Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Create a lasting impact in global manufacturing and supply chain operations

Use supply chain and manufacturing operations to create winning strategies

We guide clients through the design and implementation of operational strategies that will stand the test of time, while creating agility and a product portfolio that is commercially and operationally optimized. An interdisciplinary approach—drawing insights from commercial, marketing, IT and digital, and product design—helps clients to unlock next-level productivity gains.

Take a holistic approach to transformation to capture end-to-end value

We show clients how to drive the next S-curve to discover value that is hidden at the intersection of functions—even well-performing ones. More than digitizing operations, we leverage digital and analytics to fundamentally rethink and innovate manufacturing and supply chain operations.

Transform manufacturing processes for better productivity

We help organizations to significantly boost both productivity and effectiveness of core processes, through offerings that encompass everything from digital diagnostics to plant transformations, order management, asset productivity, predictive maintenance, resource-production manufacturing, and lean warehousing.

Boost operational health by identifying skill gaps and building capabilities

Successful manufacturing requires a sweeping upgrade of skills and capabilities, as manufacturers compete with new and agile “digitally native” competitors. We partner with clients to build foundational enablers and develop skills through capability building to create rapid and sustained impact.

Foster a quality culture to create competitive advantage

We help our clients to consistently meet and exceed customer expectations at every touchpoint through benchmarking, developing quality and compliance strategies, and remediation services across the entire value chain and product life cycle.

Leverage digital and autonomous supply chain opportunities

We help clients leverage the opportunities of supply chain 4.0 by incorporating IoT, robotics, and analytics—resulting in a system that allows organizations to react quickly—improving both company performance and customer satisfaction. This digitally connected ecosystem and real-time visibility assists in the removal of silos across the supply chain, resulting in lower costs, smaller inventories, and fewer lost sales.
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1–4%

typical increase

in earnings before interest and taxes

2.2×

higher margin

through skill-based transformations

25%

average reduction

in working capital

Featured capabilities

Digital Capability Centers

Our worldwide network of digital capability centers offer a unique environment to aid in developing the future of manufacturing and supply chain. Clients can “learn by doing” in state-of-the-art facilities across all operational capabilities.
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Always On

A suite of supply chain solutions that helps clients execute and sustain new ways of working, including dashboards, performance metrics, built-in simulations, optimization, and root-cause analytics to guide transformations.

Featured insights

Article

Operational efficiency: A clear path to outperformance in distribution
– More efficiency in operations means more agility—and more profitable growth—in an uncertain world.
Podcast

Moving supply chain leaders to the C-suite
– The authors of From Source to Sold discuss how supply chain leaders can take a seat at the boardroom table, becoming... strategic leaders who help drive more resilient supply chains.
Blog Post

Ops 4.0 – The Human Factor: It takes two to build capabilities
– Are you and your organization sharing the responsibility for building skills and expertise?
Article

When technology meets operational excellence
– A new way to operate is revolutionizing heavy industries.
Article

The next frontier of customer engagement: AI-enabled customer service
– AI-enabled customer service is now the quickest and most effective route for institutions to deliver personalized, proactive experiences... that drive customer engagement.
Article

Battery recycling takes the driver’s seat
– Electric-vehicle demand is accelerating rapidly and so is the need for EV batteries. As these batteries reach end-of-life, significant... growth opportunities in the recycling space are emerging.
Article

Maintenance and operations: Is asset productivity broken?
– A new survey finds that asset productivity programs for equipment maintenance aren’t working as well as they could. Here... are three things to fix.
Article

Taking off: Scaling complex manufacturing in the aerospace industry
– OEMs in high-complexity, low-volume industries face skyrocketing demand. But it’s now possible to scale production in ways... that preserve product portfolios and profitability.
Article

Indirect manufacturing costs: An overlooked source for clear savings
– Indirect operations functions make up a significant share of total operations—and optimizing them can deliver sizeable bottom-line... impact.
Article

A new operations formula for the chemicals sector
– Facing spiraling costs, looming skills shortages, and the decarbonization imperative, manufacturers of chemicals and agricultural... products can’t afford to stand still.
Article

The winning recipe for transforming advanced planning systems
– Most supply chain leaders will overhaul their IT systems for planning in the coming years. This article shows how to increase... the chances of success.
Article

Battery 2030: Resilient, sustainable, and circular
– Battery demand is growing—and so is the need for better solutions along the value chain.
Article

The next chapter: Lighthouses shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution
– The story of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is moving forward at speed, with members of the Global Lighthouse Network grasping... the pen and writing a tale of the need for scale.
Commentary

