2023 was a year of unprecedented challenges and innovations. It was a year when manufacturers and public sector concerns embraced digitalization to become more agile, revolutionary medtech marked the end of a global pandemic and sustainability efforts met new milestones. Breaking through fluctuating markets and uncertainties opened new avenues for growth.
As we move into 2024, what are your biggest questions about the coming year? What’s the latest technology? What’s the next big news to look out for? And most importantly, how can we prepare for all the challenges and opportunities that are coming along?
To answer these questions and offer a few 2024 predictions, we invited experts from across Dassault Systèmes’ industries to answer the question: “What’s one thing you’re most excited about for your industry in 2024?”
Aerospace and Defense: Innovating toward space sustainability
For the space industry, there will be no shortage of exciting innovation from space in 2024. I’m personally interested in the innovation toward space sustainability and seeing this market accelerate, but I think you have to highlight the excitement around heavy launch (Starship and SLS) and lunar activities in 2024 – progress towards our return to the moon, Japan’s moon lander, and NASAs video release last month of their commercial lunar marketplace that will streamline access to the moon. So many layers of these programs are empowered by Dassault Systèmes … and there is so much more to come. – Industry Business Value Consultant Expert Jason Roberson
Business Services: Helping rail become more efficient
The one thing I am most excited about in 2024 is how we can make a difference in the NetZero and sustainability drive. Before joining Dassault Systèmes I knew virtually nothing about rail (except that you can travel as a passenger and that it’s not always the most reliable form of transport). Learning about rail over the last 7 years has been incredibly exciting and insightful – the realization that managing rail operations is actually very complex. It’s not just about a train going from A to B. There is so much to take into account. Ensuring the right crew, at the right time with the right qualifications, linked to the right fleet that are available (and not out of service for maintenance), ensuring track availability to move freight and passenger trains (some share the same tracks). Then you have to look at short, mid and longer term planning for above, below and off network services.
Through our integrated approach to operations’ planning and scheduling we are helping rail to become more efficient, more cost effective, more reliable with a better service quality for both freight and passenger rail across the globe. This will make rail more attractive to companies (only 58% of freight trains are on time) and to passengers to help drive that modal shift. — Global Vice President – Business Services Industry Taherah Kuhl
Consumer Packaged Goods & Retail: More environmentally conscious innovation
CPG manufacturers are truly aligning their values with those of environmentally conscious consumers by working to reduce single-use plastic waste and minimizing eco-footprints. As a result, the industry is experiencing a dramatic increase in the area of innovative packaging solutions. Companies are exploring new, compostable materials, light-weighted designs and reusable packaging models. – Industry Business Value Consultant Director Laurent Smadja
Home & Lifestyle: Supporting a circular economy
The Home & Lifestyle industry is embracing the concept of modular design in order to support the circular economy. Designing products like e-bikes, furniture and sporting goods in such a way that they can be subdivided into smaller, interchangeable parts called modules. This adds flexibility, scalability and reusability as independent modules, which can be added or replaced without affecting the rest of the system. This reduces waste while enabling consumers the personalization they crave. – Industry Value Expert Senior Manager Annabelle Grauer
Industrial Equipment: Integrating agility and sustainability
In the dynamic landscape of the years 2023-2025, the Industrial Equipment industry confronts pivotal challenges centered around sustainability and agility. The seamless orchestration of quoting, manufacturing, delivering, installing, maintaining and retrofitting demands a paradigm shift. Embracing equipment modularity within systemic frameworks is imperative, fostering versatility and thereby enhancing agility. The cornerstone of sustainability lies in the commitment to “Design for Retrofit-ability,” a transformative approach that echoes our dedication to responsible practices.
Amidst these challenges lies a compelling opportunity: the exploration of innovative business models such as Equipment-as-a-Service and Pay Per Part production. The key lies in trust – the more our valued stakeholders embrace our recent offering for Field Operations, the more they unlock the potential of our unique differentiator. Our commitment spans the entire lifecycle, from engineering to manufacturing to service, creating virtual twins that are both generic during new product development and highly specific when applied to an instantiated equipment number in the operational field.
In this era of transformation, our vision is not merely to meet industry standards but to redefine them. By seamlessly integrating sustainability and agility into every facet of our operations, we aim to not only overcome challenges but to emerge as trailblazers, setting new benchmarks for the Industrial Equipment industry. – Industry Vice President Philippe Bartissol
Infrastructure, Energy & Materials: Achieving a carbon-neutral future
Leading the way to decarbonization and energy transition requires a collaborative effort among investors, corporate players and policymakers. As we witness an accelerated shift from fossil fuels towards a carbon-neutral economy, the challenge lies in transforming “brown” assets into “green” ones. This encompasses replacing traditional energy sources with clean alternatives, building new infrastructure for electric transport and scaling innovative technologies, like green hydrogen and carbon capture.
The path ahead is fraught with technical risks, high investment costs and aggressive timelines mandated by regulators and company commitments. How the industry adapts to climate change will significantly shape our cities, the materials we use and the resilience of our infrastructures. The Infrastructure, Energy and Materials sectors are pivotal in achieving a sustainable, carbon-neutral future. – Industry Vice President Corinne Bulota
Life Sciences & Healthcare: Improving quality of life for patients and their families
In 2023, the area of long-term chronic diseases had several breakthroughs that improve overall quality of life and help to address the long-term cost of care for chronic diseases, such as Diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Sickle Cell.
Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy came to market with a great deal of excitement in managing diabetes and weight loss and were followed by [Eli] Lilly’s Zepbound. Two new monoclonal antibody treatments were approved for early Alzheimer’s with the ability to slow cognitive and functional decline. Vertex and Crispr Therapeutics launched CASGEVY, a game changing gene therapy that uses CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the DNA of patients with sickle cell to fix the flawed red blood cells – effectively curing the patient by correcting their genes.
By addressing long-term chronic diseases, we improve the quality of life for patients and family members as well as the overall cost of healthcare for society – something to be excited about for 2024. — Industry Business Value Consultant Director John McCarthy
Marine & Offshore: Transitioning to sustainability
The Marine industry is currently facing a major transition to sustainability. Commercial shipping represents nearly 3% of global emissions and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a revised greenhouse gas (GHG) strategy to reach net-zero GHG emissions by around 2050. To support this ambitious transformation, the industry needs to quickly rethink the way they design, build, operate and maintain vessels, which means successfully developing, building and integrating a wide range of innovative and complex technologies. – Industry Business Value Consultant Specialist Jean Benoit Bensoussan
So those are the 2024 predictions. And of this we can be sure: As various industries adapt to changing landscapes and work toward ever more mindful goals, the new year will mark a continuation of collective efforts towards a sustainable future.
Stay tuned and join us for a front row seat to the future.