Facilitating AI integration with simplicity at scale
Facilitating AI integration with simplicity at scale
以简驭繁：助力人工智能规模化集成
As companies scale, the technology supporting operations can become a liability just as quickly as it becomes an asset. Disconnected systems, site-specific tools, spreadsheets, and manual workarounds can create data silos that make it harder to spot problems early, coordinate responses, and make decisions with confidence. 随着企业规模的扩大，支撑运营的技术既可能成为资产，也可能迅速演变为负担。互不连通的系统、特定站点的工具、电子表格以及人工变通方案，往往会造成数据孤岛，导致企业难以尽早发现问题、协调响应并做出自信的决策。
For Jabil, a global manufacturing company with more than 100 sites across more than 30 countries, the answer has been to make integration and simplification a priority. The company adopted a “simplify-first, then-innovate mindset,” says Harish Manohar, SAP IT director at Jabil, recognizing that adding new technologies without first reducing complexity risks creating more risk. 对于在全球 30 多个国家拥有 100 多个生产基地的全球制造企业捷普（Jabil）而言，其解决方案是将集成与简化作为首要任务。捷普 SAP IT 总监 Harish Manohar 表示，公司采取了“先简化，后创新”的思维模式，因为他们意识到，如果在不降低复杂性的前提下盲目引入新技术，反而会带来更多风险。
The goal is to standardize processes, consolidate where possible, and establish a more consistent data backbone across the organization. “Any innovation without simplification is going to add more complexity,” Manohar says. That philosophy also changes how Jabil approaches modernization. “Any modernization or transformation should add measurable business value,” Manohar says. 其目标是实现流程标准化，尽可能整合资源，并在整个组织内建立更统一的数据骨干网。“任何没有简化的创新只会增加复杂性，”Manohar 说道。这一理念也改变了捷普推进现代化的方式。Manohar 强调：“任何现代化或转型都必须带来可衡量的商业价值。”
The company is focused on connecting processes end-to-end across its supply chain and creating a foundation that can scale consistently across regions. Integration comes first because, as Manohar puts it, “the backbone of any contemporary or modern organization is data.” Before organizations can optimize, automate, or apply AI, data needs to flow seamlessly across systems. 该公司专注于打通整个供应链的端到端流程，并构建一个能够在各地区实现一致性扩展的基础架构。集成是重中之重，正如 Manohar 所言：“任何当代或现代化组织的骨干都是数据。”在企业进行优化、自动化或应用人工智能之前，数据必须在各个系统之间无缝流动。
But doing that across a global organization is hardly straightforward. Jabil’s more than 100 sites operate with different levels of process maturity, legacy systems, and localized workflows, while regulated businesses bring additional compliance requirements. As such, standardizing across different regions and business environments means changing processes and governance without disrupting the operations already in place. 然而，在全球化组织中实现这一点绝非易事。捷普的 100 多个站点在流程成熟度、遗留系统和本地化工作流方面各不相同，而受监管的业务还带来了额外的合规要求。因此，在不同地区和业务环境之间进行标准化，意味着必须在不干扰现有运营的前提下，对流程和治理进行变革。
The value of that work extends beyond the technology to the people using it. Integrated workflows can offer employees shared visibility into data, reduce manual data reconciliation, and help them move from chasing information to acting on insights. For Jabil, the aim is also to improve real-time visibility into supply chain events, which can enable faster responses to disruptions and reduce operational risk. 这项工作的价值不仅体现在技术层面，更惠及使用技术的人员。集成化的工作流可以为员工提供共享的数据视图，减少人工数据核对工作，帮助他们从“追逐信息”转变为“基于洞察采取行动”。对捷普而言，其目标还在于提高对供应链事件的实时可见性，从而更快地应对中断并降低运营风险。
Looking to the future, that foundation could make AI and automation all the more useful and scalable. With trusted data and integrated systems in place, Jabil is exploring predictive supply chain insights, intelligent exception handling, and AI-driven planning and forecasting. To Manohar, the takeaway is clear: “Simplicity at scale is a very competitive advantage,” and technology investments must ultimately connect to business value and operational resilience. 展望未来，这一基础将使人工智能和自动化变得更加实用且易于扩展。凭借可信的数据和集成的系统，捷普正在探索预测性供应链洞察、智能异常处理以及人工智能驱动的规划与预测。在 Manohar 看来，结论很明确：“规模化的简洁性是一种极具竞争力的优势，”技术投资最终必须与商业价值和运营韧性挂钩。
Full Transcript (Excerpt)
Megan Tatum: From MIT Technology Review, I’m Megan Tatum, and this is Business Lab, the show that helps business leaders make sense of new technologies coming out of the lab and into the marketplace. Our topic today is enterprise technology integration, and how the benefits of consolidating tools and systems across the supply chain help organizations operate more reliably at scale. Megan Tatum： 大家好，我是来自《麻省理工科技评论》的 Megan Tatum。欢迎收听《商业实验室》（Business Lab），本节目旨在帮助商业领袖解读从实验室走向市场的各项新技术。今天我们的主题是企业技术集成，以及如何通过整合供应链中的工具和系统，帮助组织在规模化运营中实现更高的可靠性。
Harish Manohar: All right. So, about Jabil. Jabil is a global manufacturing company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. We have about 60 years of experience offering comprehensive engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions across different industries. We have a global footprint of about over 100 different sites across 30-plus countries, 140,000-plus employees. We are a trusted partner for more than 400 of the world’s top brands. Harish Manohar： 好的，简单介绍一下捷普。捷普是一家全球制造企业，总部位于美国佛罗里达州圣彼得堡。我们在提供跨行业的综合工程、供应链和制造解决方案方面拥有约 60 年的经验。我们的全球业务版图覆盖 30 多个国家的 100 多个站点，拥有超过 14 万名员工。我们是全球 400 多家顶级品牌的信赖合作伙伴。
Harish: I talked about our global footprint across 100-plus sites. With a global footprint always comes complexity about site-specific tools. All of our sites have been in business for a long time, and over the period of years, they had their own tools for their own processes. It’s a little bit disconnected. When we are looking to scale, the first thing we wanted to start looking at is what is this mix of site-specific tools, manual workarounds, spreadsheet-based processes, legacy applications, whatnot? That’s a big technical debt that we have had over the last 25 years. Harish： 我刚才提到了我们遍布 100 多个站点的全球布局。全球化布局往往伴随着特定站点工具带来的复杂性。我们所有的站点运营时间都很长，多年来，它们各自拥有处理自身流程的工具，这导致了一些脱节。当我们寻求规模化发展时，首先要审视的就是这些由特定站点工具、人工变通方案、基于电子表格的流程、遗留应用程序等组成的混合体。这是我们在过去 25 年中积累的巨大技术债务。