Explore the future of next-gen manufacturing innovations with TCS

The relentless pace of technology advancements compels manufacturers to constantly innovate and stay competitive in the ever-evolving market landscape. Manufacturers are gradually integrating and investing in advanced technologies, such as AI, generative AI (GenAI), digital twins, 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT), into their processes to increase efficiency, reduce cost, improve productivity and quality while ensuring tech-enabled resiliency and overcoming data complexity.

To support the customer strategy, TCS—with its domain expertise and deep understanding of customer needs—aims to drive digital innovation and integrate sustainable practices, enabling manufacturers to become more agile and efficient and remain competitive.
The HFS pulse survey (see Exhibit 1) shows that AI, IoT, automation, and 5G are among the top investment areas for manufacturers aiming to optimize processes, harness potential from data-driven insights, and make operations future-ready.

Exhibit 1: Enabling technologies that enterprises are actively working on or investigating

Sample: 34 manufacturing executives, Global 2000 companies
Source: HFS Pulse Data, 2024

The urgency toward tech adoption has created a clear path for manufacturers and service providers to collaborate and transform manufacturing operations. At an analyst event in August 2024, TCS outlined its strategic approach to drive digital transformation and innovation in manufacturing. The firm is doubling down its investments and focusing on embedding advanced technologies, such as AI, GenAI, and quantum computing, into solutions to create synergy and adopt customer-centric solutions while helping them stay on track to meet sustainability.

Integrating AI/GenAI in manufacturing for efficient operations and driving innovation with quantum computing

AI, including GenAI, has potential to drive digital transformation by leveraging data volumes generated on the factory floor through increased optimization, enhanced efficiency, and better decision-making. TCS is integrating GenAI into manufacturing operations with a strategic approach involving three levels of transformation—’assist,’ ‘augment,’ and ‘transform’ to foster enhanced decision-making and innovative business models while keeping humans integral to the technology loop. This method ensures that AI not only complements human capabilities but also addresses customer-specific constraints and needs. TCS aims to bring synergy from the AI-GenAI integration to provide insights, recommendations, and actionable information, using unstructured data for real-time monitoring and enhancing efficient manufacturing processes and customer experiences. Its Digital Garage offers innovation-as-a-service, allowing customers to innovate and develop outcome-driven business solutions.

TCS AI WisdomNext™ is an industry-first AI orchestration platform designed to simplify and accelerate the adoption of GenAI solutions at scale. It aggregates multiple GenAI and cloud services into a unified interface, providing enterprises with a centralized hub to explore, experiment, and deploy AI-powered applications with ease.

TCS Mobility Suite ensures an in-vehicle seamless and efficient driving experience with adaptive interfaces and intelligent voice interactions. It also provides enhanced safety with real-time alerts and predictive analytics for auto OEMs to simulate various scenarios, making vehicles more robust and efficient.

TCS is also leveraging autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to automate intralogistics processes, such as loading and unloading, assembly, and travel logistics inspection, to drive operational efficiency. For a US-based company, it has benchmarked more than twenty AMRs, leading to a 43 FTE reduction in human efforts per plant and $3 million in cost savings per year.

The company is also exploring quantum computing, though in the early stage, to address complex challenges in manufacturing. It uses the technology for designing composite materials for aircraft to determine the strength-to-weight ratio, cost efficiency, and turnaround time, resulting in lighter and fuel-efficient aircraft structures.

Aligning the portfolio to match the enterprise focus on sustainability

Growing regulatory pressure and possible business benefits are pushing manufacturers to embed sustainability practices within their core business, addressing everything from supply chain and factory operations to the product end lifecycle. Manufacturers are integrating initiatives such as circular economy, waste reduction, sustainable supply chain, and reporting along with technology to make the process transparent and traceable.

TCS is actively integrating sustainability in its solutions portfolio, helping clients reduce and effectively manage environmental impacts. For instance, it is driving research and innovation in aerospace design and alternative power sources such as solar energy. The firm has also developed a platform battery passport that tracks the lifecycle of batteries used in electric vehicles for sustainable battery use and responsible handling.

The Bottom Line: Manufacturers will benefit from TCS’ commitment to transforming operations with advanced technology to navigate the operational complexity and achieve sustainable growth.

TCS’ holistic approach to integrating technology and focus on sustainability position it as a forward-thinking partner for enterprises ready to explore next-gen solutions to scale their operations and drive efficiency.

At the same time, enterprises should critically evaluate the scalability of these innovations. The success of these solutions will depend on a strategic approach that balances technological innovation with actual feasibility, continuous adoption, and long-term value creation.