Technologies are changing how things are designed, made, and serviced around the globe and they have the potential for disruptive change. They can create value by connecting individuals and machines in a new "digital thread" across the value chain. Digitizing the value chain facilitates innovation and can directly improve the top line. Digital manufacturing is already proving its potential. For example: Coca-Cola applied a flexible packaging process in its "Share a Coke" campaign, which helped to increase the company's soft-drink volumes across world markets. Read more at: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/manufacturing/digitizing_the_value_chain