Manufacturers are increasingly moving product data and processes to the cloud—but the real competitive advantage comes from how the cloud is used, not just adoption itself.

This Tech-Clarity study of 270 global manufacturers shows that while many organizations focus on IT benefits such as cost, scalability, and deployment speed, Top Performers leverage the cloud strategically to transform product development. These leaders are significantly more likely to fully digitize product data and processes, execute workflows in the cloud, and integrate everything into a unified platform.

Key findings include:

• High-performance computing is the most common cloud benefit, enabling flexibility and remote work
• Top Performers are over 6× more likely to manage product data in a single, integrated cloud model
• Mature data and process management—combined with cloud execution—drives faster decisions, better collaboration, and improved product quality

The research concludes that true digital transformation requires more than cloud infrastructure. Manufacturers must adopt integrated cloud platforms, enable live and actionable data access, and connect product data with workflows to create a complete digital thread.

What Top Performers Do Differently

They:

• Fully digitize both product data and product-related processes

• Store and execute product workflows directly in the cloud

• Maintain a single, real-time version of product data

These capabilities directly correlate with better product development performance