Is Data Analytics the Future of Business?

Current role is Head or Materials Management and Logistics at Siemens Healthineers in Llanberis, I have been in the role for 10 years and am responsible for Planning, Procurement, Logistics and latterly Business Analytics.

I have been in Manufacturing all my career starting on the shop floor with O & A levels (incl Computer studies) as a machine setter working for a medium sized speciality allow and component manufacturing company.

From there I worked my way up through a number of different operational management roles mainly within the low voltage electro-mechanical device industry to become Site Head for Eaton Corporation Holyhead facility responsible for a staff of 400. Eaton is a large US multi-national power management company operating in the Electrical, Aerospace, Vehicle and eMobility sectors.

Following the downsizing of the Holyhead facility I took redundancy and a 3 year sabbatical from industry to run a tourism business with my wife on Anglesey. I joined Siemens Healthineers in January 2013.

Siemens Healthineers is part of Siemens AG based in Germany and employs 69,000 people around the world and itself is the parent company for several medical technology companies.

My data journey started in my early career as a shop floor supervisor where I started using spreadsheets on an Amstrad 1512 for production control.

To further my development I studied Business Management and Systems Analysis, through my career I have used the data skills I learnt to varying degrees but it was really in my current role where my passion for data analytics has really grown and I have been able to demonstrate what it can bring to a business.

When I started in January 2013 the need to access data and visualise workflows became obvious very early on and we established a number of dashboards to help the business see what was happening in the factory.

Nowadays we have moved on from manual downloads of data to a “live” cloud source, we have a dedicated Business Analytics team of 5 people and data analytics is a growing part of driving business improvements that is recognised not only within the site itself but also in the wider Siemens Healthineers community.

We have also moved on from creating dashboards to analysing workflows and financial data to identify and drive solutions for significant cost saving opportunities as well a scenario building to support the growth of our product line.

Today the use of data is becoming more and more prevalent within both our personal and working lives and with easy access to this data and the development of low code digital automation solutions, that are now widely available, it is no longer it is no longer the prerogative of highly specialized data professional. If you have the right mindset and desire it is open to you.

This gap is not merely an abstraction; it's a palpable challenge at every level of a modern enterprise. The shortage of professionals proficient in harnessing the power of data for strategic insights and informed decision-making casts a shadow over the potential of countless organisations. As competition intensifies and markets evolve at an unprecedented rate, the significance of data analytics skills becomes increasingly evident. These skills empower businesses to extract meaningful patterns from seemingly chaotic data streams, to identify trends that drive customer preferences, and to optimise operations with (previously unimaginable) precision.

The imperative for data analytics proficiency now touches all sectors, spanning industries as diverse as finance, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and beyond. Whether it's identifying cost-saving opportunities, tailoring customer experiences, improving health or the environment, or anticipating future trends, the insights gleaned from data analytics are indispensable for maintaining a competitive edge in today's dynamic business ecosystem. We need the people to help create and drive these initiatives.