Barely just begun

Automated lines: Packages move along a conveyor belt at the Amazon's fulfillment centre in Washington. Companies should approach Industry 4.0 as a strategic business investment instead of as a technology cost. — Bloomberg

EVENTS of the past two years have certainly pushed businesses, especially smaller firms, to boost their digital capabilities. Industry observers note that going digital was no longer about “if”, but “when”.

Many would be able to attest to the hype and the myriad of webinars, programmes and tools rolled out to help SMEs go digital in the many months since the pandemic began. Companies that never considered such a move were forced to adopt new solutions and businesses that had longer-term digitalisation plans were suddenly accelerating them in order to stay in business.