The ROI of Resilience
Manufacturers navigating and growing in volatile markets share one trait: they’ve built operations that turn disruption into competitive advantage. While others scramble with spreadsheets and phone calls when suppliers fail or quality issues emerge, these manufacturers execute real-time responses across global operations. The technology enabling this transformation is Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) platforms that unify what have historically been disconnected manufacturing silos.
The financial case for operational resilience now extends beyond efficiency metrics. Forward-thinking manufacturers are quantifying returns from maintaining operations when competitors cannot, capturing market share during disruptions, and commanding premium pricing for reliable delivery. These resilience multipliers deliver ROI that makes traditional business cases obsolete.
Why Fragmented Operations Fail in Volatile Markets
Most manufacturers operate as collections of independent plants rather than unified enterprises. Each facility runs different systems, follows localized processes, maintains separate data. When disruption hits, this fragmentation paralyzes response. A supplier bankruptcy triggers manual coordination attempts across disconnected operations. Quality issues discovered at one site don’t prevent the same problems at others. Equipment failures that could be predicted through unified data become expensive surprises.
The cost compounds through lost orders, quality escapes, and extended downtime. More damaging still: market share permanently shifts to competitors who maintain consistent operations. Modern MOM platforms solve this by creating unified operational control, enabling coordinated enterprise response to disruption.
CoorsTek: Quantifying Resilience Returns
CoorsTek, operating 50+ locations globally manufacturing technical ceramics, demonstrates how unified operations create a measurable competitive advantage. With 10,000+ pieces of equipment running 24/7 and customers demanding exceptional precision, operational continuity directly impacts revenue and market position.
The company replaced fragmented systems in over 30 of the 50 locations with DELMIA Apriso as their unified MOM platform. Results validate the resilience investment thesis:
- 80% reduction in new site rollout costs through centralized architecture
- Direct scrap reduction via inline quality processes catching issues before shipment
- Preventive maintenance capabilities maintaining uptime across 10,000 assets
- 300% scope delivery under budget demonstrating platform flexibility
We needed a solution that is easily trainable, repeatable, and consistent, and we get that with DELMIA Apriso. The solution is helping us make sure that we’re hitting those marks for our customers,” states Matt Mehlbrech, CoorsTek’s VP of Information Technology.
Three Pillars Driving Resilience ROI
Analysis of successful MOM implementations reveals three capabilities that generate outsized returns:
1. Unified Global Execution Centralized process management enables instant deployment of improvements across all sites. CoorsTek’s 80% reduction in rollout costs exemplifies how unified architecture accelerates capability expansion while reducing implementation risk.
2. Real-Time Quality Control
Inline inspection processes prevent quality escapes before products ship. By capturing why defects occur through standardized codes and analytics, manufacturers convert quality data into continuous improvement fuel.
3. Predictive Asset Management With thousands of assets running continuously, preventing unplanned downtime becomes strategic. Enhanced maintenance capabilities maximize equipment effectiveness, ensuring production capacity during volatile periods.
Measuring the Resilience Premium
Manufacturing executives should expand ROI calculations beyond operational improvements to capture resilience value:
Operational Returns:
- 15-25% productivity gains through standardized processes
- 20-30% quality improvement reducing scrap/rework
- 10-20% maintenance cost reduction via predictive capabilities
- 25-35% inventory optimization through accurate visibility
Strategic Multipliers:
- Revenue protection maintaining operations during disruptions
- 10-20% price premiums for reliable delivery
- Market share gains from competitor failures
- 80%+ reduction in expansion costs
Brian Frimel, CoorsTek’s Senior Director of IT, confirms the value:
We successfully completed our implementation under budget with over 300% of the planned scope. I look forward to implementing our complete manufacturing solution globally.”
Implementation Success Factors
CoorsTek’s success highlights critical factors for capturing resilience ROI:
- Centralized architecture reducing complexity and enabling rapid scaling
- Agile deployment delivering value incrementally while maintaining flexibility
- Change management ensuring adoption across global operations
- Continuous improvement culture leveraging unified data for ongoing optimization
Organizations achieving highest returns view MOM platforms as strategic infrastructure rather than IT projects. They invest in governance models balancing standardization with local flexibility. Most importantly, they measure success through resilience metrics alongside traditional KPIs.
The Competitive Reality
Market volatility isn’t temporary. Supply chain disruption, quality challenges, and demand fluctuations represent permanent operating conditions. Manufacturers face a clear choice: remain vulnerable with fragmented systems or build unified operations that capitalize on disruption.
DELMIA Apriso provides the platform, but transformation requires commitment to operational excellence. Companies must embrace standardization, develop resilience metrics, and create cultures viewing volatility as opportunity.
Conclusion
Operational resilience has become manufacturing’s ultimate differentiator. The ability to maintain quality and delivery when competitors cannot, rapidly deploy improvements globally, and convert market volatility into competitive advantage justifies MOM investments multiple times over.
As CoorsTek’s transformation proves, manufacturers building unified operations today will define tomorrow’s competitive landscape. The question isn’t whether to invest in resilience, but whether you’ll build it before the next disruption tests your readiness.
Louis Columbus is currently serving as a member of the DELMIA Marketing team, where he assists with DELMIAWorks and robotics solutions. Previous positions include product management at Ingram Cloud, product marketing at iBASEt, Plex Systems, senior analyst at AMR Research (now Gartner), marketing and business development at Cincom Systems, Ingram Micro, a SaaS start-up and at hardware companies. Professional experience includes marketing, product management, sales and industry analyst roles in the enterprise software and IT industries. Columbus' academic background includes an MBA from Pepperdine University and completion of the Strategic Marketing Management and Digital Marketing Programs at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He teaches MBA courses in international business, global competitive strategies, international market research, and capstone courses in strategic planning and market research. Columbus has taught at California State University, Fullerton: University of California, Irvine; Marymount University, and Webster University.