Demonstrator – Digital platform for increased sustainability

Digital platforms can revolutionize sustainability within the steel industry’s value chain. Learn about the demonstrators developed in the Digitala Stambanan project.

The Digitala Stambanan Production project has worked on different value chains. One of the value chains has focused on the steel industry. It has involved one company supplying steel, another company providing C-items, such as screws and nuts, which are delivered to a third company for machining, welding, painting, and assembling products for the automotive industry.

The work has focused on improving logistics flows, ensuring delivery reliability, and enhancing traceability for products and materials throughout the value chain.

Four focus areas were identified for mapping the maturity level of the value chain and explore possible technical solutions:

  1. Product data
  2. Delivery assurance
  3. Customer knowledge
  4. Green conversion

Two of these areas resulted in demonstrators – one showcasing the possibilities of digital platforms for the green conversion focus area and another focusing on delivery reliability. The two technology providers in the project have contributed their platforms to enable the development of these solutions.

Opportunities of digital platforms for sustainability

The first demonstrator uses ChainTraced’s platform, which focuses on traceability and carbon footprint visualisation throughout the value chain. With this solution, all companies in the value chain can visualize their carbon emissions, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 (See Figure 1). The platform’s “Traceback view” displays a tree structure where information about all components and their total climate impact can be traced (see Figure 2).

Figure 1 Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions (Source: PlanA)

One of the central values of this solution is that the final product can be labeled with a stamp showing its environmental footprint throughout the manufacturing process. This helps companies identify where the most significant climate impact occurs in the value chain and promotes collaborations to reduce these emissions.

Challenges and future steps

The first version of the green coversion demonstrator used historical data and estimates to test the communication between companies in the value chain. CO2 data has been sent at the product level and is updated twice a year. The next step could involve collecting more realistic data at the batch level and for more material types.

A significant challenge is ensuring smooth integration between companies’ internal systems and the demonstrator. Additionally, physical and digital traceability must be synchronized throughout the value chain, which requires increased automation and coordination between different systems, including operational systems (OT) and business systems (IT).

Figure 2 The ‘traceback view’ traceability tree generated from data collected from various actors in the value chain. The green bars represent the contribution to the total carbon footprint (Source: ChainTraced)

One of the main values ​​of this solution is that the final product can be labeled with a stamp that shows its environmental footprint throughout the manufacturing process. This helps companies identify where in the value chain the greatest climate impact occurs and promotes collaboration to reduce these emissions.

The members of our work package have tried to leverage data along the value chain and create clear visualizations where carbon footprints and products’ status can be viewed effectively. This work has never been more relevant with new directives for sustainability reporting (CSRD) and increased customer demands for green steel.

Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.

We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

The Travel Guide – Vision, opportunities, and a roadmap for digitalization

A clear vision and action plan are crucial for a successful digital transformation. Learn how to identify and streamline the needs of the value chain.

Within the Digitala Stambanan project, we have focused on value chains rather than individual companies. By identifying everyday needs and opportunities among the project’s participants, we have laid the foundation for how digitalization can strengthen collaboration and streamline processes across the entire value chain.

Create a clear vision for the future

To fully capitalize on digitalization’s potential, we recommend that companies start by formulating a clear vision. This vision should span 3–5 years into the future and include how digitalization can improve internal processes and interactions with customers and suppliers. Furthermore, it’s essential to consider how digitalization and AI can contribute to increased sustainability.

Identify needs and opportunities within the business

A vision statement is a guiding light for your company’s future position and will be essential as you explore digital technology opportunities. By starting with current needs, such as bottlenecks or time-consuming tasks, you can more easily identify areas where digitalization would make the most significant impact. One question to ask is whether access to specific information or technology could open up a different way of working that improves the next step in the process.

Workshop kit to broaden perspectives

To support companies on this journey, we have developed a workshop kit within the project. This tool helps companies look beyond their immediate scope and think more broadly than they might otherwise. The goal is to identify opportunities and challenges that digitalization may bring, thereby creating a stronger foundation for successful transformation processes.

Bridging the gap between industry and technology

A common challenge for many industrial companies is being aware of the possibilities of digital technology. In contrast, technology providers may need to understand the industry’s needs fully. The Digitala Stambanan project addresses this gap by bringing stakeholders from both sides together to foster mutual understanding and collaboration.

