IDC: Asia's manufacturers to rely on predictive analytics

Volatility is without a doubt the watchword for the world economy today. With rising costs, coupled with the devastating impact of the recent natural disasters in the region, Asia/Pacific manufacturers are expected to continue their focus on efficiencies, and are putting in greater efforts to mitigate supply chain risks. This market phenomenon leads IDC Manufacturing Insights to predict that in 2012, there will be greater use of predictive analytics tools among the region's manufacturers.

Three of IDC Manufacturing Insights Asia/Pacific's top 10 Predictions for 2012 (listed in no particular order):

The need for better decisions at strategic and tactical levels will drive the use of predictive analytics: Asia/Pacific manufacturers are expected to continue their efforts to counter supply chain risks in 2012. This market phenomenon leads IDC Manufacturing Insights to predict that in 2012, there will be greater use of predictive analytics tools among the region's manufacturers.

The drive to serve domestic consumption will lead Asia/Pacific Manufactures to rethink their product and supply chain strategies: With countries in the West battling sluggish economies and high unemployment rate, IDC Manufacturing Insights predicts that Asia/Pacific manufacturers will focus on producing goods where there is demand and growth -- the Asia/Pacific region. To do well, manufacturers will need to reconfigure their product development and supply chains to meet local demand. For some companies, this may be an opportunity to embark on vertical integration.

Investments in Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics (BA) will be used to improve manufacturing processes: BI and BA will be mainly used to support process improvements in supply chain, manufacturing operations and product development.
 
More insights can be found in a forthcoming IDC Manufacturing Insights report, "Asia/Pacific Manufacturing 2012 Top 10 Predictions", which presents the top 10 predictions for the manufacturing sector in the coming year.