Failure is not an option: How to get resilience right
– In these uncertain times, focusing on four areas can help companies ensure their long-term survival while still meeting their... carbon-reduction goals.
Article

To regionalize or not? Optimizing North American supply chains
– Companies have much to consider when deciding whether to relocate all or part of their production and supply chain footprints... to meet North American market needs.
Article

Great service—but who’s paying?
– Consumer goods players are meeting rising service expectations, but they must do more to recover the costs involved.
Podcast

Digital twins: Flying high, flexing fast
– Digital design and product development can provide new ways to solve complex problems. Getting implementation right means thoughtfully... translating big ideas into boots on the ground.
Podcast

114 down, 10 million to go: The Global Lighthouse Network’s mission
– Global Lighthouse Network members show that Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies help to deliver better workforce engagement,... improved sustainability, and increased productivity.
Article

Building sustainability into operations
– The path discrete manufacturing companies have taken to make their operations carbon neutral has important lessons for any business... pursuing the dual mission of profitability and sustainability.
Article

Power spike: How battery makers can respond to surging demand from EVs
– As the auto market embraces electric vehicles, battery demand is soaring. Bold moves in gigafactory construction, supply chain... strategy, and talent acquisition can help industry players get ahead.
Article

Reimagining the future of biopharma manufacturing
– Leveraging digital and analytics advances can unlock significant value for biopharma companies through gains in quality, speed,... agility, and resilience.
Article

The scaling imperative for industry 4.0
– Global Lighthouse Network organizations continue to light the way in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To keep up, companies must... now scale technologies across sites and value chains.
Article

Emerging from disruption: The future of pharma operations strategy
– To maintain profitable and resilient operations, CEOs and COOs of pharma companies may need to make bold changes to their operations... strategy as the industry navigates new challenges.
Podcast

Digital twins: What could they do for your business?
– Less waste, shorter times to market, constant customer insights: the advantages of applying digital twins are many—if you... get the conditions right.
Article

A more resilient supply chain from optimized operations planning
– To combat greater complexity and prepare for rapid demand shifts, resilient companies can integrate prescriptive analytics into... their supply chain planning.
Article

Harnessing volatility: Technology transformation in oil and gas
– Digital technologies can help oil and gas CEOs and leaders cut costs, boost output, and reduce carbon emissions. Here are five... big ideas to make them work at scale.
Book - Featured Insights

The Titanium Economy
How industrial technology can create a better, faster, stronger America
Article

Delivering the US manufacturing renaissance
– The stage is set for a manufacturing resurgence in the United States. Can the country’s producers make it happen?
Article

Taking the pulse of shifting supply chains
– Our latest survey shows global supply chains on the move.
Blog Post

Ops 4.0—The Human Factor: Powering the learning and development engine
– Is your organization equipped for continuous capability building?
Article

How mining companies reach the operational excellence gold standard
– Creating a culture of operational excellence is allowing the mining industry to reach new heights in sustained improvement in... productivity, efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
Blog Post

Ops 4.0—The Human Factor: The need for speed in building skills
– Rapid upskilling requires support in the moment, not just in the classroom
Article

Converge IT and OT to turbocharge business operations’ scaling power
– The IT/OT stack can be a major stumbling block in digital transformation. Or, with the right changes, it can be the key to unlocking... digital at scale.
Article

Transforming advanced manufacturing through Industry 4.0
– Manufacturers in industries such as automotive and electronics, nearing the tipping point of digital adoption, are achieving even... faster and more sustainable change through Industry 4.0.
Article

Mastering the dual mission: Carbon and cost savings
– OEMs will need to move quickly to achieve their “dual-saving” ambition of reducing both total product emissions and... costs. A limited supply of low-carbon materials adds pressure to act now.
Article

Future-proofing the supply chain
– With supply chains in the spotlight, three new long-term transformation priorities form a fresh focus for competitive advantage.
Article

Advanced tech elevates process modeling in batch-processing industries
– In high-volume batch-processing industries, reliable models of manufacturing processes can help companies cut production costs... while improving quality and performance.
Article

A better way to drive your business
– Integrated business planning is a well-known process, particularly among supply chain leaders. But in most companies, P&L... owners are missing out.
Article

Supply chains: To build resilience, manage proactively
– Supply chain upheavals show little sign of abating. Companies can address them by reconsidering outdated, short-term strategies... and beginning the hard work of building structural resilience.
Article

