PWC Belgium is driving digital transformation with Factbird

Several of Factbird’s customers are consulting companies that utilize the power of data as their key resource for several of their projects. PwC Belgium has been an official partner of Factbird since 2020, when both parties entered a partnership together based on the common vision that operational excellence is an important part of Industry 4.0 and that companies cannot afford to ignore the changes.

PwC is a global consulting company with broad experience and knowledge in Industry 4.0. PwC Belgium combines its consulting expertise with new technologies to bring even more value to its clients. The Factbird solution is one of the technologies they use to drive digital transformation for their manufacturing clients.

Many of PwC’s industry clients have recognized the need for digital transformation, but not many clients know how to start. For most of their clients, the pressure on their costs is the main driver to undertake a digital transformation, thus the return on investment is expected to be clear and quick. This is one of the reasons that PwC started using the Factbird solution – plug-and-play, non-invasive data collection and analytics.

Data is the main raw material for consultants. Without data, it is difficult to do a good job on the client’s project.  However, data in the industry is hard to obtain. It must often be entered manually, or it would become a bigger project if data were to be collected using traditional system interfaces. It is a fact that many manufacturing equipment and machines are not connected, meaning there is often no real-time data available such as real-time production volume, uptime and downtime by batch, operating efficiency (OEE).  By using the Factbird system, consultants can collect real-time data from any process at their client sites within a few minutes. By adding Factbirds to client’s machines and equipment, the data becomes available right away and it can be accessed from smartphones, tablets and PCs anywhere in the world. Instead of spending a lot of time collecting data, they can now focus on the real problems at their clients’ site and both parties are better off.

On top of the data collection capability, PwC’s consultants recognized the scalability of the Factbird system as a competitive edge. The Factbird solution offers much more than simple data collection. It is scalable depending on each project's scope.  Some projects require simple real-time production analytics, but some projects require intelligence analytics integrated with an ERP system aiming complete a digital factory. In the case of bigger projects, it often also involves SAP integration. These solutions are offered by the Factbird system already, and what to use is up to the clients.

The scalability of the Factbird system makes PwC’s offering even more dynamic and appealing. They not only introduce a first step towards a digital transformation to their clients, but also inspire clients and change their culture towards a data-driven one by empowering their clients by providing easy and sustainable data access. PwC shares the common vision that digital transformation and motivates its clients to continue their digital journey.

PwC continues to be on the forefront of the digital revolution, driving digital transformation in the industry.

You can read more about how PwC guide companies in their IoT journey here.

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