How AWS is transforming manufacturing: PwC

In the face of challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions, supply chain disruptions, and cybersecurity threats, the US manufacturing sector is undergoing a significant transformation and resurgence. This shift is being driven by the extensive adoption of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and the Internet of Things (IoT). To maintain a competitive edge, forward-thinking leaders are diligently bridging the divide between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) teams, investing in state-of-the-art cybersecurity technologies and skills, confirming that connected products adhere to industry standards, and promoting a culture of cyber risk awareness and upskilling among employees. By leveraging AWS's cloud solutions and PwC's experience, manufacturers are able to improve productivity, bolster security and foster sustainable growth.

PwC and AWS work together to offer a range of services and capabilities designed to modernize manufacturing companies. Leveraging AWS's advanced cloud solutions, including machine learning, IoT, robotics, and analytics, manufacturers can improve productivity, quality, and sustainability. PwC's experience in manufacturing operations, digital transformation, risk management, and regulatory compliance complements AWS's technological prowess. Together, they help manufacturers reimagine their business models, enhance their global value chains, and navigate the challenges of digital transformation, cybersecurity, and sustainability.

Engineering and design

Leveraging advanced technologies helps industrial manufacturers solve complex problems and accelerate innovation. AWS and PwC offer high performance computing (HPC) solutions that enable product developers and engineers to use model-based design and large-scale, parallel simulations. These solutions allow manufacturers to focus on their product and production design, rather than the infrastructure needed to support it. By working with PwC and AWS, manufacturers can benefit from accelerated time-to-market, increased agility, and enhanced innovation, all of which are crucial for staying competitive in the rapidly evolving industrial manufacturing landscape.

Smart manufacturing

AWS offers a suite of cloud solutions for smart manufacturing, including machine learning, IoT, robotics and analytics. These solutions help manufacturers extract insights from machine data, improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) by capturing, analyzing, visualizing and executing on plant floor data, and build smart, connected products and machines. AWS's Industrial Data Fabric (IDF) provides a scalable, unified and integrated mechanism for data management, enabling manufacturers to accelerate data ingestion, contextualization and actionability. By working with PwC and AWS, manufacturers can benefit from reduced IT/OT costs, accelerated innovation, improved operations, and enhanced security. With PwC’s decades of experience in manufacturing operations, digital, risk, regulations, and tax, we guide manufacturers' end-to-end evolution, helping them build connectivity and agility into their operations to deliver adaptability and sustainable growth.

Production optimization

Fulfillment centers powered by AWS are marvels of industrial automation. Bringing this experience in machine learning, IoT, robotics, and analytics services benefits manufacturing companies in production optimization. PwC and AWS collaborate to help industrial manufacturers improve productivity, improve product quality, and enhance worker safety. AWS's Industrial Data Fabric can help accelerate data ingestion, contextualization, and the ability to act on data, enabling data-driven decisions for production optimization.

Connected solutions

PwC and AWS collaborate to provide manufacturers with solutions around connected products, leveraging AWS's advanced technologies such as IoT, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data. These technologies enable manufacturers to collect, process, store, analyze, and act on machine data. This collaboration aims to enhance customer experience and product quality, while also focusing on improving business operations and innovation, not just IT and OT infrastructure. AWS's pay-as-you-go microservices and serverless computing models also help reduce the cost of running connected plant or smart product programs.

Supply chain management

Teaming up to provide manufacturers with supply chain management solutions, PwC and AWS offer a unified view of supply chain data, allowing manufacturers to track and trace their entire production process with unprecedented efficiency. AWS's cloud-based services, including machine learning, IoT and analytics, can be used to securely store, categorize and analyze supply chain data in one centralized repository. This provides real-time and predictive analytics to improve service levels, product quality and supply chain efficiency.

Sustainability

AWS's cloud technology can help manufacturers lower their carbon footprint by improving industrial energy consumption, reducing waste and replacing enterprise data centers. PwC, on the other hand, helps manufacturers set sustainability goals and create green operating models to meet these goals. PwC also guides manufacturers on how to measure and report emissions and consider current and pending legislation when revising business locations or processes for sustainability. PwC and AWS’ collaboration helps companies in the manufacturing sector meet sustainability requirements and contribute to a net-zero future.