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?”
Industry 5.0 reframes digital transformation around three principles:
Human-centricity
Resilience
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.