How Has the Pandemic Affected Digital Transformation Across the World?

In recent years, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, has been a talking point for major OEMs and start-ups alike. Innovations such as Big Data, Smart Factories, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and more have sparked vibrant global debates. But it’s no longer a question of whether, when or why. The fact of the matter is that the digitalization of engineering design, simulation and manufacturing processes has been underway for some time – and it’s here to stay.

Through 2020, we’ve experienced a fundamental shift in the way companies think about digital transformation. Innovation and interconnectivity have prospered despite shared distance and uncertainty as the need for digitalization has become abundantly clear.

“We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months. From remote teamwork and learning, to sales and customer service, to critical cloud infrastructure and security—we are working alongside customers every day to help them adapt and stay open for business in a world of remote everything.”

– 2 Years of Digital Transformation in 2 Months

Satya Nadella
CEO | Microsoft

Organizations across the world have been keen to find new ways of connecting with customers and partners during lockdown. The events industry has moved to an online and virtual business model. And we, at TECHNIA, have delivered a slew of Innovation Forum Virtual Experiences to help bring people together as we continue sharing our knowledge and experience.

How Have Companies Reacted to Pandemic Production?

We’ve talked with Automotive manufacturers as they faced tough diversification challenges. We’ve supported manufacturers in the Life Sciences industry as they adapted best practices for digital adoption from outside industries. And we’ve found that many of our customers have committed to staying agile and innovate, taking on digitalization faster than ever before.

The TECHNIA Software Innovation Forum brought more than 300 attendees together to see and hear farmer-owned dairy company, Arla discuss User Acceptance of their Product Lifecycle Management solution – the 3DEXPERIENCE platform – and the launch of Light My Way, the Digital Adoption Solution for 3DEXPERIENCE. While 37.5% of surveyed attendees expressed an interest in learning more about enhancing 3DEXPERIENCE productivity, performance and usability.

Organizational interest in digitalization has certainly peaked during this transitory period.

“COVID-19 has largely sped up the digital transformation of healthcare and boosted innovation in how patients can receive and consume care. Those innovations are reflective of where technology has improved in other service sectors.”

– How COVID-19 Accelerated the Digital Transformation of Healthcare

Christopher Jason
Editor | Xtelligent Healthcare Media

Many companies have had to accelerate their digital transformation roadmaps to enable remote working, to continue factory operations with limited human resource or to use predictive analytics to increase efficiency and lower costs through the application of agile processes. But this is just the beginning.

The acceleration we’ve already seen in our customers’ digitalization roadmaps has been propelled by the rise and application of agile methodologies. These processes are designed with innovation in mind.

“What the current crisis illuminates is that a tepid approach to a digital transformation most likely will not succeed moving forward. Companies that have invested whole-heartedly in digital transformation prior to the pandemic are now in a much better position to continue operating smoothly than those that took a limited or piecemeal approach.” –

– The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Pace of Digital Transformation

Dan Drapeau
Head of Technology | Blue Fountain Media

More and more, companies are operating in highly dynamic environments where swift adaptation is key to managing operations and, ultimately, profitability. So, it’s vital for companies – especially those that have come to recognize this reality during the past year – to understand, manage and adopt best practices moving forward.

What Can Your Organization Do to Ensure Continued Progress?

Many companies have been forced to address issues such as the Digital Skills Gap during this transitional period. Team members are taking on additional roles and adapting to new working processes to ensure business continuity. But companies should prepare to support employee development under a new standard of ongoing employee onboarding.

“While the massive shift to Work From Home (WFH) has been remarkable in its own right, it has also been a boon for digital transformation[…] Yet, at the same time, it sets a dangerous precedent. Digital transformations typically do not go this smoothly. Data over the past 4 years suggests that the failure rate of digital transformation programs ranges from 50-95%, with an average across 12 studies of around 75%.”

– Why the Success of WFH Could Be Dangerous for Digital Transformation

Michael Wade
Prof. Innovation & Strategy | IMD Business School

The World Economic forum predicts that 40% of core skills for the average job will change during the next five years. So, we’ve outlined some adaptive measures that companies can take to ensure the continuation of employee learning.

But we’ve also taken this to the next level with the development of Light My Way – the Digital Adoption Solution for 3DEXPERIENCE. Light My Way facilitates continuous learning within 3DEXPERIENCE, guiding users through custom tasks and functions based on their role and application state.