26/09/2025
When we talk about the Industry 4.0: digital transformation, the conversation often gravitates toward machines, sensors, and data. We picture autonomous robots and artificial intelligence optimising every stage of production.
Yet in my experience working closely with large-scale manufacturing operations, I’ve found that the most critical, and often overlooked, pillar of this transformation is not hardware, but people. The true revolution begins when we build an efficient digital workplace for those on the shop floor.
The excitement around industry 4.0 is justified. Projections suggest the Brazilian market could reach $5.62 billion (USD) by 2028, with an annual growth rate of 21%. However, Latin America currently represents just 7.2% of the global market, according to Agência de Notícias da Indústria. This reveals enormous potential, but also a warning: to seize the opportunity, companies must get the strategy right. And that strategy inevitably starts with empowering and connecting the workforce.
The modernisation paradox
What I often observe is a paradox: companies invest heavily in advanced machinery, yet continue to rely on fragmented, reactive IT support structures. The result is complexity that undermines productivity. When critical equipment goes down, intervention must be immediate, but the coexistence of legacy and new systems makes diagnosis slow and difficult. Opening a new plant multiplies that complexity, and the “pass the problem along” dynamic between support teams drains productivity. Every minute of downtime translates into financial loss and diminished competitiveness.
This is precisely why modernising the digital workplace becomes the foundation of success. Before connecting machines through IoT, we must first ensure that the people operating them are seamlessly connected to agile, intelligent support.
Building the connected factory
Picture a shop floor where an operator reports an issue through a unified system. Immediately, the Service Desk, integrated with a Network Operations Centre (NOC), analyses the problem without handoffs or finger-pointing. If physical intervention is required, Field Services are dispatched with optimised routes and full equipment history at hand. Troubleshooting shifts from reactive to proactive.
This integrated approach changes the game. Process automation, once seen as futuristic, can now be applied to quality control and monitoring, reducing waste and ensuring compliance with strict industrial standards. Support becomes flexible, capable of serving multiple sites with equal efficiency, combining local expertise with centralised oversight. The direct result: a sharp reduction in downtime and a boost in manufacturing productivity.
Rethinking how we measure success
Yet, the deepest shift I advocate is in mindset: success must move beyond technical metrics. This is why I emphasise the transition from traditional Service Level Agreements (SLAs), focused on response times, to Experience Level Agreements (XLAs). What truly matters is not whether a ticket was closed within a set timeframe, but whether the operator’s experience was seamless, whether they felt supported, and whether they could return to productivity quickly. XLAs measure success from the perspective of those who matter most: the end users.
Putting people at the centre of Industry 4.0: digital transformation
In the end, Industry 4.0 is indeed about technology, IoT, and data. But its foundation is human. A truly connected shop floor is one where every worker has the tools and support to unlock the full potential of the technology at their side.
Digital transformation in manufacturing doesn’t begin with buying the next robot. It begins by ensuring that the person standing next to it is fully connected, empowered, and productive.
Written by Rony Pieri, Head of Operations at Getronics Brazil.
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