Industrial Internet application scenario map
(Zheng Zhi, Assistant General Manager of Aerospace Yunlu/Chairman of AII Demand Group)
Application scenario map is used to systematically summarize, classify, and display various application scenarios in specific fields or industries, and help platforms or enterprises better understand and respond to market needs by systematically visualizing the four elements of users or customers, needs and pain points, solutions, effects, and values in different scenarios.
At present, the industrial Internet is shifting from project involution to productization and (real) platformization, and it is necessary to build a product system, establish a normalized operation model, and "spell the map" within the enterprise and the industrial Internet industry together, and develop and apply application scenario map tools, which can avoid blind involution in the dark "three forks".
One. Scenarios are already a consensus method, and the industrial Internet needs scenario maps
A use case refers to a specific user or customer environment, including needs and pain points, as well as solutions to those needs and the effects and value they generate. In this framework, customer and pain point needs represent the demand side, while solution and effect value is biased towards the supply side, pointing to how to meet these needs through specific services or products to create real value. In the fields of industrial Internet, digital transformation, product design, etc., the concept of application scenarios is widely used to ensure that the solution closely meets the actual needs and realizes the maximum value.
Scenario applications have played a key role in many industries and fields, especially in the integration of technology and business, the practical application of new technology development, marketing, financial services, and digital governance of the government, and has gradually become a common method.
Technology is used in business scenarios. Enterprise product development and technology departments combine technology solutions with specific business needs and real-world operations to ensure the effectiveness and relevance of technology implementation. For example, through research and sorting out business scenarios, we can build a cross-departmental knowledge consensus and form a target consensus that all parties understand and agree on.
2. From the industrial chain map to the application scenario map
So far, local governments and chain owners have implemented many industrial brain and industrial chain map projects. The industrial chain map is from a macro industry perspective, mainly for industry analysts, corporate strategic planning departments, investors and policy makers. It is mainly used to show the structure of the entire industrial chain, including the participants in each link such as suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, etc., and their interrelationships, as well as the flow of enterprises and products/services in these links. At its core, it is about revealing the value flow and key players across the industry, which can be used to analyze and understand how a particular industry operates, identify key value creation points, and conduct market analysis, competitive analysis, and supply chain optimization.
The application scenario map focuses on the micro level, by aggregating scattered scenarios, according to the dimensions of R&D, production, marketing, and service product life cycle, enterprise space layout of equipment/production line/factory/park/region, and technical empowerment such as IoT/big data/AI large model, etc., to provide a clear and easy-to-understand view of complex scenario combinations, and systematically and comprehensively display the application of specific or multiple products or services in different environments, aiming to depict and explain the combination of business or technology scenarios and their complex relationships. It is particularly suitable for complex environments involving multi-stakeholder, cross-domain knowledge and multi-level needs.
The application scenario map is mainly for product managers, marketers, customer experience designers, and enterprise decision-makers, and is suitable for enterprise strategic planning, product and service design, market analysis, competitive intelligence collection, and other fields. It allows decision-makers to drill down into the opportunities and challenges in a specific market or technology environment to more precisely target products or services, optimize the user experience, and anticipate market reactions. By graphically showing the relationships between elements, scene maps help reduce misunderstandings and communication barriers, enabling cross-disciplinary teams to share insights and collaborate more effectively.
Application scenario maps are especially useful in complex project management and innovation strategy planning. It enables project teams to assess the potential impact of different strategies, understand the consequences of various options, and make more informed decisions. In addition, scenario maps can be used as a communication tool to visualize complex concepts and plans that can be easily understood by non-technical team members.
Scenario maps also support the development of segmentation strategies, helping to tailor more personalized products and services by identifying the unique needs of specific user groups. In a rapidly changing market environment, it provides a way to quickly adapt to new trends, technologies, and new business opportunities.
At present, in order to transform the industrial Internet from a project model to a productized and platform-based platform, it is necessary to use the form and tool of application scenario map.
3. The industrial Internet needs to coordinate many complex scenarios
In the field of consumer Internet, because people's demand structure for food, clothing, housing, transportation, eating, drinking and entertainment is relatively simple, Internet companies can rely on a small number of scenarios to achieve winner-take-all. For example, Pinduoduo creates a killer application through the core application scenario of "grouping"; Whereas, a customer/user journey map depicts a customer's interaction with a product or service and is more like a detailed script of a scenario.
