NextGen Digital Leader: Rajesh Pandita: Thyssenkrupp India

Can you give an overview of emerging technologies you have deployed?

In line with our global strategy for adapting and institutionalizing Digital Projects, we are getting started with ML & AI across the businesses. Being mostly in the manufacturing sector, the objectives are aimed at enhancing the predictability of device failures, improve decision support, and enhance customer experience.

Which are the functions/departments in your organization that is starting first with the emerging technologies?

We see use cases in digital transformation projects that cut across business lines. A few of the businesses already have or are adopting new trend technologies in the predictive analysis space together with mixed reality and defect management.

RPA is another area that offers capabilities of integrating multiple disparate systems that demand a lot of data transfer and decision making. It offers a means to enable businesses to improve efficiencies and not necessarily aim at reducing headcount. A technology offering that has potential to augment internal and external customer experience and hence a serious technology to look at.

How will emerging technologies like AI, Machine Learning, IOT, Big Data, Augmented Reality, Analytics etc will change the fabric of IT organizations?

Emerging technologies will impact every business and not just IT organizations. Many of the traditional businesses including manufacturing sector will transform into specialized software companies. As early adopters of digital transformation initiatives, they could see additional business lines being created.

In the case of IT companies, emerging technologies could help automate and enhance customer experience through improved efficiencies. It is also an opportunity for IT organizations to partner with non-IT businesses to adopt new-age technologies and help reduce deficiencies and costs, and improve the bottom line. Last but not the least, solutions have to be customer centric, and aimed at enhancing value proposition and lives of people in general.

What are the key factors to be factored (best practices) in an emerging tech deployment strategy?

As with any change, apprehension of failure is a critical barrier. It is advisable that an organization takes a holistic and an enterprise-wide view of the opportunities for transformation.The next steps would be to assess and mitigate any risk, identify and prioritize use cases relevant to a specific technology. Start small and initiate Proof of concept (POC) for each set of identified technologies and demonstrate business value to stakeholders.

Roll-out in small pockets and assess adaptability within the community that you serve before a full-blown production roll-out. Ensure requisite induction as also guidance on new ways of working in the context of the rollout.