Outsprinting the energy crisis
– High energy costs are hitting Europe’s industrial players hard. Bold action could protect margins today and make companies... cleaner, stronger, and more profitable for the future.
Article

Capturing the true value of Industry 4.0
– With digital transformations notoriously difficult to scale up across factory networks, manufacturers may need to slow down to... get ahead in the race to implement Industry 4.0.
Article

Navigating the semiconductor chip shortage: A control-tower case study
– One industrial company’s innovative response to the global semiconductor chip shortage proves to be a game changer for the... manufacturing sector.
Article

Lighthouses reveal a playbook for responsible industry transformation
– The advanced factories of the Global Lighthouse Network show how sustainability and workforce engagement can accelerate and scale... Fourth Industrial Revolution transformation—responsibly.
Podcast

Smart operators: How leading companies use machine intelligence
– Despite the recent and significant advances in machine intelligence, the full scale of the opportunity is just beginning to unfold.... New research reveals why some companies are doing better than others.
Article

Transforming supply chains: Do you have the skills to accelerate your capabilities?
– Despite progress over the past several years, companies are still struggling to build the capabilities that their emerging digital... supply chains will need.
Article

The mainstreaming of additive manufacturing
– After 40 years of development, what will it take for additive manufacturing to become more than a niche technology?
Article

Autonomous supply chain planning for consumer goods companies
– To capitalize on analytics, consumer packaged goods organizations—especially in Asia—can build an integrated system... with the power to oversee and control the entire supply chain from end to end.
Article

Toward smart production: Machine intelligence in business operations
– A detailed study of machine intelligence in industrial and manufacturing operations reveals the surprisingly different paths companies... can take. But a group of leaders shares similar characteristics.
Article

To improve your supply chain, modernize your supply-chain IT
– Global distribution issues and increasingly complex supply chains are forcing companies to modernize the tools they use for forecasting... demand and planning how to meet it.
Article

Risk and resilience in consumer-goods supply chains
– Consumer-goods makers’ supply chains are weathering enormous strain. Here’s a quick look at how to strengthen them... for the future.
Article

Navigating the labor mismatch in US logistics and supply chains
– Structural shifts in the labor market have left companies struggling to recruit and retain workers. But a set of concrete actions... can help address this imbalance across value chains.
Podcast

Supply-chain resilience: Is there a holy grail?
– Supply-chain disruptions cost the average organization 45 percent of one year’s profits over the course of a decade. How... can businesses manage risk and plan for a more resilient future?

 

The Future of Production

Fourth Industrial Revolution Technologies are shaping the future of production. The Global Lighthouse Network of organizations are demonstrating how to capture their full potential.

Featured experts

Matteo Mancini
Senior Partner, Riyadh
Leads our work in advanced industries in Southeast Asia, and advises manufacturing and technology companies on a broad range of...
Ulf Schrader
Senior Partner, Hamburg
Leads McKinsey’s manufacturing and supply chain work, serving companies on operations performance transformations, operations...
Raffaele Carpi
Partner, Lisbon
Leads operations-performance transformations that deliver bottom-line impact across manufacturing sectors
Katy George
Senior Partner and Chief People Officer, New Jersey
Oversees all people functions across the firm, including diversity and inclusion, and leads client transformation and research...
Rehana Khanam
Partner, London
Drives large-scale performance-improvement programs as a leader of our operations work for consumer clients
Enno de Boer
Senior Partner, New Jersey
Leads the firm’s global work in digital manufacturing and collaboration with the World Economic Forum on technology adoption
Neelesh Mundra
Partner, Mumbai
Leads the firm’s logistics work in India and coleads the manufacturing and supply-chain work in Asia
Olivier Noterdaeme
Partner, Brussels
Coleads QuantumBlack, a McKinsey company; serves clients in asset-heavy industries by leveraging advanced analytics
Sven Houthuys
Partner, Amsterdam
Advises and serves consumer-packaged-goods and energy-sector companies, with a focus on digital, capability building, large-scale...
Cinzia Lacopeta
Solutions Associate Partner, Milan
Coleads the firm’s Innovation & Learning Centers in Europe and North America; focuses on building lasting capabilities on relevant...
Kristian Kinscher
Partner, Düsseldorf
Helps global pharmaceutical companies transform operations, redefine strategies, and innovate in R&D
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Careers

Interested in a career in Operations?

A career within our Operations Practice offers the opportunity to work with the biggest companies in the world, on projects that transform their core business and build resilience for the future. We are continuously seeking the best talent at all levels and for all types of roles, and are particularly keen to talk to experienced professionals looking for their next challenge.
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