How the rise of CFO 4.0 in manufacturing is enabling digital transformation

Moving from a relatively analogue manufacturing environment to a digitalised one is potentially very disruptive to a business.

A growing reliance, therefore, is now being placed on the CFO to enable digital transition without undue strain on the business.

Manufacturers and expert management consultants who responded to research by Siemens Financial Services firmly emphasised that planning for Industry 4.0 needs to start with comprehensive awareness and understanding of the available financing options.

Appropriately applied financing solutions can enable a wider range of Industry 4.0 options for a business, making its options more financially sustainable, in a sector where slim profit margins are often the norm compared with other industries.

Key competencies for CFO 4.0

A number of studies have already identified that the role of the manufacturing CFO is fundamentally changing.

The new breed of CFOs – CFO 4.0 – are now playing an increasingly enabling role as ‘advisor, enabler and [for reporting data] operator’.

They focus on supporting three main objectives achievable through digital transformation.

1. Rrevenue growth.
2. Profitability enhancement.
3. Operational excellence.

CFO 4.0 is the creator of a growing number of lead-indicators for the business, as well as the master of measurability, according to one survey of manufacturers – with priorities including, ‘connecting workflow and production processes’, ‘medium to long-term thinking in order to anchor the digitisation agenda across the board’ and ‘better transparency and higher control through digitalisation’.

How, then, does achieving such objectives translate into the key set of competencies for CFO 4.0?

Our research respondents were able to identify five principal capabilities that characterize CFO 4.0.

In no particular order of precedence, they are:

• A comprehensive understanding of the available financing options that can enable a commercially sustainable transition to Industry 4.0.
• Expert assessment of financing options early in the strategic steps towards Industry 4.0 in order to access and take advantage of the range of potential sustainable digital/automated technology solutions.
• Accurate assessment of digitalisation opportunity versus digitalisation risk, through knowledge of financial, technology, operational and market issues.
• The competency to create new business models for Industry 4.0, the capability to build a rationale for a return-on-investment, and the skills to implement predictive models, supported by meaningful measurement/monitoring and reporting.
• The proficiency to create an effective phased plan to operationalise the business’s move to Industry 4.0.

The size of the prize

Why are CFO 4.0 competencies so important? Because the commercial benefits that CFO 4.0 can enable are considerable.

The majority of manufacturers and industry experts interviewed for SFS research confirmed that the ability to increase manufacturing productivity is a universal starting point for determining measurable value from digitalisation.

The SFS research revealed that by automating and digitalising production systems, manufacturers can expect to make production productivity gains equivalent to between 6.3% and 9.8% of their annual revenues.

Termed the Digitalisation Productivity Bonus, this gain was identified by respondents as an extremely reliable starting point to make a business case for investing in Industry 4.0 technology upgrades.

Of course, once harnessed, the Digitalisation Productivity Bonus will be applied in different ways in each organization – from returning value to shareholders, to increasing investment in product innovation, to driving more competitive market positions.

* Access the research at: www.siemens.com/cfo-4-0