Global Lighthouse Network 2025

For many other use cases, Lighthouses take strategic “combination” approaches to deployment, prioritizing opportunities that augment local capabilities through extended thinking partnerships. These involve deep collaboration between in-house teams and external partners, with clear agreements that delineate IP ownership of joint development. Integrated teams embed external expertise to facilitate a transfer of knowledge and skills. Hisensehitachi in China is a great example of this, treating their partnerships as a strategic investment that builds on in-house expertise and adjusting team composition according to the solution (see Figure 10).Hisensehitachi – two approaches to solution development FIGURE 10 Source: Global Lighthouse Network.Illustration of deployed use cases and impact Approach and why Selected solutions Average team composition in build phase Direct and supporting roles ImpactVendor partnerships Supplement capabilities to build knowledge or IP through external collaboration High-precision flexible automation with computer vision Machine vision and force-feedback guided positioning, replacing traditional fixtures in welding – Engineers from nine disciplines – Project & management leaders – Automation suppliers – Universities for joint R&D– Engineers from three disciplines – Data analysts – Operations technicians – Software vendorsSkill development with gamified training & mixed reality simulations Gamified training experience with mixed reality and simulation modelling for realistic feedbackIn-house developed Capitalize on in-house expertise and supplement with providers as needed 23 28 288 33 -22% assembly cycle time-67% changeover time-47% training cycle+23% labour productivity Technical roles External partners Operational roles1 2 Global Lighthouse Network: The Mindset Shifts Driving Impact and Scale in Digital Transformation 18