José's journey: pioneering digital transformation in Milan's Innovation Hub - Interview

In the bustling heart of Milan, José Tomas Campos Concha, an explorer in the realm of digital transformation, shares his compelling journey from an International Full-time MBA student at POLIMI GSoM to a key player at MADE – Competence Center Industry 4.0. In this interview, José unveils the transformative power of his MBA experience, the pivotal role played by MADE, and his subsequent mission of spearheading innovation for Italian companies. Join us as we delve into the passion, innovation, and reliability that define José's approach to shaping the future of servitization and digital transformation in the Italian business landscape.

José, you arrived in Milan in 2021 to attend the International Full-Time MBA at POLIMI Graduate School of Management and you developed your final project work at MADE – Competence Center Industry 4.0. Can you tell us more about your experience?

My main goal when I decided to participate in the International Full-Time MBA was to seek a career shift towards the world of digital transformation. To achieve this, the core courses and bootcamps have provided a solid foundation in cutting-edge technologies and the career service has played an important role offering guidance on the steps to follow and improvements I needed to make. As a result of this collaboration, I discovered the possibility of working with MADE – Competence Center Industry 4.0 for my final project work.

This was an amazing opportunity and key milestone to start my new journey. From my main takeaways, the significance of firsthand knowledge about the company's operations and engaging in conversations with the people responsible for the different production processes. These activities are crucial to understanding the context and providing the basis for initiating the development of a digital transformation strategy.

Another important aspect of this experience to highlight was my work colleagues, who always supported me during the adaptation period, creating an environment that fostered the contribution of ideas and knowledge, making this experience an enriching step on my career path.

After the project work, you joined MADE and you are now supporting Italian companies in their innovation and digital transformation. What is the purpose that guides you and what is the impact that you can make?

My purpose is to generate a positive impact on the organizations and teams I collaborate with. To fulfill this purpose, I always seek to think "out of the box" for the generation of innovative ideas and creative solutions. In addition, I strongly believe that a fundamental element that favors this process is the continuous exploration of knowledge from diverse sources and the active exchange of ideas.

An example of what I am describing and an important part of how we work is our close collaboration with the Manufacturing Group of the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering of Politecnico di Milano, which allows the transfer of new knowledge obtained through academic research, transforming it into concrete solutions for companies.

The impact of what we do today supporting companies in their digital transformation journey is of course very relevant. Technology represents an enabling factor that allows us to achieve the fulfillment of different objectives and explore new possibilities. With all the new technological advances we see every day, the process of defining and selecting technologies to implement can be overwhelming; in these cases, the assessment we perform serves as a starting point for understanding which solutions are the most appropriate and which is the best way to correctly implement the defined strategy.

From your point of view, what are the new trends in servitization and digital transformation, and what are the main challenges/opportunities along the innovation process of Italian companies?

The concept of "Servitization", meaning the phenomenon of the transformation of the business model from single product sales to delivery of an integrated product-service offering, is taking on new dimensions through the use of digital technologies. It becomes particularly relevant because some of its benefits appear as the solution to several of today’s challenges such as sustainability, changing customer needs, and increasingly competitive markets.

From my point of view, some of the challenges relating to the implementation of a servitization strategy are, first of all, the need for a digital infrastructure which plays an enabling role for data collection and analysis that will be the basis of the new service offering. Secondly, these organizational changes go beyond one specific department; here we are talking about a comprehensive company transformation. This transformation involves key elements such as embracing a customer-centric culture, developing new capabilities and defining new operational processes and revenue models. Finally, it is crucial to keep in mind that each company and market is unique. There is no single route to success; rather, servitization represents a journey, always with the goal of creating value for both customers and the company.”