The dig­i­tal trans­for­ma­tion is forc­ing com­pa­nies to change how they think. That applies even to a suc­cess­ful auto­mo­tive sup­pli­er like Coro­plast, a fam­i­ly-run com­pa­ny that spe­cial­izes in elec­tri­cal wires and har­ness­es along with the tech­ni­cal adhe­sive tapes to pro­tect them. With its high-volt­age wiring that will be used in elec­tric cars, the com­pa­ny has laid a superb foun­da­tion for future sales. But Natal­ie Mekel­burg­er, who became Chair­woman of the Board of Man­age­ment in 2006, believes she still needs to encour­age change—because new com­peti­tors are enter­ing the mar­ket and unit vol­umes per order are like­ly to decline.

Food prepa­ra­tion on the Anthem of the Seas, one of the world’s largest cruise lin­ers, is not only about taste and plea­sure, but also about com­mu­ni­ca­tion, pre­ci­sion, and per­for­mance. The near­ly 5,000 guests want superb cui­sine, so the forty-two chefs require flaw­less oper­a­tions. Roy­al Caribbean Cruis­es com­mis­sioned Porsche Con­sult­ing to help opti­mize the process­es below deck and behind the scenes. Auto­mo­tive pro­duc­tion served as a mod­el in many instances. For exam­ple, the first plate to receive its final gar­nish is the first to leave the galley—to be served quick­ly in the best qual­i­ty to the guest.