Industry and the Industrial Internet are complex systems that involve cross-industry, cross-professional fields, through the supply chain, through the organizational level, and closed-loop business processes, which need to analyze, sort out, plan, organize, and display many application scenarios. For example, in China's 2017 Industrial Classification of the National Economy, there are 41 major categories, 207 medium categories, and 666 sub-categories of industry. In the face of such a huge and complex industrial category, the application scenario map is expanded, displayed and displayed from multiple dimensions, and displayed and analyzed in multiple dimensions to help understand and solve complex and professional problems.
Fourth, the platform differentiates positioning and cooperates through scene maps
For a long period of time, it is difficult for the industrial Internet platform to win and take all (more than 50 double cross-platform companies are also a proof), because the data elements of the industrial Internet have a strong dependence on the physical elements, "the skin does not exist, the hair will be attached", "industry-oriented".
(1) Difficulty and cost of digitalization: Digitalization in the industrial field not only has high technical requirements, but also has significant costs, requiring accurate planning and implementation strategies.
(2) Digital property rights issues: Unlike the consumer Internet, data property rights in the industrial Internet are stricter and involve more compliance and security issues.
(3) The role of digital on entities: The results of digitalization need to be effectively applied to actual industrial production, so as to realize the effective feedback and optimization of data elements to physical elements, and there are constraints such as access and security.
The application scenario map helps enterprises define their own characteristic positioning, sphere of influence and cooperation needs, and identify partners and integrate resources through the application scenario map of other platforms.
For example, the industry platform will focus more on industry, carry out digital empowerment and upgrading across professional fields, and its scenarios will first cover the spatial dimension of the main enterprise of the industry chain (production line/factory/enterprise/park/national layout), and secondly, it will run through the supply chain industry chain, as well as new models and new formats of digital and real integration, etc. The professional platform first highlights cross-industry empowerment capabilities, such as AI's coverage of the whole life cycle of physical products, and secondly, new models and new formats (such as scale customization and "Didi" maintenance) formed by the aggregation and efficient configuration of industrial elements across industries.
Figure 1 Industry/Professional/Infrastructure Platform
5. Coordinate many scenarios and formulate various strategies
Application scenario maps help companies gain a deeper understanding of the complex industrial environment and develop effective product, supply chain, and marketing strategies.
Product strategy. IIoT enterprises and platforms need to consider how to deploy and optimize their products across multiple scenarios, and the application scenario map provides a comprehensive view to support that decision.
Digital and intelligent supply chain management. Through the application scenario map, including business scenarios and digital intelligence empowerment scenarios, enterprises can better understand and optimize their supply chains to ensure efficiency and responsiveness.
Marketing and market positioning. Application scenario maps help companies identify key market opportunities and customer segments to develop effective marketing strategies.
In conclusion, the application scenario map is a key tool for the success of the industrial Internet, which helps enterprises deeply understand the complex industrial environment, formulate effective product, supply chain and marketing strategies, and achieve differentiated positioning in the highly competitive market. Through the application scenario map, enterprises can better connect and serve a wide range of manufacturing customers, while promoting their own growth and development in the industrial Internet ecosystem. In addition, such maps facilitate communication and collaboration across departments and industries, enabling businesses to integrate and optimize resources on a broader scale. By comprehensively considering different application scenarios, industrial Internet enterprises and platforms can more effectively respond to market changes, quickly respond to customer needs, and innovate their business models, so as to gain an advantage in the fierce market competition.
Sixth, the concept of combing
(1) Four elements of application scenarios
The demand group has been promoting the four-element approach of target customers, pain points and needs, solutions, effects and values of application scenarios in the AII Alliance, that is, the four stable elements of the business sketchboard are extracted, and an application scenario is usually outlined with a one-page PPT or a paragraph. Among them, pain points usually refer to the problems, difficulties or challenges faced by users or the market, which are actual obstacles or bottlenecks that will lead to inconvenience, loss or inefficiency; Requirements, on the other hand, are more concerned with what users want to solve these pain points or achieve goals, and are the expectations of solutions or products.
The primary value of the application scenario is that it can become a consensus anchor for cross-departmental communication within the enterprise, which can be understood by customers, products, R&D, sales and other parties, and is also suitable for cross-enterprise/cross-industry/cross-domain communication. Secondly, compared with a large solution introduction or case, the four-element overview is concise and easy to understand, and quick communication.
