IDC PlanScape: Connected Frontline Worker Platforms

This IDC PlanScape examines connected frontline worker platforms, which are essential in modern manufacturing for addressing challenges such as labor shortages, operational complexity, and outdated workflows. These digital solutions empower shop-floor workers with real-time data, contextual instructions, and collaboration tools, enhancing productivity, safety, and decision-making. By bridging gaps between humans, machines, and systems, CFW platforms complement or substitute manufacturing execution systems (MES) and drive efficiency. Successful deployment requires strong connectivity, user-friendly devices, cultural shifts, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure seamless integration and adoption. "Empowering frontline workers with real-time data and digital tools is core to transforming them into proactive problem-solvers, thus driving efficiency and resilience on the factory floor," said Lorenzo Veronesi, associate research director, IDC Manufacturing Insights.