The Strategic Advantages of Inclusive Leadership in IT
By Matthan Evans - Apr 29, 2024
June 4, 2024
Sr. Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Corporate
In the dynamic landscape of global manufacturing, Avery Dennison stands out for its ability to navigate challenging environments, innovative products and strategic emphasis on digital experiences as a catalyst for growth, operational efficiency and competitive advantage.
Avery Dennison’s IT organization envisions transforming IT into a core competitive strength. We aim to deliver innovative, cost-effective, value-added digital technology and services aligned with our company’s strategic objectives. In doing so, we support our current operations and drive the company toward outsized growth and profitability. Our mission spans from enhancing the customer experience to generating revenue through digital optimization and transformation and maximizing the value creation of acquisitions by accelerating capabilities and efficiencies.
We think of our digital journey through the lens of four experiences:
Employee
Customer
Factory
Product
Across the company, we see room to accelerate the development of our revenue-generating digital products and services while driving best practices and strengthening our overall digital acumen. Our IT teams partner with internal stakeholders to leverage digital technologies to create competitive advantage and enable our digital experiences.
This June is the first-ever Digital Innovation Month at Avery Dennison, featuring a full slate of programs and events that showcase our progress and plans with digital and celebrate the spirit of innovation.
Enhancing the Employee Experience
The Employee Experience is central to our strategy. Our ability to provide our team with the technology, tools, and platforms necessary to work efficiently and effectively boosts productivity and satisfaction and leads to better outcomes. As a global company, IT supports digital collaboration tools, remote work capabilities, and training and development resources, significantly contributing to the overall employee experience. We are also leading the evaluation of Generative AI-powered tools, such as chatbots, that can improve onboarding, IT support, content creation, and daily task management.
Improving the Customer Experience
As our customers become more advanced and technology-enabled, we must leverage technology to create a best-in-class customer experience. IT partners with business units and functions to advance technologies to enhance customer experience and drive business growth. This involves creating seamless digital touchpoints for our customers, from our website and mobile apps to social media and e-commerce platforms. Beyond these touchpoints, we leverage CRM tools and marketing automation software to ensure a personalized and engaging experience that drives loyalty, advocacy, and revenue growth.
Optimizing the Factory Experience
IT plays a pivotal role in our manufacturing and supply chain operations. We utilize ERP, MES, advanced planning applications, automation, robotics, sensors, and analytics to enhance production efficiency, quality, and cost-effectiveness while securing our operational assets. Digital initiatives also extend to supply chain management and predictive maintenance, aiming to improve factory performance and reduce waste.
Supporting the Product Experience
Digital transformation is a long, arduous, yet exciting journey that aims to pursue net new revenue streams from new business models, products, and services. IT supports the business strategy by providing services, including technology sourcing, information security, infrastructure, and data. These foundational capabilities enable enterprise-wide coordination to execute and accelerate the company’s vision of developing revenue-generating digital products and services, such as atma.io.
IT’s Contribution to Digital Transformation and Optimization
The partnership and collective success that we have realized with the business units and corporate functions underscore the pivotal role of IT at Avery Dennison. We serve as a strategic cornerstone essential for fostering innovation, driving profitable growth, and securing a competitive edge. Our holistic strategy, which encompasses enhancing employee engagement, improving customer satisfaction, augmenting manufacturing processes, and advancing digital and material product innovation, highlights IT’s essential contribution to guiding Avery Dennison toward a promising future.
By Matthan Evans - Apr 01, 2024
By Matthan Evans - Sep 18, 2023