Tackle challenges early in the process

Identifying challenges early in the transformation journey makes it easier to address them – and sometimes, these challenges can even be turned into opportunities. Our workshop methodology presents common challenges the industry faces, which can be analyzed during the workshop. By mapping how these challenges manifest within the company, strategies can be developed to address or eliminate them.

Prioritize and create an action plan

Once companies have identified their vision, opportunities, and challenges, they prioritize and create an action plan. We recommend starting with initiatives that are easy to implement and deliver significant results. This helps establish early acceptance and a positive view of the change within the organization.

Shared priorities within the value chains

As previously mentioned, the project did not involve working with individual companies but instead focused on the entire value chain, selecting shared priorities. The results of this work will be presented in the following article.

Link to the Travel Guide
Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.

We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

The central role of leadership in the digital transformation journey – Anchoring and current state

Leadership engagement is crucial for a successful digital transformation. Early buy-in creates a strong foundation and drives digitalization forward with shared goals.

In the Digitala Stambanan project, we have developed and tailored tools to assist companies in digital transformation, gathering them under The Travel Guide (Reseguiden) – a structured approach to industrial digitalization. One of the most essential insights is that securing leadership buy-in is the first step toward a successful digital transformation. Leadership plays a central role as decision-makers, role models, and guides for the rest of the organization.

Securing early leadership engagement builds a solid foundation for the digitalization effort. Initial workshops, where leadership actively participates, have proven crucial in establishing this buy-in. When leadership takes an active role, supports, and sets a good example, a culture is created where change and digitalization become a natural part of the organization. It becomes easier for employees to follow and adopt the new working methods that digitalization demands.

Engagement must also be driven from the ground up to achieve solid organizational buy-in. Creating a diverse working group with representatives from the company’s various departments who build knowledge and drive development forward can make the work more efficient. Regular communication within the group helps spread knowledge and create broader employee engagement.

A shared understanding of the current situation is a necessity

After leadership is engaged and supports the initiative, the next step is to create a shared understanding of the company’s current state. The entire organization must have the same perception of where it stands in its digital journey. During the project, it became evident that different parts of the company sometimes had different views on how far they had come in digitalization and where opportunities and challenges lay. Without a shared understanding of the current state, it becomes difficult to agree on the goal and move in the same direction.

Digitalization is a difficult concept, so it is essential to use a clear and structured method to map the current state. We chose to work with the Industry 4.0 Maturity Index from Acatech in Germany. This model captures both technical aspects and the company’s organization and culture, providing a complete picture of the company’s digital maturity.

Four areas that map the company’s digital maturity

The model from Acatech analyzes four critical areas that are crucial to understanding and measuring a company’s digital maturity:

  1. Resources—Competence and information sharing.
    Physical and human resources are the foundation for supporting digitalization. This includes ensuring that employees have the right digital competence and that there are structured communication channels for effective information sharing. It’s about creating traceable information flows through centralized systems and optimized interfaces for human-machine interaction.

  2. Information systems—Data management and integration.
    Information systems are critical in collecting, processing, and sharing data to improve decision-making. This includes ensuring that different parts of the company are connected to share information efficiently between departments and business areas. This not only enhances information flow but also enables real-time, fact-based decisions.

  3. Organizational structure—Flexibility and collaboration
    To succeed with a digital transformation, companies need a flexible and dynamic organizational structure. This means reorganizing quickly to meet new demands and collaborating internally and externally with partners and suppliers. The company can exploit new business opportunities and quickly adapt to market changes through dynamic workflows and collaboration across the value network.

  4. Culture—Willingness to change and share.
    A successful digital transformation requires a company culture that embraces change and fosters innovation. A culture that supports social collaboration, where employees share knowledge and work across departmental boundaries, creates a platform for continuous development. A non-hierarchical work environment where everyone contributes is critical to driving digitalization forward.

Adaptation to Swedish conditions

We adapted the model to Swedish circumstances and supplemented it with process mappings to describe companies’ current situations more clearly. By visualizing the current state in this way, we helped companies understand where they stand in their digital transformation journey. This shared understanding is essential for the organization to unite around a shared vision and work toward the same goals.

Positive effects after the maturity assessment

After conducting the digital maturity assessment, companies gained concrete insights into their current level of digital maturity and identified areas for improvement and growth. For many companies, this assessment has been one of the most valuable parts of the project. Several companies have used the results as helpful information in their strategic work. In one particular case, the structure of the maturity assessment led to an increased understanding of digitalization projects within leadership. This has resulted in the company participating in more collaboration projects like Digitala Stambanan Produktion.

