Rohit Laila is a seasoned veteran in the logistics and supply chain world, having spent over two decades navigating the complex intersections of global delivery and industrial operations. His career has been defined by a deep-seated passion for how innovation can turn a traditional warehouse into a high-tech hub of efficiency. Today, he shares his insights on why the digital backbone of a company—specifically IT service management—has become just as critical as the physical assembly lines and shipping fleets that move products across the globe. Through his perspective, we see how the “digital friction” of legacy systems can manifest as very real, very expensive delays on the factory floor.
How do IT outages in a manufacturing environment differ from those in retail regarding production schedules and shipment?
When a retail system goes down, the pain is usually felt at the cash register or on a website where a customer can’t complete a purchase, leading to lost sales and a bit of a PR headache. In manufacturing, however, the impact is far more visceral because an IT failure can literally freeze the heartbeat of the factory. You aren’t just losing a transaction; you are disrupting complex production schedules, missing narrow shipment windows, and suddenly finding that spare parts aren’t where they need to be. The silence of a stopped assembly line is a haunting sound for any site manager who knows that every minute of downtime ripples through the entire supply chain. It forces a complete shift in how we view IT service management because these digital systems are now the very gears that keep the physical machinery turning.
What are the hidden costs of “digital friction” when manufacturers rely on fragmented legacy systems and manual workarounds?
Digital friction is that invisible drag that occurs when a company has grown through acquisitions and local patchwork solutions, leaving a trail of disconnected platforms in its wake. I’ve seen teams trying to manage high-stakes logistics using nothing but manual ticket routing and aging spreadsheets, which might have worked ten years ago but now act as a bottleneck. This complexity means that a simple service request might get routed to the wrong desk, sitting idle while a critical system change is needed on the floor. It creates an environment where everyone is busy fighting fires rather than preventing them, leading to slower decisions and missed handovers that the customer eventually feels. When you are operating on workarounds, you are essentially driving a high-performance car with the emergency brake partially engaged.
In what ways does poor visibility into IT assets and service requests directly impact the logistics of shipments and customer service?
In the world of logistics, visibility is everything, and when you can’t see the health of your digital infrastructure, you’re essentially flying blind. If an IT team lacks a clear view of their assets or the software controlling the loading docks, a minor glitch can spiral into a massive delay that keeps trucks idling and burning fuel. These delays aren’t just numbers on a screen; they represent customers waiting for essential equipment or parts that are stuck in a digital limbo. It’s incredibly frustrating to know that a part is physically in the building but can’t be moved because the system responsible for its release is unresponsive. This breakdown in the chain doesn’t just hurt the bottom line; it erodes the hard-earned trust of downstream partners who rely on your timing to keep their own operations alive.
How can consolidating service systems provide a foundation for AI and automation to improve supply chain resilience?
You can’t expect a sophisticated AI to fix your problems if it’s trying to navigate a chaotic mess of overlapping and redundant systems. Improving resilience starts with the hard work of simplifying the environment, reducing that overlap, and creating a unified operating model that everyone understands. Once you have a consolidated foundation, intelligent tools can finally do the heavy lifting by automatically routing requests and deflecting the common, repetitive issues that usually eat up an agent’s day. This allows the human element of the workforce to focus on high-level problem solving with much greater speed and confidence. It’s about creating a digital ecosystem where information flows as smoothly as the products on a conveyor belt.
Could you elaborate on how a more structured approach to IT service management helped companies like Vermeer achieve significant improvements in resolution times?
At Vermeer, they recognized that IT service management wasn’t just a back-office function, but a core part of their operational infrastructure. By leaning into automated routing and AI-assisted support, they were able to slash their resolution times by nearly 50%, which is a staggering figure in an industry where every second counts. This level of responsiveness is vital because their customers depend on equipment uptime, and any delay in support can have massive financial consequences. By treating IT issues with the same urgency as a mechanical failure on the line, they’ve created a much tighter link between technical support and customer satisfaction. It proves that when you give your teams the right tools, they can resolve issues before the production floor even realizes there was a problem.
Why is change management so critical for supply chain leaders when implementing system updates or platform migrations?
Structured change management is the safety net that ensures a routine software update doesn’t accidentally trigger a total production shutdown. When you are dealing with platform migrations or access changes, the consequences of a mistake move very quickly from a local IT glitch to a major supply chain disruption. Leaders need to ensure there is clear ownership and visibility over every move because predictable processes are the only way to maintain a resilient operation. It’s about having a shared map so that when conditions change or a system needs an upgrade, everyone knows exactly how to react without causing a pile-up. Taking the time to get the “people and process” side of change right is what separates a successful modernization from a logistical nightmare.
What is your forecast for the role of digital workflows in manufacturing over the next few years?
I believe we are entering an era where the distinction between the “digital office” and the “factory floor” will evaporate entirely as workflows become more simplified and interconnected. We are going to see a shift where IT service management is viewed as the central nervous system of the business, protecting uptime and ensuring that shipments never miss their mark. The manufacturers who thrive will be the ones who treat their digital infrastructure with the same engineering rigor they apply to their physical products. By addressing small digital issues before they escalate, companies will be able to meet their commitments with a level of consistency that was previously impossible. Ultimately, the goal is a seamless flow where the technology is so reliable that it becomes invisible, allowing the business to focus entirely on its customers.
