September 08, 2022

Accenture Report Details How New Technologies Are Enabling Industrial Companies to Bring Products to Market Faster



Report introduces concept of “Speedsters” — companies that have excelled at compressing time to market


NEW YORK; Sept. 8, 2022 – A new report from Accenture (NYSE: ACN) details how new technologies are helping industrial enterprises compress the time it takes to design, develop and deliver products to customers, also known as “speed to market.”

The report, “Industrial Speedsters: How advanced technologies can turbocharge your speed to market,” is based on a survey of 1,200 executives in the industrial and electrical equipment, heavy equipment, industrial supplier and consumer durables sectors across 13 countries. As part of the research, Accenture examined three processes of the time-to-market cycle:

Accenture identified companies that had the shortest processes within each of the three processes, then analyzed which had leveraged advanced technologies — including machine learning and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, cloud, digital twins, and high-performance computing, among others — to reduce time and costs.

Accenture then broke the companies into three categories: Those that reduced time and increased efficiencies the most were labeled “Speedsters” (14% of companies); those that reduced time and increased efficiency the least — accounting for nearly two-thirds (63%) of companies — were labeled “Starters;” and those in the middle were labeled “Accelerators” (23% of companies).

The research found that Speedsters achieved greater time and cost reductions due to a significantly higher technology leverage in all three speed-to-market processes. For instance, through the use of machine learning, Speedsters achieved time and cost savings more than seven and 12 times that, respectively, of Starters. For instance, Speedsters that used Machine Learning were seven times faster and 12 times more cost-effective than the Starters. The use of automated guided vehicles enabled Speedsters to achieve time savings four times that of Starters — and cost savings approximately 30 times that of Starters. Speedsters that used automated guided vehicles were four times as fast and 30 times as cost-effective as the Starters.

Just as important, the research found that Speedsters outperform both Starters and Accelerators in terms of financial performance. For instance, for the five-year period from 2016-2021, Speedsters achieved four percent higher annual growth than Accelerators and 18% higher than that of Starters. Speedsters also achieved on average, higher operating margins than both Starters and Accelerators.

“A company’s ability to produce and deliver more goods in less time and at lower cost is a key competitive advantage,“ said Thomas Rinn, who leads Accenture’s Industrial practice globally. “Our research shows that advanced technologies such as AI, cloud, digital twins and high-performance computing play a critical role in enabling this.”

The report makes several notable recommendations for how companies can most effectively utilize advanced technologies in each of the three stages. These include:

For more information and to download a copy of the report, please visit www.accenture.com/IndustrialSpeedsters.

About the Research
Accenture surveyed 1,200 executives in the industrial & electrical equipment, heavy equipment, automotive supply and consumer durables sectors, approximately three-quarters (72%) of whom were C-level executives. Respondents represented R&D / engineering, manufacturing, supply chain / logistics and IT / digital strategy function. The research, conducted online in December 2021 and January 2022, covered 13 countries: The United States, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Technology and Operations services and Accenture Song — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 710,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at accenture.com.

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Contacts:

Youssef Zauaghi
Accenture
+49 175 576 6458
youssef.zauaghi@accenture.com

Jens Derksen
Accenture
+49 175 57 61393
jens.derksen@accenture.com

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