Why Manufacturers Still Struggle with Industry 4.0—and What to Do About It
· Discrete Manufacturing

Why Manufacturers Still Struggle with Industry 4.0—and What to Do About It

At a time when Industry 4.0 conversations dominate industrial trade shows and boardrooms alike, many manufacturers still miss the mark. The problem isn’t the technology. It’s how it’s being approached.Jeff Winter, a well-known voice in digital manufacturing and VP of Business Strategy at Critical Manufacturing, shared insights at Hannover Messe 2025—cutting through the jargon to […]

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Why AI Needs IoT to Deliver Real Value in Industrial Operations
· Discrete Manufacturing

Why AI Needs IoT to Deliver Real Value in Industrial Operations

At Hannover Messe 2025, amid the buzz around generative AI and intelligent automation, Bernd Gross, CEO and co-founder of Cumulocity, offered a pragmatic lens into the convergence of AI and IoT—and what industrial leaders are still getting wrong.As co-founder of Cumulocity and an early architect of industrial IoT platforms, Gross has witnessed the sector’s evolution firsthand. His […]

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Why Small Manufacturers Can’t Afford to Wait for the “Perfect” Transformation
· Discrete Manufacturing

Why Small Manufacturers Can’t Afford to Wait for the “Perfect” Transformation

At Hannover Messe 2025, the conversation around digital transformation in manufacturing felt more urgent than ever. But amid the excitement, Stephen Graham, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Nexus, offered a grounded reminder: for small and mid-sized manufacturers, the future will not be won by those with the flashiest technology—but by those who learn […]

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[Booklet] Manufacturing at the Crossroads 2025: Real-World Lessons from Industrial Leaders
· Discrete Manufacturing

[Booklet] Manufacturing at the Crossroads 2025: Real-World Lessons from Industrial Leaders

What does it take to make digital transformation stick—beyond pilots, platforms, and buzzwords?At Hannover Messe 2025, the conversation around industrial transformation reached a new level of clarity—and urgency. From AI and agentic automation to modular MES platforms and resilient supply chains, one message was consistent: transformation is no longer a long-term goal. It’s a right-now […]

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AI at the Edge of the Factory Floor: What’s Real, What’s Next
· Discrete Manufacturing

AI at the Edge of the Factory Floor: What’s Real, What’s Next

At Hannover Messe 2025, the excitement around industrial AI was palpable—but beneath the buzz, Ozgur Tohumcu of AWS shared a candid view of where manufacturing still lags and where AI is starting to deliver measurable value.Despite years of investment, many manufacturers are still struggling to turn decades of collected data into real-time, decision-grade insight. The […]

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The Silent Barriers to Industrial Competitiveness
· Discrete Manufacturing

The Silent Barriers to Industrial Competitiveness

At Hannover Messe 2025, industrial competitiveness emerged as a dominant theme, sparking discussions beyond technology. While manufacturers continue to face rising complexity, the real constraints may not be what you expect.Barbara Frei, EVP of Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, points to a combination of overlooked issues that quietly erode industrial performance: mindset, workforce readiness, and siloed […]

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Real-Time Industrial Data: Why Architecture, Not Hype, Determines Success
· Discrete Manufacturing

Real-Time Industrial Data: Why Architecture, Not Hype, Determines Success

At Hannover Messe 2025, a compelling conversation unfolded between HiveMQ and Snowflake leadership on a topic often underestimated in industrial transformation: data movement architecture. Behind all the talk of AI, analytics, and predictive insights lies a more foundational challenge—how to reliably, securely, and cost-effectively get data from machines to the cloud in real-time.For industrial companies […]

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Manufacturing’s Future Hinges on Collaboration, Not Just Technology
· Discrete Manufacturing

Manufacturing’s Future Hinges on Collaboration, Not Just Technology

At Hannover Messe 2025, I sat down with Mathias Oppelt, Vice President and Head of Customer-Driven Innovation at Siemens Digital Industries, to explore what manufacturers really want from digital transformation—and what’s still holding many of them back. The conversation moved well beyond buzzwords like AI and digital twins, touching on deep structural shifts, mindset changes, and the […]

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What’s Changing in Industrial Data Management: Key Takeaways from Hannover Messe 2025
· Discrete Manufacturing

What’s Changing in Industrial Data Management: Key Takeaways from Hannover Messe 2025

At Hannover Messe 2025, InfluxData CEO Evan Kaplan and HighByte CPO John Harrington discuss how manufacturers are shifting from data collection to data intelligence and what’s required to support that transformation. Below are the most important insights that emerged from the conversation: The Purpose of Data Is Shifting—from Monitoring to Control Historically, manufacturers used data […]

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Why Circular Manufacturing Needs Automation, AI, and Modular Design to Compete
· Additive Manufacturing

Why Circular Manufacturing Needs Automation, AI, and Modular Design to Compete

At Hannover Messe 2025, Ali Haj Fraj, Senior Vice President of the Digital Factory at Schneider Electric, offers a compelling perspective on one of the most pressing industrial challenges: how to balance sustainability with global competitiveness. His answer? Don’t treat them as opposing forces. Instead, treat sustainability as a core driver of performance.Rethinking the Sustainability–Competitiveness Trade-OffToo often, […]

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Energy-Centric Predictive Maintenance: Smarter, Sustainable Operations for Modern Manufacturers
· Energy

Energy-Centric Predictive Maintenance: Smarter, Sustainable Operations for Modern Manufacturers

At Hannover Messe 2025, the evolving role of predictive maintenance takes the spotlight as industrial leaders explore how AI can drive smarter, more sustainable manufacturing. Sunil Vedula, Founder and CEO of Nanoprecise Sci Corp, shares a forward-looking perspective on how maintenance is becoming more than just an unplanned downtime-avoidance tool—it’s turning into a strategic growth enabler.Predictive Maintenance […]

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Critical Manufacturing to Showcase the Future of MES at Hannover Messe 2025
· Discrete Manufacturing

Critical Manufacturing to Showcase the Future of MES at Hannover Messe 2025

At Hannover Messe 2025, Critical Manufacturing will spotlight how next-generation Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) can move manufacturers beyond incremental gains—toward measurable, transformative outcomes. As a recognized leader in MES by IDC MarketScape and a subsidiary of ASMPT, the company will demonstrate how its modular, modern platform helps manufacturers reduce complexity, unify data silos, and gain […]

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