The same company has also chosen to raise its internal competence by training its staff in the Industry 4.0 Maturity Index and the method used to measure its digital maturity. Through this training, the company has strengthened its ability to work with digitalization and created a long-term foundation for continued development.

Now that companies have anchored the change work with leadership and throughout the organization and have a shared understanding of their current state, it is time to formulate a vision and identify opportunities and challenges. More about this in the following article.

Link to the Travel Guide
Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.

We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

The Travel Guide – Navigating Digital Transformation: A Five-Step Guide for Businesses

In podcast format, listen to an AI-generated episode on how to guide companies through their digital transformation journey. By following the five steps of the Travel Guide framework, organizations can create a well-planned and successful change strategy.

In this episode, we explore how industries can be effectively guided through their digital transformation journey. Using the framework of The Travel Guide, we outline five essential steps every business should consider for a successful transition:

  1. Anchoring – Ensuring the change is supported at all levels within the organization.
  2. Current state – Aligning everyone’s understanding of the present situation.
  3. Opportunities and Vision – Defining the desired future state and identifying opportunities based on current needs.
  4. Challenges – Addressing general challenges that may arise and finding the best ways to overcome them.
  5. Prioritization and Road map– Balancing opportunities and challenges to create a well-prioritized action plan.
Join us as we break down these critical steps, offering insights into how companies can navigate and thrive in their digital transformation efforts.

Link to the Travel Guide
Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.

We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

Industry and digitalization: A shared path forward with The Travel guide

Interest in digitalization and AI within the industry is increasing, but many companies are facing the question: where do we start? Digitala Stambanan presents Reseguiden (The Travel Guide), a guide that helps companies create action plans for digital transformation.

Interest in AI and digitalization is steadily growing within the industry, with more companies realizing that change is necessary to maintain competitiveness. However, despite the increasing understanding, there is still significant uncertainty about approaching this complex transition. Questions like “Where do we start?”, “Who can we get help from?” and “What should we invest in?” are common among business leaders.

To meet these needs and guide companies on their digital journey, Digitala Stambanan has developed “The Travel Guide” (Reseguiden)—a structured roadmap for industrial digitalization. This guide, created in collaboration with several actors within the industry and academia, helps companies develop a concrete action plan for digital transformation.

A tailored digital journey

The purpose of The Travel Guide is to support companies on a journey that cannot be followed with a ready-made recipe. Every company has its own prerequisites; therefore, digitalization is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Through five steps, the guide provides tools for companies to create plans tailored to their unique needs and goals.

The five steps of The Travel guide are:

  1. Anchoring – Ensure support from the management and build a workgroup with broad support within the organization.
  2. Mapping the current situation – Analyze the organization, culture, systems, processes, and information flows.
  3. Opportunities and vision – Identify digitalization opportunities and set a future vision.
  4. Challenges – Assess potential barriers that may affect digital development.
  5. Prioritize and create an action plan – Evaluate and prioritize activities to achieve the company’s digital goals.

The future of competitiveness

Sweden, one of the world’s most competitive export nations, faces a new challenge in industrial digitalization, further driven by artificial intelligence. To remain a global player in the digital market, Swedish companies must quickly adapt their digital systems and processes and embrace AI’s opportunities. The Travel guide is essential in this transition and helps companies navigate the digital age.

With the Travel Guide, industrial companies can identify and realize digitalization and AI opportunities—from productivity improvements to enhanced sustainability and flexibility. Through a structured process, companies gain the insights and tools they need to drive their digital projects forward and maintain their competitiveness in a global market. In upcoming articles, we will dive deeper into the parts of The Travel Guide and how Digitala Stambanan’s project partners have used and received them.

Link to the Travel Guide
Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.

We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

Digital transformation in Industry – A necessity for the future

Industrial companies must quickly adapt to digital transformation and AI to meet future challenges. But where should one start?

Industrial companies worldwide are beginning to realize that digital transformation is no longer a choice but necessary to remain competitive in a rapidly changing world. Despite this realization, there is still significant uncertainty about where and how this transformation should begin.

Digital awakening in the industry

Until the pandemic, many industrial companies managed by relying on proven methods and processes. Technological developments like AI were often viewed as complementary rather than central to operations. However, with the onset of the pandemic, global political instability, and the tangible effects of climate change, the pressure of digital transformation has increased significantly. More and more people realize that such a change is necessary to meet future economic and environmental challenges.

