Audience Opinion Piece

Please can you give a summary of your role and main responsibilities?
I’m primarily responsible for manufacturing application architecture, cloud architecture, and technology evaluation (hardware and software).

‍How long have you been in your current role and what do you enjoy the most about it?
I’ve been in this role for about six years but it has evolved from automation focused to digital transformation focused, and transitioned from a site to global role last year.
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Looking back at your career trajectory, how have your role and responsibilities evolved in response to the increasing digitization of manufacturing?
Throughout the majority of my career in medical devices, digitization, in any form, was largely non-existent.. Only is the last six years has digitization been a priority, accelerating in the last two.
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Can you share a specific example of a time when you had to adapt or learn a new skill to keep pace with technological advancements in the industry?
As a lifelong learner this has happened many times by choice, however, one still that I needed to learn was SQL. At least some level of database knowledge is required to be a digital transformation professional.  As part of an OEE project I architected a link between Tulip and a TimescaleDB instance to provide the required information to our analytics department.  

‍What were some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as you’ve grown as an innovation leader in the manufacturing industry?
The industry is moving faster than any one person can keep up with. You need to find your tribe, which I found in the Industry 4.0 Discord. Staying engaged with that community has prevented me from learning many things the hard way.  

‍How have you leveraged technology to enhance your own productivity and efficiency as a manufacturing leader?
Most notably in the last couple of years by leveraging AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to accelerate development of internal solutions. They’re not perfect by any means, but LLMs have saved me countless hours and gets me 90%-98% of a solution.

‍What role has continuous learning and upskilling played in your career success in this era of rapid technological change?
Continuous learning is mandatory in digital transformation as today’s best practice is tomorrow’s technical debt.

‍How do you stay informed about the latest technological advancements and trends relevant to the manufacturing industry?
By following DT leaders (and I don’t mean executives) on LinkedIn, and the Industry 4.0 Discord.

‍In your opinion, what are the most crucial skills and qualities that manufacturing leaders need to possess in the digital age?
To know what information they need to make the best decision possible and the ability to consume information digitally. More generally, they need to know what their strengths and weakness are, have the humility to admit their weaknesses and then surround them with people who are experts in what they are not. In essence, servant leadership.

‍What advice would you give to aspiring manufacturing leaders who are interested in building a successful career in this digitally transforming industry?
Ask yourself what your business’s digital strategy is. If you don’t have one, develop one before you do anything else. Make sure everyone in your company knows what it is. All future decisions need to be in line with your digital strategy. If there’s a conflict between a choice and your digital strategy, figure out when one is wrong and fix it.

How do you envision your own role and responsibilities evolving in the future as digital technologies continue to reshape the manufacturing landscape?
You have to be adaptable. Technology is changing faster than any one person can keep up with. Today’s best practice might be tomorrow’s technical debt.

‍Which emerging technologies are you most excited about and why?
There’s a lot of people using AI the wrong way, but that doesn’t make it a buzzword. There are good applications of AI that are emerging, and in ways that are not obvious.

‍How do you see the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) evolving within the manufacturing sector in the coming years?
I think we’ll see a lot of attempts at integrating AI into products but only some of them will be successful. There are things AI is really good at and others it’s terrible at. The companies that figure out how to implement AI in a way that accelerates and helps their customers scale will be the most win.

What innovative approaches are you exploring to meet sustainability goals?
We have an active global ESG department which is focused on multiple goals including (almost) zero waste to landfill, improving asset efficiency where possible and offsetting carbon emissions where necessary. Over time we’re also looking to replace high process water systems with alternatives.

‍What are you hoping to take away from the 4^th MX.0 Southeast conference?
I’m always like to network with other industry professionals and see other companies approaches to digital transformation.