How Industry 5.0 Changes the Way OEMs Evaluate Digital Tools

For years, OEMs have evaluated digital tools the same way: feature lists, integrations, and technical specifications.

That approach made sense in the era of Industry 4.0, where the focus was automation, connectivity, and efficiency at scale.

But Industry 5.0 changes the rules.

As manufacturing enters a more human-centric phase, the question is no longer “what can this tool do?” It’s “how does this tool help people do their jobs better?”

From Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0: a shift in evaluation mindset

Industry 5.0 reframes digital transformation around three principles:

1. Human-centricity

2. Resilience

3. Sustainability

For OEMs, this has a direct impact on how digital tools should be evaluated.

Tools are no longer judged only on technical capability. They are judged on real-world usefulness, especially in environments where people operate under pressure.

This shift is forcing leaders to rethink long-standing evaluation habits.

Why feature checklists fall short in Industry 5.0

Feature-based evaluation assumes that:

• More capability equals more value

• Users will adapt to the system

• Adoption will follow implementation

In reality, many OEMs already own powerful tools that:

• Are underused

• Requires heavy training

• Live outside day-to-day workflows

• Add admin rather than remove it

Industry 5.0 exposes the flaw in feature checklists: capability without usability creates friction, not value.

A tool can be technically impressive and still fail the workforce.

Evaluating digital tools under real operating conditions

Industry 5.0 asks a different question: Does this tool work when people are busy, distracted, or under pressure?

OEM environments are rarely calm or controlled. Teams are:

- Working against time

- Dealing with product complexity

- Operating across languages, skill levels, and locations

- Expected to get things right first time

Tools that succeed in Industry 5.0:

•  Reduce cognitive load

•  Remove interpretation

•  Support learning in the flow of work

•   Make the right action obvious

If a tool only works when users slow down and read instructions carefully, it’s already misaligned with reality.

Start with your KPIs

A human-centric evaluation begins with clarity on what you are trying to improve.

Common OEM KPIs include:

• Reducing waste and rework costs

• Faster onboarding and time-to-competency

• Fewer errors in assembly, service, or parts identification

• Less dependency on tribal knowledge

• Lower admin overhead 

• Greater consistency across internal teams, dealers, and partners - having a single source of truth

For example:

• In industries working with expensive materials such as leather or suede, a single mistake can be costly

• In aftersales and service, incorrect parts identification leads to returns, delays, and dissatisfied customers

• In manufacturing and assembly, unclear instructions create rework, scrap, and downtime

The right digital tools should directly support these outcomes, not sit adjacent to them.

Adoption vs capability: the Industry 5.0 reality check

One of the most important shifts Industry 5.0 introduces is this:

A tool only delivers value if people actually use it.

Many OEMs already have systems with impressive capability but low adoption across:

• Shop floor teams

• Field service technicians

• Dealers and distributors

High-adoption tools share common traits.

Why usability matters more than integrations

Integrations still matter, but Industry 5.0 flips the priority order. A perfectly integrated system that people avoid creates more complexity, not less.

Leaders are increasingly asking:

• Can people use this without constant support?

• Does this reduce or increase day-to-day effort?

• Does it replace work, or add another layer on top?

Human-centric tools:

• Make the right information available at the right moment

• Reduce context-switching

• Replace manual work rather than documenting it

Usability is no longer a “nice to have”. It is a core evaluation criterion.

What Industry 5.0-aligned tools look like in practice

In practical terms, Industry 5.0-aligned tools focus on supporting execution, not just managing data. For many OEMs, this is where visual, interactive systems are gaining traction.

Examples include:

• Visual work instructions that guide people step by step through tasks

• Interactive electronic parts catalogs that reduce guesswork and misidentification

• Single sources of truth that keep teams aligned without tedious manual updates

Platforms like Partful are designed around this principle, enabling OEMs to create and maintain visual, interactive 3D work instructions and parts catalogues from a single source of product data.

Rather than expecting people to interpret complex documentation, these tools:

• Show what needs to be done

• Support learning while working

• Reduce reliance on individual experience

This is human-centric manufacturing in action.