Start with needs – Choose technology accordingly

A crucial insight for industrial companies is that digital transformation is not about rushing to adopt the latest technology for technology’s sake. Instead, it’s about understanding your needs and selecting the technological solutions that best address these challenges. Close dialogue between industry and technology providers is essential here. We encourage industrial companies to reflect on their operations and identify needs and challenges. Technology providers must understand these specific needs and realities within industries to offer the right solutions.

Understanding data is key

Understanding your data is a critical step in the digital transformation. Knowing what information is available and how it can be used to optimize and develop operations is crucial for competitiveness. Industry needs to work on internal and external efficiency in parallel, which means doing things the right way (efficiency) and doing the right things (innovation/effectiveness). In terms of efficiency, it includes optimizing internal processes and cooperation through value chains with external actors.

Dare to change

Digital transformation requires courage. Taking a step into the unknown and testing new technological solutions is a significant challenge for many companies. This is especially important as a younger generation, raised in the digital age, is now stepping into industry roles. This generation has different expectations for work methods and technical tools than their predecessors, which will further accelerate the change.

The road ahead – The Travel Guide

For the future competitiveness of the Swedish industry, companies must adopt digital tools such as AI as part of their core strategy. By understanding their needs, collaborating with the right technology providers, and daring to change, companies can adapt to new conditions and lead the way toward a sustainable and efficient future.

Every company must take an active approach to digital transformation so that they can take advantage of the benefits of digitalization. The foundation for success lies in the leadership’s interest in these issues and understanding the company’s unique situation. Each company’s journey towards digitalization will look different depending on its specific challenges, opportunities, and starting point, but there is much to learn and be inspired from each other.

The Digitala Stambanan project has developed a structured approach to support industrial companies’ digital transformation journeys. This approach serves as a guide to highlight each company’s unique needs and conditions. We call it the “Travel Guide for structured industrial digitalization.”

In our next article, we will explore the Travel Guide and how it can help companies take control of their digital journey and overcome the obstacles we discussed in the previous article. Stay tuned for this exciting follow-up, providing practical tools for driving your unique digital transformation!

Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.
We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

Why is the Industry lagging in digitalization and AI development?

I takt med att digital teknik och artificiell intelligens (AI) förändrar många branscher, kämpar den traditionella industrin för att hålla jämna steg. Trots intresse finns det flera faktorer, som organisatoriska silos och brist på digital strategi, som bromsar utvecklingen.

At a time when digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing many industries, the traditional industrial sector is struggling to keep up. Why is this sector, which has long been the backbone of our economy, at risk of falling behind? Let’s look at some challenges slowing down the industry’s digital transition.

Siloed organizations

Many industrial companies are organized into departments that work separately to solve a specific function or task as efficiently as possible. This is often referred to as silos. This approach has worked well in the past, but it has become a barrier in today’s fast-paced world. To leverage new technologies, companies need to improve cross-departmental collaboration. The built-in silo mentality needs to be replaced with cross-functional and flexible teamwork.

Time-dependent constraints

Historically, the industry has had a strong focus on efficiency. Employees fill their days with work and don’t have much time for other things. Efficiency can be divided into “internal” and “external” efficiency, where internal efficiency is about doing things the right way, and external efficiency refers to doing the right things. Many companies spend so much time on internal efficiency that they have no time to focus on external efficiency. For companies, it’s crucial to find a balance between internal and external efficiency, or they risk losing their competitiveness.

Long lifecycles of machines

Industrial machines were historically built to last long and produce on a large scale. This was good for the economy when the focus was on mass production, but it made it harder to adapt to new demands for flexibility and customized production. To profitably shift to a more flexible production for small series, efficient information solutions that control production are needed, and in many cases, new equipment that can be more automatically controlled is also required.

New technology investments

To begin working in a data-driven way, a digital infrastructure is needed to collect, organize, and analyze data. Implementing digital solutions require significant investments, and knowing when the investments will pay off can be challenging Investing in digital infrastructure alone may not immediately produce returns. It often requires additional, complementary investments—such as in technology, training, or supporting infrastructure—before the full benefits of the initial investment can be realized. Therefore, using business cases and return-on-investment (ROI) calculations for these investments can be complex. Additionally, it is complicated to test new systems with new technologies without disrupting daily operations. This makes many companies hesitant to leap into digital technology implementations and corresponding investments, causing the industry as a whole to fall behind.