Figure 2 Business Sketchboard (quoted from "Platform Revolution")
(2) Internal, external and super-scenarios of the enterprise
It is common sense for enterprises, platform positioning and strategy to have clear boundaries and decide what to do and what not to do. Due to the particularity of the industrial Internet, more attention should be paid to positioning and boundaries. We can establish a more comprehensive industrial Internet application scenario analysis framework from the three levels of internal scenarios, external scenarios, and super scenarios of enterprises.
"Internal scenarios" are application scenarios provided and supported by enterprises or platforms, which belong to the scope of "what to do" of positioning and strategy. Enterprises or platforms should build the core and key scenarios of the platform, as well as the scenario system, control the closed-loop of the whole life cycle of data elements related to the scene from data collection to data assets, and control the access and security of data property rights and data on entities, so as to achieve "scene retention" like IKEA mentioned below. For enterprises or professionals in the specific application scenarios of a specific industrial category, it is necessary to prevent information explosion, focus on their business scenarios and values, and provide relevant scenarios.
Exterior Scene. First, although these scenarios belong to the solutions required by the target customer group of the enterprise or platform, they are beyond the capability boundaries of the enterprise and the platform (including property rights and access), and belong to the scope of positioning and strategic "do nothing", such as the cloud services and logistics of the industry platform should be handed over to the infrastructure-based platform; Second, due to the limitations of knowledge and trust, the enterprise and the platform itself do not even have the ability to connect with these scenarios and integrate the overall solution, and must rely on other professional institutions or hub platforms to connect.
Ultra Scene. First, for managers and industry governors, in addition to people in management and governance scenarios, it is also necessary to systematically manage the scenario system composed of many scenarios (for example, enterprise managers need to manage the whole life cycle of "research, supply, production, marketing and service" products, and the platform needs to manage cross-industry and cross-professional application scenarios), and second, from the perspective of competition and cooperation, the enterprise and platform should clarify which scenarios to compete for and do better than competitors, which are the scenarios to connect partners, which are cooperation scenarios, and which are weak scenarios that can be used for "exchanging territory".
By understanding and applying this multi-level framework of "internal and external" scenarios, enterprises and platforms can more effectively navigate the complex industrial Internet environment and formulate decisions and strategies that are in line with their own capabilities and strategic positioning.
(3) The value interaction scenario of the platform
"Platform Revolution" proposes "core interaction" - the general application scenario structure of a platform, that is, "participants + value units + filters = core interactions", which is called "value interaction scenarios of the platform" in this paper.
Figure 3 Value interaction scenario of the platform
The value interaction scenario of the platform is the basic application scenario framework of the platform, according to the four-element framework of the application scenario:
User / or customer = participant (supply and demand and other third parties);
Pain points/needs: How to achieve efficient allocation and value exchange with multiple parties;
Solution = Value Unit + Filter. The bilateral/multilateral filter is the universal and basic solution of the platform, which is the mechanism used by the platform to organize, manage and optimize the exchange of value units between participants. Including search engines, evaluation systems, recommendation algorithms, etc., the access rules of enterprises and personnel of different industry platforms, platform code of conduct, technical specifications and security standards, business compliance, user customer preferences and market demand are important supports.
Effect/value includes: exchange value units for platform participants; Enable participants to communicate, trade, or collaborate efficiently through filters; the network effect of increasing the number of participants and increasing the value of the platform; Wait a minute. 2. Application scenarios of digital twins
Enterprise digital twin modeling: Create a digital twin for each small and medium-sized enterprise, including its business capabilities, historical performance, cooperation records, etc., as well as a real-time digital twin of the production line, so that it can quickly demonstrate the strength of the enterprise on the new platform.
Agent application: Use agent technology to simulate the business processes of small and medium-sized enterprises on different platforms to optimize cooperation opportunities.
Company Portrait: Build a detailed corporate portrait that contains key information and features for easy dissemination and identification across platforms.
Through such a framework, small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises can effectively use the resources of the industrial Internet platform to improve collaboration and business development between enterprises while protecting their own data security.
Here's an overview of each tier and their role in the scenario map:
(1) Equipment layer. Focus on the intelligence and connectivity of individual machines or equipment, realize real-time monitoring, maintenance prediction, and performance optimization of equipment, improve equipment efficiency, reduce failure rates and maintenance costs.
