Smart connected products: redefining growth in industrial manufacturing

Smart connected products are redefining industrial manufacturing, but real growth comes from commercializing them at scale.

In brief

• Smart connected products create opportunity, but value is realized when innovation is commercialized effectively.
• Manufacturers that embed commercialization into their innovation lifecycle are better positioned to drive sustainable growth. 

This article is part of a seven‑piece series exploring commercial, growth and innovation (CGI) and the strategies reshaping performance. 

Manufacturers have historically been pioneers of innovation, rapidly embracing transformative technologies such as electrification, factory systems and automation. Each of these advancements has redefined how goods are produced and delivered and in turn how industries grow and compete. 

The next leap in manufacturing

The next significant leap for manufacturers involves creating transformative value for customers and fundamentally redefining industry standards.

This evolution prompts critical questions for every industry leader:

• What fundamental changes can I make to my customers’ experience that not only meet their needs but also challenge their perceptions of value and loyalty?
• What unconventional strategies can I explore to redefine my growth trajectory in a market that is constantly evolving and becoming more competitive?

Manufacturers that answer these questions with confidence and act on them will shape the future direction of their industries and achieve near-term success.

Harnessing data and connectivity

The key to manufacturing’s next leap lies in using data and connectivity to understand how customers engage with products and where performance can improve.

Smart connected products turn that insight into action by enabling real-time monitoring and predictive decision-making. This helps unlock new revenue streams such as maintenance, consulting, spare parts and subscriptions. In many cases, these after-sales services can generate substantially greater value over the product life cycle than the initial sale alone. 

Strategic positioning and challenges

To capture these opportunities, manufacturers must also determine where they will play within emerging connected ecosystems such as smart factories, smart buildings and smart farming. Positioning effectively in this new value chain requires foresight, time and targeted investment, which could look like leading technology enablement, building digital platforms or differentiating through service innovation. 

The challenge is the ability to commercialize ideas at scale. Success now depends on driving adoption of new capabilities, refining offerings through real-world feedback and moving innovations from concept to market with speed and discipline. Manufacturers that balance agility with execution and embrace partnerships will be the ones who translate ambition into measurable sustained impact. 

The role of CGI

While the opportunity is vast, capturing it requires more than technology. It requires strategy, speed and disciplined execution. Commercial, growth and innovation (CGI) helps manufacturers bridge the gap between visionary ideas and market-ready solutions.

Through CGI, organizations can explore, create and activate new connected products and services that drive tangible growth. From identifying high-value customer use cases to developing scalable go-to-market models, CGI supports every stage of commercialization.

By aligning innovation with execution, manufacturers can transform smart connected product ambitions into profitable customer-centered outcomes to drive top-line growth and long-term competitiveness in the new industrial value chain.