Security concerns

Manufacturing industries often handle sensitive information, and information management plays a vital role in achieving flexible production. When everything becomes digital, the risk of data breaches increases, and critical company information can end up in the wrong hands. This naturally raises organizational security concerns which in turn can slow down digitalization.

Lack of digital knowledge

Although many companies are interested in digitalizing, they often don’t know where to start or which technical solutions are best for them. The lack of knowledge makes it challenging to make the right decisions about investments in digital technology. As a result, daily production and business as usual activities tend to come first, and investments in digital technologies generally fall behind.

Resistance to change

Digitalization often entails significant changes in working methods and organizational structures. This can meet resistance from employees accustomed to established practices, which can hinder the implementation of new digital solutions. Therefore, it is essential to work with change management and involve employees early in the process.

Lack of a clear digital strategy

Many industrial companies lack a clear and comprehensive digital strategy. Without a clear vision of how digitalization should be carried out and what goals should be achieved, digital initiatives risk becoming isolated and ineffective.

Challenges with data management

Digitalization generates enormous amounts of data. Collecting, organizing, analyzing, and utilizing this data requires new skills and systems that many industrial companies have yet to fully understand and implement. Successful use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for instance, requires a digital infrastructure for access to high-quality data.

The way forward

In Sweden and the Nordics, we have a unique culture of collaboration. This may be one of our most significant competitive advantages compared to the rest of the world. We have long been used to working together for survival in these northern latitudes. Collaboration is essential to succeed in something as complex as digital transformation and AI. If we can learn from and help each other, we can take more extensive and faster steps than those who work alone. We will cover this in the next section, focusing on how an increased number of industrial companies are taking steps towards their digital transformation.

Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.
We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

The Industry in rapid change: Technological development and digitalization pose new challenges for businesses

The industry faces significant changes as technological development demands new levels of flexibility, speed, and collaboration. To meet future challenges, companies must transform their workflows and build reliable partnerships throughout the value chain.

The world Is changing at an accelerating pace, driven by technological advancements. These changes affect how we work and alter people’s behaviors and expectations. This presents entirely new challenges for the manufacturing industry – but also opportunities. Society is now connected in real-time, and what was once advanced technology for companies has now become an everyday tool in people’s private lives. As a result, there is a paradigm shift in how companies can transform their operations, integrate technology into their businesses, and meet new demands for flexibility, speed, and customization.

Consumer technologies challenge Industry

Twenty to thirty years ago, workplace technology was often more advanced than at home. Today, the situation is reversed – most private individuals have access to intelligent solutions and digital technologies that are often more user-friendly and innovative than those in the workplace. It is already clear that employees increasingly expect to use technologies that they are accustomed to at home, in the workplace. Consumer technology is evolving rapidly, and individuals can quickly test new technology with small investments and low risk. For the industry, the situation is different. It requires significant capital investments, and the risk to the business is much higher if a technical solution doesn’t work as expected. This causes the industry to lag in digital transformation.

A striking example is that seven of the world’s ten highest-valued tech companies primarily target the consumer market. Companies like Amazon, Apple, and Alibaba have revolutionized how we shop and consume through digital platforms. However, similar platforms with the same impact still need to be improved in the industry. This raises the question of whether the industry will be dominated by a few large global platform providers in the future, or if we will instead witness the emergence of a more diverse and competitive market.

Individualization and shorter product life cycles pose new demands

Technological developments are also changing how consumers act. Today, we see a strong trend towards individualization, where people increasingly want to customize their solutions and have real-time information about deliveries and orders. Consumers also expect to control and monitor the products they purchase while demanding shorter delivery times and products with shorter life cycles. These changing expectations place significant demands on the industry, not only in terms of technical development but also in terms of traceability, efficiency, and adaptability along the entire value chain.

The importance of collaboration and trust in value chains

One of the biggest challenges, and simultaneously one of the most significant opportunities for the industry, is establishing solid collaborations between different actors in a value chain. As technology and digitalization revolutionize how we work, it is also crucial that companies and organizations can share data and information efficiently and reliably. Trust between actors in a value chain becomes a critical success factor. A company that does not trust its partners to handle and share information correctly and securely may hesitate to open its systems for collaboration. At the same time, transparency is the key to optimizing value flows and enhancing competitiveness.

