Manufacturing has typically been well behind the pack when it comes to digital transformation. As result, its ability to innovate and cut costs has been limited, certainly when compared with other industries, with Australia – and many advanced other countries – forced to ship more and more manufacturing offshore to Asia and other regions with cheap labour.

Yet there are definite new green shoots in this country with moves afoot within the local manufacturing sector to more fully embrace technologies like AI, the ‘industrial internet of things (IoT) and of course robotics to ensure we’re able to continue actually make stuff that people want and at a sustainable price point.

In this episode we speak with Pepsi Co A/NZ CIO, Brian Green about how the company is tracking with many important digital and data-led initiatives aimed at improving market understanding, supply chains efficiencies, shop floor operations, agricultural outcomes as well as cyber security. And we also get a glimpse into how the company is deploying AR and VR to acquire deeper customer insights, as well as remote execution of highly complex engineering tasks.

Joining him is Stephanie Krishnan, research director for IDC Manufacturing Insights, and a former professor at Wollongong University, sharing her insights into the Australian - and international – manufacturing industries, which she admits have been off the pace when it comes to embracing the best digital tools, yet with definite signs – as we hear from Pepsi’s Green – of improvement.