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Research

Demystifying the Steps Along the RPA Journey for Manufacturers

Companies have been “going digital” for years, and the importance of doing so has only grown—going from an IT initiative to a strategic enterprise-wide priority. While some manufacturers remain on the digital sidelines, many have spent the last several years focused on a number of digital initiatives with the goal of improving business outcomes.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is an emerging transformational area of investment in the industry. Research from Manufacturers Alliance and Automation Anywhere shows that RPA delivers measurable benefits that manufacturers can harness to achieve better performance. We found that implementing RPA is a five-stage journey that requires preparation for each milestone to set the foundation for success. For some organizations, implementation can take as little as four months. However, the majority see the fruits of their efforts within a year, with almost half reporting a return on investment (ROI) within six months.

Key findings include:

  • Just over a third of manufacturing functions have implemented RPA. Although the IT function has the highest rate of adoption, both the finance and operations functions are adopting and scaling RPA as well, but at a slower rate. On the other side, legal, risk, and compliance functions have the lowest adoption to date.
  • More than half of manufacturers have launched RPA pilots in the last year. Most achieved their objectives, with only 4% reporting the pilot failed to meet expectations.
  • Although digitally mature companies are implementing and scaling RPA in greater numbers than their peers, RPA presents an easy point of entry for companies regardless of maturity. Companies can implement RPA with the talent and tools they already have in place.
  • The benefits realized from leveraging RPA in manufacturing processes go beyond improved efficiency, accuracy, and competitiveness in operations to include improved talent retention and engagement efforts.

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Author

Amit Limaye

Global Industry Leader, Automation Anywhere

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Automation Anywhere empowers people whose ideas, thought and focus make the companies they work for great. We deliver the world’s most sophisticated Digital Workforce platform making work more human by automating business processes and liberating people.

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