(2) Production line layer. Focus on the automation and optimization of a single production line, realize the process automation, quality monitoring, and capacity optimization of the production line, improve production efficiency, reduce waste, and improve product quality.
(3) Factory floor. Focus on the operational efficiency and digital management of the entire plant, and apply it to plant-level resource planning, energy management, and production scheduling to achieve higher operational efficiency and flexibility, and reduce overall costs.
(4) Park floor. Focusing on the overall optimization and intelligence of industrial parks or industrial clusters, the application scenarios include cross-enterprise resource sharing, energy management, and logistics optimization, promoting the collaboration of enterprises in the park, and improving the overall competitiveness and sustainability.
(5) Regional layer. Focus on the level of industrial collaboration and digitalization in a specific geographical area, and apply it to regional supply chain integration, regional market analysis, and policy planning, so as to promote regional economic development and enhance the overall competitiveness of regional industries.
(6) National/global layout layer. Focusing on market expansion and global supply chain management across the country and even the world, the application scenarios include global market trend analysis, transnational supply chain optimization, and international cooperation to achieve better services in the global market, optimize global resource allocation, and enhance global competitiveness.
At each level, the application scenario map helps companies identify key digital opportunities and challenges, and plan strategic initiatives to achieve greater efficiency and competitiveness across the value chain.
In addition, the spatial dimension hierarchical diagram is also suitable for analysis and co-ordination: the professional platform empowers manufacturing enterprises from the physical space dimension; The physical infrastructure platform supports and empowers manufacturing enterprises step by step, as well as their own digital strategies at every level from the equipment layer, pipelines, factories, parks, regions to the global layout layer. The regional industrial Internet platform of the local government is the digital governance and cultivation of industries from factories/enterprises, parks, regions, and cross-regional collaboration.
(4) The main enterprise platform of the manufacturing chain
For chain owners in manufacturing industries (such as aerospace, automobiles, home appliances, etc.), the following application scenario maps are suitable for digital transformation and traditional strategies such as enterprise management, supply chain competition, and ecosystem construction:
(1) Online business scenario menu or view
Showcase the various business units of the enterprise and their degree of digitalization, including design, production, logistics, sales, etc., as well as the progress and planning of digital transformation, and explain how digitalization and online can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer experience.
Industry-oriented! The chain owner enterprise provides a clear industrial business scenario and realizes "scenario online", which will first help strengthen the implementation of the main business and its traditional strategy, and secondly, break the barriers of industrial knowledge and accelerate the digital empowerment of digital technology suppliers or platforms to the enterprise.
For example, in the figure below, the overall business view of the energy industry cloud network of the State Grid is based on the coordination and optimization between the supply side (power balance) and the demand side (power balance).
The next layer is the coordinated work between the four major areas of power operation: power generation, energy storage, load, and electricity sales to ensure the balanced and efficient operation of the power system. It also gives the support scenarios of the power supply chain, and realizes the efficient management and optimization of the supply chain through intelligent manufacturing, material trading, engineering operation and maintenance, etc. Then, the online business scenarios supported by the platform, the detailed online scenarios of the power energy supply chain and power operation are given, and more efficient, flexible and intelligent power management is realized through the technology and service platform. The lowest level is the digitization of the physical world: digitization in the four major areas of source, grid, load, and power storage, rather than stacking equipment.
Figure 9 The overall business view of the energy industry cloud network
(2) Digital map of vertical integration of the industry
From raw material supply to product design, manufacturing, sales and service, it will demonstrate how digital technology can achieve efficient integration at different stages of the industry, support chain owners to strengthen the optimization and control of the industrial chain, and improve profitability and supply chain competitiveness.
(3) Supply chain and ecosystem competition map
Use the platform scenario territory map to show the competitive relationship between the supply chain and ecosystem of the enterprise and other leading enterprises in the industry, analyze the competitive advantage, cooperation opportunities, and market positioning, and use it to formulate competitive strategies and find partners, such as formulating differentiated strategies by analyzing the supply chain and ecosystem of competitors.
(4) Map of new models and new business formats
It shows the application of new models such as digital-real integration, platform-based design, and customized production in the industry, and explains how enterprises use these new models to promote industry innovation and development, and is used to show the innovative characteristics of the main chain enterprises (such as the large-scale customization of Kaos and the aerospace platform design of the aerospace cloud network).