For collaboration to work well, technology must support it flexibly and efficiently. Historically, industrial systems have been designed to support internal processes, but in today’s increasingly interconnected value chains, these systems must be able to integrate and communicate across organizational boundaries. This means that the technology must securely enable seamless data sharing between companies, regardless of their different technical conditions and systems. This is one of the biggest challenges – to build digital infrastructures that support collaboration between various companies and allow for real-time information sharing while maintaining high security and protection of sensitive data. Another major challenge is for companies in the value chain to agree on the value generated by data sharing. For some, data sharing creates more value in certain situations than for others. For instance, a logistics company may see immediate benefits from sharing real-time transportation data with its suppliers, allowing for better inventory management. However, the supplier may not gain as much value from this exchange, as the data only marginally improves their production process.

Flexible systems for the future of Industry

The digital infrastructure must evolve as the industry transitions from traditional hierarchical structures to more network-based and open systems. For companies to collaborate effectively in today’s fast-moving and changing market, systems must be adaptable and support real-time communication across the entire value chain. This involves creating a flexible and scalable IT and communication infrastructure where both small and large companies can contribute. In one of our value chains, we built a demonstrator to ensure the quality of a component through a value chain with root cause analysis when quality fails throughout the chain.

Today’s digital platforms, often developed for the consumer market, have demonstrated how effective data sharing and integrated communication can be. The industry now faces the adoption of similar solutions to create equally smooth and transparent systems that facilitate collaboration and information sharing between companies. Such a digital structure would enable companies to respond quickly to changes, optimize their processes, and develop new business models, which is crucial for remaining competitive.

Industry must accelerate its digital transition

Digitalization involves new technical solutions and requires businesses to change their processes, working methods, and culture. Many industrial companies have traditionally focused on internal efficiency, which means doing things right. Still, the future demands a greater emphasis on external efficiency—doing the right things, for example, through innovation and customization.

Manufacturing industries’ future will depend on companies combining technological development with a willingness to collaborate and share data more openly and effectively. By building trust and cooperation in value chains – while developing the technical systems to support these collaborations – the industry can remain competitive even in a future characterized by rapid change and increased complexity.

Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.

We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here

The Future of Industrial Digitalization – Lessons from Digitala Stambanan

Since 2016, the Digitala Stambanan project has promoted the industry’s digital development through collaboration between businesses and academia. In the fall of 2024, a series of articles will share lessons learned from the project.

The Digitala Stambanan project began in 2016, inspired by a vision from Johan Stahre and Örjan Larsson, who had long discussed the future value creation within the industry. They realized early on the importance of sharing information to strengthen industrial competitiveness, especially in an era where the possibilities of digitalization are becoming increasingly important.

The project’s name clearly references the railway’s main line, which was built in the 19th century. Just like the railway’s development, which required visionary politicians, bold decisions, and significant investments, Digitala Stambanan has had the same ambition: to lay the foundation for the industrial development and welfare of the future. By connecting companies and actors along the value chains, we can create new ways to collaborate and develop our industry.

Prof. Johan Stahre
Prof. Johan Stahre

Chalmers

Örjan Larsson
Örjan Larsson

Blue Institute

Stages of collaboration and innovation

Digitala Stambanan has been carried out in several stages, see figure 1 below. Two strategic innovation programs—Produktion 2030, focusing on the manufacturing industry, and PiiA (Process Industrial IT and Automation), primarily targeting the process industry—have played a central role. By working together and sometimes in parallel, these programs have driven the project forward, supported by many industrial companies, technology providers, academic institutions, and research institutes.

Figure 1 The stages of the Digitala Stambanan project during the years

During the project, all these actors contributed their expertise and knowledge, and together, we gathered a significant amount of insights and experiences regarding the digitalization of the industry.

Article series in the fall of 2024

After several years of successful collaboration, we look forward to sharing this knowledge. During the fall, we will publish articles highlighting the challenges of digitalization in the industry, how we see that companies can address and benefit from technological development, and what we have achieved through the project. We will also emphasize the strength of this innovation collaboration and share participants’ experiences and insights.
We hope these articles will inspire more companies to embrace the opportunities of digitalization and understand the importance of collaboration for a future competitive Swedish industry.

Keep an eye out for upcoming articles on our website!

You can find all articles here