Interview: Liferay GM on digitalisation in the manufacturing process

In a Q&A with Technical Review Middle East, Moussalam Dalati, General Manager MEA & France – Liferay, speaks on digitalisation in the manufacturing sector. Read on: 

How do Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) drive digital transformation in the manufacturing sector?

Manufacturing is a prime industry for implementing Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs), given its complex B2B environment characterised by international operations, dynamic market demands, and intense competition. The manufacturing value chain involves numerous stakeholders from raw material suppliers to distributors and retailers, creating ample opportunities for technology to streamline operations and enforce process consistency.
For manufacturing companies, DXPs integrate a wide range of technologies to deliver streamlined digital interactions across the organisation. By unifying data from IoT sensors, ERP systems, and other enterprise platforms, DXPs enable seamless data access and analysis. This integration supports improved decision-making, cost optimisation, and greater operational efficiency throughout the manufacturing lifecycle.

What DXP solutions are most popular in manufacturing, and what drives their adoption?

In manufacturing, one of the most critical needs is robust B2B digital commerce that integrates seamlessly with broader self-service capabilities to deliver a unified digital customer experience. Liferay addresses this by combining native B2B commerce with powerful DXP features, enabling manufacturers to manage product catalogues, tutorials, knowledge bases, community forums, support tickets, and workflows on a single platform. Liferay DXP is especially well-suited for manufacturing scenarios, offering advanced features like Shop by Diagram (i.e., an interactive parts-diagram interface where technicians can click on components to order replacements), buyer approval workflows, contract pricing, and tiered discounts, all essential for complex B2B transactions. Manufacturers also face recurring challenges in reducing cost-to-serve, entering new markets, streamlining operations, and differentiating through customer experience.

How do DXPs support real-time analytics for predictive maintenance, quality control, and supply chain visibility?

DXPs consolidate structured and unstructured data from IoT devices, ERP systems, and production platforms into a single view. This single view provides clean, accessible data essential for powering AI-driven analytics. They also continuously collect sensor data. This enable early detection of equipment issues and support machine learning models that predict failures, reducing downtime and maximising asset performance.
Besides, real-time monitoring helps detect production deviations, while historical data analysis identifies patterns that may lead to defects. This proactive approach improves product quality and minimises waste. With easy-to-integrate AI capabilities, DXPs support predictive models for everything from energy efficiency to production optimisation, driving continuous improvement and competitive advantage.

How can DXPs integrate with existing ERP and manufacturing systems without disrupting operations?

As organisations scale, their existing investments in content, marketing, and customer management systems can become fragmented, resulting in siloed data and disjointed customer experiences. The high cost and complexity of replacing legacy systems often delay digital transformation initiatives that are critical to delivering seamless, connected experiences. Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) like Liferay offer a strategic solution. Rather than replacing existing systems, Liferay DXP integrates and extends them, enabling companies to unify the customer journey across touchpoints.

With out-of-the-box capabilities for content management, personalisation, and customer engagement, DXPs provide a modern, cohesive experience layer while preserving legacy infrastructure in the background.
These platforms are built for flexibility, supporting both current business needs and future innovation. As a result, more companies each year are turning to DXPs to simplify the experience, modernize systems and break down silos to accelerate digital transformation at scale.