Aligning People, Data, and Priorities: A Real-World Strategy for Scaling Digital Manufacturing

Aligning People, Data, and Priorities: A Real-World Strategy for Scaling Digital Manufacturing

At the MES & Industry 4.0 Summit in Porto, May Yap, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Jabil, offered a clear message for manufacturers navigating global digital transformation: technology isn’t the hard part—alignment is.

Across dozens of production sites and functions, the challenge isn’t just implementing tools like MES or AI; it’s coordinating them to deliver real value without slowing innovation at the local level.

Local Innovation, Global Value

In large enterprises, every site wants to optimize differently. But letting every plant go its own way leads to fragmentation and inefficiencies. Jabil’s response was to require each digital initiative to pass a simple test: what measurable value does it create for the business?

This “value-first” filter ensures that all initiatives—whether in HR, supply chain, or operations—stay aligned with enterprise outcomes like efficiency gains, revenue growth, or cost reduction. The result: speed without chaos.

Turning AI into an Enterprise Capability

To go beyond pilots and proofs of concept, Jabil formed a cross-functional Data & AI Council. Senior leaders from every major function submit and collaborate on AI use cases. That includes:

• Finance using AI for contract analysis and market benchmarking
• HR exploring employee sentiment and productivity insights
• Supply Chain deploying predictive tools for better sourcing and planning

Instead of centralizing AI in IT or Operations, this model builds buy-in and relevance across the organization.

Democratizing Trusted Data

As AI scales, so does the need for reliable data. Rather than gatekeeping access, Jabil invested in a model that makes high-quality data accessible and trusted across teams, all while maintaining strong governance.

The approach is simple: centralize the foundation and decentralize the usage. Teams get what they need when they need it, without compromising consistency or compliance.

Key Lessons for Digital Manufacturing Leaders

• Start with value, not technology: Require a business case for every digital initiative
• Make AI cross-functional: Don’t silo AI in IT; embed it across business units
• Invest in data trust: Democratize access while enforcing shared standards

Transformation at scale doesn’t depend on deploying more tech. It depends on connecting priorities across people, processes, and platforms—and holding every effort accountable to enterprise outcomes.

About the author

Lucian Fogoros is the Co-founder of IIoT World.
This article is based on a conversation with May Yap, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, at the MES & Industry 4.0 Summit in Porto. 

Related articles:

• AI, Machine Learning and Scalability – Driving Growth in Digital Manufacturing
• The Roadmap To Digital Manufacturing Transformation