On this interview, we communicate with Prakhar Mittal, Principal at AtriCure, whose profession journey spans over 14 years in provide chain optimization and digital transformation. Prakhar shares insights into aligning provide chain methods with enterprise targets, addressing misconceptions about digital transformation, and the pivotal position of instruments like PLM and OCM in driving organizational success. With a worldwide perspective and experience in med tech and healthcare, he additionally discusses the way forward for digital transformation and its impression on bridging cultural divides. Dive in to discover his methods, challenges, and imaginative and prescient for innovation.
Your profession spans over 14 years in provide chain optimization and digital transformation. What impressed you to specialize on this discipline, and the way has your perspective on its impression advanced?
Coming from a small village in Northern Indian foothills of Himalays, my journey has been one in every of perseverance and transformation. Beginning as a university lecturer, I noticed early on the facility of schooling and steady studying. Transitioning into manufacturing help at L&T, I discovered my ardour for fixing complicated issues and enhancing processes. The leap into consulting and digital transformation felt pure—it’s a discipline the place small adjustments can create ripple results throughout total organizations.As I navigated industries like CPG and healthcare, I noticed firsthand how expertise can democratize alternatives and optimize outcomes. A quote I maintain expensive is, “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” It jogs my memory that considerate, deliberate transformations typically yield probably the most impactful and sustainable outcomes. My perspective has advanced to acknowledge that digital transformation isn’t nearly expertise—it’s about individuals, processes, and function aligning for higher impression.
As a Principal at AtriCure, what are the most important challenges you’ve confronted when aligning provide chain methods with enterprise targets, and the way do you strategy overcoming them?
One of many greatest challenges is guaranteeing agility with out sacrificing compliance and high quality, particularly in a high-stakes business like med tech. Provide chains right now should navigate international disruptions, regulatory complexities, and rising buyer expectations. The secret’s to embrace what I name a “dual lens strategy”—balancing long-term innovation with short-term operational effectivity.To overcome these challenges, I give attention to fostering collaboration throughout groups and leveraging data-driven insights. By aligning KPIs with broader enterprise targets, we be sure that provide chain methods not solely help however propel organizational success. And at all times, a human-centered strategy is important as a result of expertise succeeds solely when individuals embrace it.
In your expertise working with C-suite leaders, what are the commonest misconceptions about digital transformation in med tech and CPG industries?
One widespread false impression is that digital transformation is merely a expertise improve. C-suite leaders typically underestimate the cultural and organizational adjustments required to make these initiatives profitable. They could consider that deploying the newest instruments ensures outcomes, however because the saying goes, *“A fool with a tool is still a fool.”*True transformation occurs when leaders prioritize change administration, foster cross-functional collaboration, and clearly outline the “why” behind the initiative. One other false impression is the timeline—many count on fast ROI, whereas transformation requires a affected person, iterative strategy. My position typically entails serving to leaders recalibrate their expectations whereas guaranteeing they see measurable wins alongside the journey.
Product Lifecycle Administration (PLM) is a key matter of your experience. How would you describe the early adoption of PLM instruments and its measurable impression on organizational effectivity?
Early adoption of PLM instruments is like planting a tree—you gained’t see the total cover instantly, however its roots strengthen your basis. For organizations, PLM brings order to chaos by centralizing information, streamlining processes, and enabling higher collaboration throughout groups.In my expertise, the measurable impacts embody diminished time-to-market, improved product high quality, and price financial savings by way of smarter useful resource allocation. As an example, I’ve seen groups cut back engineering change cycle occasions by as much as 30% just by integrating a sturdy PLM resolution. Early adopters additionally acquire a aggressive edge by making a “single source of truth,” which empowers higher decision-making and fosters innovation.
You’ve emphasised the significance of Organizational Change Administration (OCM) in digital transformation tasks. May you share an instance the place efficient OCM performed a pivotal position in a venture’s success?
One standout instance comes from a worldwide healthcare group the place we carried out an enterprise-wide PLM resolution. Initially, there was resistance from workers fearful about job displacement and steep studying curves.We designed an OCM technique that included early stakeholder engagement, clear communication of the venture’s advantages, and tailor-made coaching packages. By involving workers as co-creators reasonably than passive recipients of change, we turned skeptics into advocates. The end result? The group not solely achieved a 50% discount in information redundancies but additionally noticed elevated worker satisfaction with the brand new system. “People support what they help create,” and this precept was pivotal to our success.
