Five Smart Investments Manufacturers Should Make Right Now

Why Now — and What’s at Stake According to the latest from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), U.S. manufacturing contracted for the ninth straight month in November 2025. The PMI fell to 48.2, underscoring a continued slide in sector activity. Manufacturers cite a toxic mix of factors: falling orders, elevated input costs — especially […]

You Don’t Get 10x From Tools. You Get It From Structure.

When AVEVA talks about a “10x improvement in operational data management maturity” in this recent article, they’re pointing toward a goal many operators already recognize: operational data has to be usable, trustworthy, and shared if it’s going to drive real outcomes. That direction is right. Where most teams struggle isn’t with the vision — it’s […]

The Partner That’s “Just Right” for Modern Operations

From the Desk Of: Marc Nicosia, Director of Strategic Accounts, InflexionPoint Manufacturers are caught between two worlds. On one side: big consultancies who promise sweeping transformation and stunning future-state diagrams — but rarely stay long enough to see what happens once theory hits the shop floor. On the other: traditional systems integrators who are experts […]

Don’t Call It a Slowdown: How Smart Manufacturers Are Thriving Anyway

From the Desk of Chris Monchinski, CTO Yes, the June 2025 PMI came in at 49.0%. Yes, that technically means contraction. But if you’ve been around manufacturing long enough, you know not everything below 50 is doom and gloom. Look a little closer, and you’ll see something more interesting: production is up. Inventory is stabilizing. […]

Digital Twins, Real Problems: Why Your Data Needs a Tune-Up First

Part 3 of the Busy Engineer’s Guide to Data Governance Everyone wants the shiny stuff—digital twins, predictive analytics, AI. But here’s the truth: None of it works without clean, structured data. Digital transformation doesn’t start with tools. It starts with trustworthy data, and in brownfield environments, that means governance comes first. Why Digital Twins Break […]

Alphabet Soup of Standards: What Actually Matters for Your Systems

Part 2 of the Busy Engineer’s Guide to Data Governance If you’ve ever tried to make sense of industrial data standards, you know the feeling: alphabet soup, overlapping frameworks, and a lot of well-meaning PowerPoints that don’t tell you where to start.  But in brownfield facilities—where systems weren’t designed to play nice—standards can be your […]

Modernize Without Ripping It All Out: How to Build On What You’ve Got

Part 1 of The Busy Engineer’s Guide to Data Governance You don’t need to rebuild your facility to move it forward. For most operations—especially in life sciences, food and beverage, water utilities, and oil & gas—the challenge isn’t starting fresh, it’s making sense of the systems you already have. That’s where data governance becomes critical. […]

AI Isn’t Coming for Your Workforce. It’s Coming to Support It.

The 2025 State of Smart Manufacturing Report from Rockwell Automation echoes something we’ve been seeing firsthand: AI isn’t here to replace your workforce—it’s here to help them thrive.  There’s no shortage of pressure in manufacturing right now—labor shortages, cybersecurity threats, supply chain volatility. In theory, automation sounds like the answer. But in practice? The most […]

EchoLeak — When AI Turns Against You (And Your Operational Tech)

“Zero-click. Zero trace. Zero trust — EchoLeak is a shot across the bow of AI integration. And it doesn’t stop at IT.” The EchoLeak exploit (CVE-2025-32711) is making headlines for its stealth and sophistication but what’s not being talked about enough is how this same class of attack can impact ICS and OT environments, especially […]

Your Equipment Is Aging—And So Is the Expertise Keeping It Running 

Most manufacturers aren’t dealing with catastrophic failure. They’re managing quiet fragility: aging systems, hard-to-source components, and control logic only a handful of people still understand. You’re still operational, but every day the margin for error gets smaller.  At the same time, the team keeping it all going is approaching retirement. And the new generation entering […]