(5) The network diagram of the interconnection relationship of the platform
Demonstrate the connection and data flow scenarios between enterprise platforms and other platforms, such as exchanging supply and demand information, establishing a profile of small and medium-sized enterprises, and providing supplier credit enhancement services, etc., to promote collaboration and innovation within the industry.
(4) Technical professional platform
For professional technology companies or industrial Internet platforms (such as production services such as finance and taxation, and next-generation information technologies such as AI), application scenario maps can be designed for different target objects—manufacturing enterprises, industries, parks and industrial clusters, or provinces, cities, and regions. Here's how the application-appropriate map for these different objects is presented:
(1) Value chain map for manufacturing companies
Structure: Horizontal display of the entire value chain of the enterprise, including R&D, procurement, production, sales and service.
Purpose: To show how technology can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance product quality in different aspects.
Scenario application: Demonstrate the application of technical solutions in specific business processes, such as the application of AI in quality inspection and the application of financial and tax services in cost management.
(2) Industry ecology map for the manufacturing industry
Structure: Shows the relationship between the various businesses (suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, etc.) and technology providers in the industry.
Purpose: Uncover how new technologies are impacting the functioning and value creation of an entire industry.
Scenario application: Analyze the digital transformation trend of the entire industry, such as how the industrial Internet platform promotes industry collaboration and innovation.
(3) Cluster interaction map for parks and industrial clusters:
Structure: Showcase the interaction between the different businesses and service providers in the park.
Purpose: To demonstrate how the technology platform can promote resource sharing and collaborative innovation.
Scenario application: It is used to plan and display intelligent upgrades in the park, such as a shared service platform and a smart energy management system.
(4) Regional development blueprint for provinces, cities and regions:
Structure: The main industries, infrastructure, and technology application points in the region are displayed.
Purpose: To plan and display the path of industrial upgrading and digital transformation in the region.
Scenario application: It is used to demonstrate how to promote the transformation and upgrading of the regional economy through technology, such as the application of AI and big data in region-led industries.
(5) Physical infrastructure-based platforms
For physical or physical infrastructure platforms (such as logistics, power networks, and telecommunication networks), suitable application scenario maps can be designed accordingly when empowering manufacturing enterprises, industries, parks and industrial clusters, provincial, municipal and regional industries, and supporting industrial Internet platforms.
(1) Manufacturing enterprise empowerment map
Structure: Shows how infrastructure interacts with the production, R&D, sales, etc. of the enterprise. For example, warehousing and logistics services for logistics platforms.
Purpose: Explain the contribution of infrastructure to improving business productivity and reducing operating costs.
Scenario application: It is used to guide enterprises on how to optimize resource utilization, improve logistics efficiency (such as intelligent warehousing system, real-time cargo tracking, etc.), and ensure energy supply.
(2) Industry supply chain logistics network map
Structure: Demonstrate the role and connectivity of logistics companies in the supply chain across the manufacturing industry.
Purpose: To demonstrate how to promote circulation and collaboration across the industry through efficient logistics services.
Scenario application: It is used to analyze and plan industry-level supply chain optimization, such as cross-enterprise logistics collaboration.
(3) Logistics map of parks and industrial clusters
Structure: Demonstrate how companies in a park or industrial cluster can achieve synergy through shared logistics services.
Purpose: To explain how shared logistics can improve logistics efficiency and reduce costs among enterprises in the park.
Scenario application: It is used for logistics planning in the park, such as centralized warehousing and sharing of transportation resources
(4) Provincial and municipal regional industrial empowerment maps
Structure: Use a spatial dimensional hierarchical diagram to show how infrastructure supports the overall development and transformation of regional industries.
Purpose: To explain the impact of infrastructure on regional competitiveness, job creation, and sustainable development.
Scenario application: It is used to assist regional development planning, such as building smart cities and improving regional logistics networks.
(5) Industrial Internet platform system support map
Structure: It shows how the infrastructure empowers the entire industrial Internet platform system, such as the chain master enterprise platform and the technical professional platform.
Purpose: Explain the supporting role of infrastructure on industrial Internet platforms, such as data centers and communication networks.
Scenario application: It is used to demonstrate how to build an efficient and stable industrial Internet environment.
These scenario maps can help stakeholders understand and plan how infrastructure can more effectively empower manufacturing and other industries to promote industrial upgrading and regional economic development.