Beyond the Technology: Anand Murali on How Integration Drives Transformation

Breaking Down Industrial Silos

Across the United States, industries are grappling with structural challenges - from fragile supply chains to rising costs and fragmentation. While new technologies continue to emerge, Anand Murali believes that they are not the silver bullet. “Technology matters,” he says, “but transformation only happens when people, processes, and systems are aligned – both within organizations and across the broader value chain.” Vertical and cross-functional integration, he explains, enhances visibility, reduces inefficiencies, and creates the conditions for sustained performance.

This approach reflects a broader shift in industrial leadership: the rise of the industrial integrator. Leaders like Murali focus not just on digital tools, but on weaving together operations, strategy and technology to create unified, agile enterprises.

Offsite Construction: Promise and Pitfalls

Offsite construction is gaining traction in real estate and infrastructure as a compelling alternative to traditional building methods. By shifting key aspects of the construction process to controlled factory environments, this model enhances control over schedules, costs and quality. It enables projects to be delivered up to 50% faster, reduce costs by up to 20%, and significantly minimize waste.

Murali has seen this firsthand. As Director of Strategy & Innovation, he played a pivotal role in an initiative that brought together construction, manufacturing, distribution and real estate entities – guided by Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) principles. “When we moved from a fragmented subcontractor model to an integrated assembly team, the different was immediately visible,” he recalls. The result: a profitable urban housing development delivered with far greater efficiency than traditional methods.

Still, many offsite projects still fail. According to Murali, “The problem isn’t the technology – it’s lack of integration. Success requires design, supply chain, factory operations, and on-site teams to operate as a single system.”

A Lesson for Every Sector

The principles Murali applies in construction extend far beyond that field. Many enterprises remain trapped in siloed structures that slow down progress. His leadership in coordinating a supply chain migration to a new cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system illustrates the importance of integration. “Software wasn’t the hard part,”, he notes. “The real challenge was establishing trust and alignment across IT, finance, operations, and the supply chain. That’s what ultimately made it successful.”

These lessons apply across industries. In advanced manufacturing, modular production methods accelerate output and improve flexibility. In consumer goods, digitally connected supply chains strengthen compliance and ensure consistent quality. At the core of these advances, Murali argues, is vertical and organizational integration. “When you integrate internal functions with the broader supply chain - breaking down silos, removing barriers, and eliminating unnecessary intermediaries - you unlock step changes in productivity and efficiency across the entire operation,” he explains.

Building a Cross-Functional Career

Murali’s professional journey spans engineering, marketing, corporate strategy, and technology, a background that reflects the breadth needed for today’s integrator role. His involvement with organizations such as the Harvard Business Advisory Council underscores his commitment to management thought leadership and to learning from the latest research in organizational strategy.

“The industries that will lead in the next decade aren’t just those with cutting-edge tools,” he emphasizes. “They’re the ones that breakdown silos and integrate those tools seamlessly across teams and functions - without sacrificing speed, quality, or alignment.”

Looking Ahead: Integration as the Standard

The modern enterprise is evolving into an interconnected system where traditional silos are increasingly obsolete. Murali is cautious not to frame integration as a quick fix, but rather as a discipline. “It takes leaders who can see across the value chain and understand where bottlenecks and opportunities truly lie,” he explains.

For Murali, the lesson is clear: “The future of industry belongs to those who can integrate—not just innovate.”