Navigating digital transformation in the manufacturing industry

When you think of the manufacturing business, you'll most likely first think of physical aspects like production itself. However, a considerable part is online: product presentation and support, eCommerce, B2B relations, complex distribution systems, etc.

Managing all of that requires manufacturers to look for complex and sophisticated digital solutions, including content management systems. But here is a fact: sometimes, less is more. Why? We'll explain further.

Why manufacturers need to invest in CMS

Digital transformation includes multiple aspects; sometimes, it revamps all the digital infrastructure. While it often impacts internal processes, it is crucial to also consider the client-facing side, such as websites and other digital channels. CMS is the main tool used to create digital experiences for your audience.

Here is why manufacturers need to pay attention to their CMS:

1. Need to manage lots of complex content

Manufacturers handle a huge variety of content types, including instructions, guides, videos, and increasingly AR and VR experiences. So, they need a sophisticated content hub to store and access this data and a robust CMS to manage and deliver this diverse content efficiently.

2. Need to integrate multiple third-party tools

Modern manufacturing operations rely on a range of third-party tools, such as eCommerce solutions, ERP systems, marketing tools, automation software, and logistics management. It's crucial to seamlessly integrate these tools with a CMS, ensuring smooth operations and data flow. That means the CMS should have the needed APIs or the possibility to add them in a breeze.

3. Need to reduce time-to-market

Speed is essential in the competitive manufacturing sector. A user-friendly and effective CMS helps streamline content creation and distribution processes. When business users and developers can work independently, the time to market for new products and updates is significantly reduced. This is possible with Visual Editor, flexible content structures, collaboration, and other features.

Moreover, a CMS allows manufacturers to maintain a consistent brand voice and provide up-to-date information across all digital touchpoints, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Top 3 content management trends in manufacturing

What factors should manufacturers consider to ensure a smooth and effective transition and transformation?

To find the best practices, it's essential first to examine the current state of things. That's why here, at Storyblok, we polled manufacturers on how they use today's content management technology to build a digital ecosystem that is the cornerstone for sustained success. Here is what we found:

1. Companies are trying to find one CMS that hits all the marks

Complexity isn't business's best friend. However, most respondents (47%) used 2-3 CMSs in their organization, which didn't add ease for sure. Why would they create additional work for themselves? The most popular answers were to minimize delivery risk and to add omnichannel capabilities.

Interestingly, these reasons are more relevant to monolithic systems as they were not designed to offer omnichannel publishing. Because of that, with the introduction of new presentation layers (mobile, kiosks, IoT, etc.), companies had to implement additional CMSs to deliver content across multiple platforms.

In a nutshell, with an outdated or inflexible primary content management system, manufacturers are often forced to add complexity to their tech stack only to achieve additional functionality.

2. Switching to headless helps a lot

Meanwhile, 80% of industry users have migrated to a new CMS in the past 3 years. The reason for this is hidden in the abovementioned struggles as organizations try to find a new solution that will be flexible enough, future-proof, and offer the most demanded features, such as omnichannel publishing. Here comes the headless CMS.

Due to its architecture, headless CMS is designed to excel in omnichannel content delivery because its content creation and management are separated from the presentation layers. So, you can easily publish content across multiple channels from a single platform, eliminating content siloes, errors, and long time-to-market.

And, the drumroll, 100% of manufacturing users who switched to headless CMS reported improvements. The most common were productivity improvements (experienced by 62%) and increased ROI (experienced by 60%).

3. AI usage is growing, and manufacturers need it too

AI-generated content was the most popular content management trend that users were actively interested in, followed by automation and AR/VR experiences. 56% of respondents reported using AI-powered content tools, while 68% reported having regulations specific to the use of AI tools. Content AI is most commonly used for content creation and editing, but 36% of the sample doesn't use it. 80% of manufacturing users see the potential for AI to help in some area of their operations.

The integration of AI into content management systems allows manufacturers to automate repetitive tasks, gain insights from data analytics, and enhance content personalization. This leads to more efficient operations and improved customer engagement.

Storyblok: the CMS that fits the manufacturing industry demands

Storyblok is designed to meet the unique needs of the manufacturing industry, offering a suite of features that align perfectly with the demands of digital transformation. Here's why Storyblok is the perfect solution for manufacturers:

Flexibility and scalability

Headless architecture and composability provide unparalleled flexibility. You can easily add Storyblok to your existing architecture or create a completely new one by adding any technology you need. Scaling is also not a problem, as you can extend your ecosystem endlessly.

Advanced features for modern needs

As manufacturers adopt new technologies, Storyblok stays ahead of the curve with support for AI, automation, and AR/VR content. Users can create content in a centralized, collaborative, and AI-powered Ideation Room and publish it anywhere. Localization can be done directly in the app, and global CDNs enable better performance and shorter load times for users.

Easy integration with third-party tools

Manufacturers depend on a range of software solutions. Storyblok's strong API capabilities guarantee smooth integration with these systems, establishing a cohesive digital ecosystem. This integration streamlines operations and data flow, simplifying the management of multiple platforms.

Enhanced collaboration

Storyblok's intuitive Visual Editor and flexible content structures allow both technical and non-technical users to create and manage content independently. This reduces the reliance on developers for routine updates, accelerating the content creation process and reducing time-to-market. Features like real-time collaboration and version control ensure that teams can work together efficiently and effectively.

Future-proof technology

Storyblok's headless CMS is designed to be future-proof, adapting to new trends and technologies without requiring a complete overhaul. This ensures that manufacturers can evolve their digital strategies without disruption, maintaining a consistent and high-quality user experience across all channels.