wage inflation. Singapore moves towards a 'connected society' where all citizens can be connected to the larger ecosystem for benefits ranging from health to productivity.  India is going through an idea generation phase with initiatives like 'Make in India' pushing enterprises and the youth to go for innovation in manufacturing.  In Australia, building an agile supply chain is at the forefront of innovation”, adds S Ramachandran.

According to IDC’s research, traditional Information Technology (IT) areas such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Produce Lifecycle Management (PLM) continue to evolve as they share their workload with upcoming applications such as Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and the Innovation Accelerators – namely Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, 3D Printing, cognitive computing, next generation security and natural interfaces.

As all assets get 'connected' to the larger enterprise using IoT, closed loop feedback mechanisms get enabled, impacting several functions from the design of products to supply chain management. Collaboration becomes the norm, not just between departments and functions but even with external and global partners. The Innovation Accelerators will not help only in productivity improvements but in disrupting existing business models and creating new revenue streams.

About IDC Manufacturing Insights

IDC Manufacturing Insights assists manufacturing businesses and IT leaders, as well as the suppliers who serve them in making more effective technology decisions by providing accurate, timely, and insightful fact based research and consulting services. Staffed by senior analysts with decades of industry experience, our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing asset intensive, brand oriented, technology oriented, and engineering oriented manufacturing industries. For more information, please visit

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. For more than 48 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company.