What essential gaps do you typically see in organizations missing PLM, ALM, or ERP instruments, and the way do these gaps have an effect on enterprise development and competitiveness?
Organizations with out these instruments typically face silos, redundant workflows, and poor visibility into their operations. This lack of integration results in inefficiencies, increased prices, and slower innovation cycles. As an example, an organization with out PLM could battle to trace product iterations, resulting in delays and compliance dangers.Such gaps hinder scalability and put companies at a drawback in aggressive markets. By implementing these instruments, organizations can unlock efficiencies, foster collaboration, and make data-driven choices—a necessity in right now’s fast-paced world.
You’ve labored extensively on functionality maturity assessments. May you stroll us by way of your course of for evaluating a company’s digital thread capabilities and the way this informs the roadmap for transformation?
My course of begins with understanding the group’s present state by way of interviews, information evaluation, and system audits. I consider digital thread capabilities throughout 5 pillars: connectivity, integration, information governance, person adoption, and scalability.As soon as gaps are recognized, I benchmark them towards business requirements and tailor a roadmap prioritizing fast wins and long-term investments. For instance, if an organization lacks integration between PLM and ERP techniques, step one is perhaps to determine seamless information circulate, guaranteeing foundational readiness earlier than advancing to AI-driven analytics. The last word objective is to create a phased, actionable plan that aligns with enterprise aims and drives sustainable development.
Digital transformation is commonly seen as a buzzword. In your view, what key methods can organizations implement to make sure their initiatives ship tangible ROI?
To maneuver past the buzzword, organizations should give attention to three key methods:
- Begin with the “why”: Clearly outline the issue you’re fixing and guarantee alignment with strategic targets.
- Undertake an agile mindset: Break down initiatives into smaller, measurable phases to reveal progress and ROI.
- Prioritize person adoption: Put money into change administration and coaching to make sure individuals embrace the transformation.
Because the saying goes, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” By combining imaginative and prescient with motion, organizations can flip digital transformation right into a tangible success story.
Together with your background in med tech and healthcare, how do you see digital transformation shaping the way forward for these industries within the subsequent decade?
The subsequent decade will witness digital transformation redefining affected person care, regulatory compliance, and provide chain effectivity. Rising applied sciences like AI, IoT, and blockchain will drive personalised medication, improve traceability, and cut back prices.As an example, digital twins will allow predictive upkeep in medical units, whereas AI-powered analytics will revolutionize scientific decision-making. Because the business embraces value-based care, digital instruments can be instrumental in enhancing outcomes whereas sustaining affordability.
On a private word, what has been probably the most rewarding side of your journey in consulting and implementation, and the way do you keep motivated to drive innovation in your discipline?
Essentially the most rewarding a part of my journey has been witnessing the ripple impact of impactful transformations—from enabling small villages to learn from optimized provide chains to seeing lives improved by higher healthcare options.What retains me motivated is the assumption that “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” My journey from a small village to working with S&P 500 firms jogs my memory that innovation is about pushing boundaries, staying curious, and making a distinction, one venture at a time.
Your profession spans working throughout international geographies with various cultural contexts. How have you ever tailored your strategy when collaborating with groups from your property nation versus overseas soil, and the way do you see digital transformation bridging these cultural and geographical divides?
The fantastic thing about working in international geographies lies in embracing various views and studying to adapt to totally different work types. Whereas collaborating with groups in my dwelling nation typically meant leveraging shared cultural nuances to construct belief, working overseas required me to be extra attuned to cultural sensitivities, communication types, and ranging approaches to problem-solving.
Nevertheless, the true game-changer has been the best way digital transformation has blurred these boundaries. Instruments like Groups, Zoom, and digital workspaces allow seamless collaboration throughout time zones, making the idea of “one world, one workplace” a actuality. As an example, real-time brainstorming classes with geographically dispersed groups at the moment are doable, fostering innovation that transcends borders.
Moreover, AI instruments like ChatGPT and Copilot improve productiveness by automating repetitive duties, producing concepts, and offering on the spot help, permitting groups to give attention to higher-value work. These digital enablers not solely enhance effectivity but additionally create an setting the place various groups can come collectively as one, leveraging their distinctive strengths to attain shared targets.
Finally, whereas cultural adaptation stays important, digital transformation ensures that the main target stays on the work itself—collaborating, innovating, and delivering impactful ends in a very international context.
