Occurrence -

ServiceNow recently announced its acquisition of 4Industry, a Netherlands-based partner renowned for its manufacturing technology application built on the Now Platform. Additionally, the company has completed the acquisition of Smart Daily Management from EY, a connected digital worker application. These strategic moves bolster ServiceNow's operational technology (OT) management capabilities, particularly in Connected Worker solutions, enhancing its presence in critical industrial sectors like manufacturing, energy, and transport & logistics. While the acquisition of Smart Daily Management has been completed, the acquisition of 4Industry is expected to finalize shortly.

Background & Analysis -

Founded in 2018, offering a mobile-enabled application, 4Industry, aims to improve the shop floor work efficiency through the use of digital tools. Smart Daily Management, on the other hand, streamlines time-consuming tasks, complementing ServiceNow's continued focus on operational excellence. ServiceNow could leverage the technology and industry expertise from both acquisitions, and is planning to introduce a new ‘Connected Worker Solution’ on its platform, sometime around 2025. Through this acquisition, ServiceNow seems to re-emphasize and align its priority, along with upholding the importance of providing robust digital transformation initiatives. These would be driven across customers operating within industries such as manufacturing and logistics, thus highlighting the need for operational efficiency and overall improved worker experiences. Thus, by integrating the expertise and technology from 4Industry and Smart Daily Management with its Now Platform, ServiceNow aims to empower industrial customers to boost uptime, drive efficiency, and enhance quality.

Furthermore, 4Industry's alignment with ServiceNow's core philosophy of digitization and automation underscores its journey from being someone who built the ‘Connected Worker Prototype’ for a ‘ServiceNow Event’ to being a globally recognized solution partner of ServiceNow. This acquisition can thus be seen as a natural progression in terms of 4Industry's collaboration with ServiceNow, enabling it to further its mission of enhancing the productivity and satisfaction of the ‘Connected Workers’. On the other hand, Smart Daily Management, developed by EY, brings data-driven insights to manufacturing operations, again aligning with ServiceNow's vision of maximizing the best possible customer value,  through end-to-end platform integration. Thus, this acquisition strengthens ServiceNow's alliance with EY and its commitment to delivering impactful automation solutions to clients worldwide. Ultimately, keeping in line with its clear vision of delivering transformative automation solutions, ServiceNow with its addition of 4Industry and Smart Daily Management to its portfolio (on the lines of its numerous previous acquisitions), continues on the same path with renewed fuel.

Author – Apoorva Dawalbhakta, Associate Director At Quadrant Knowledge Solutions