Low-code platforms are now a key driver of digital transformation for nearly every UK manufacturer, new research from Mendix reveals.

According to data in the low-code platform’s latest report, The Low-Code Perspective: Insights from Enterprise IT leaders, 99% of manufacturing organisations are using low-code as part of their development process, with the majority (75%) reporting that low-code improves their ability to innovate at scale.

The survey of 2,000 senior tech decision-makers found low-code platforms – which simplify development with visual tools and drag-and-drop features – are now a major driver of digital transformation in manufacturing, with 52% of firms using them to digitise operations.

Among other popular reasons behind the adoption of low-code is the improvement of legacy processes (48%), and the reduction of operational costs (43%), while the majority agrees that low-code improves productivity and efficiency for technical teams (83%), development processes (76%), and time to market (75%).

According to Mendix, this kind of organisational impact is the reason C-suites are the driving force behind low-code adoption, with over three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed reporting that upper-level executives are advocating for its use.

Half of manufacturing organisations state the COO (50%) and the CEO (51%) are both heavily involved in decision-making surrounding low-code adoption, with the study revealing that the manufacturing industry reports higher CEO involvement than any other sectors surveyed.

Despite these benefits, companies are still looking for another edge. The majority of respondents in the manufacturing sector (81%) said that they are also using AI-assisted coding alongside low-code platforms.

Although the majority (84%) of respondents said that combining AI and low-code would help their organisation innovate faster, 69% of technical leaders are reportedly concerned about the governance of AI-assisted coding, and even more (86%) agree that more training needs to take place to properly use these tools.

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Those figures are evidence, said Mendix, that AI-assisted development isn’t considered foolproof, but indicate that IT leaders want to invest in low-code and AI, despite the associated risks.

On the other hand, most senior IT decision-makers agreed that low-code platforms work to reduce risk, with 68% stating that low-code increases compliance with the latest regulations. 

“Used wisely, low-code is about rethinking entire business processes from the ground up,” said Raymond Kok, CEO of Mendix.

“Low-code also opens new avenues for fusion teams to think bigger when it comes to using tech to transform their organisation for the future, as long as they are prioritising upskilling users to maximise the potential of low-code for their unique use cases.”