MESA Knows Smart Manufacturing

Smart manufacturing initiatives often fail for reasons that have little to do with technology. The real challenge is organizational: bringing together IT, OT, engineering, operations, cybersecurity, data, and business teams into a cohesive digital transformation force.
In this episode of MESA Knows Smart Manufacturing, we explore what it takes to build the modern IT/OT “dream team.” As manufacturers pursue AI, industrial data platforms, cloud integration, cybersecurity modernization, and digital transformation at scale, the traditional boundaries between enterprise IT and operational technology are rapidly disappearing.
Our discussion examines the organizational models, leadership strategies, technical skill sets, and cultural changes required to create high-performing cross-functional teams capable of delivering measurable business outcomes. We’ll discuss how leading organizations are balancing governance with agility, integrating operational expertise with modern data and AI capabilities, and redefining the future roles of engineers, architects, and manufacturing leaders.
Whether you are just beginning your convergence journey or already scaling smart manufacturing initiatives globally, this conversation will provide practical insights into how people, process, and technology must evolve together to succeed in the next era of industrial transformation.

In this episode of MESA Knows Smart Manufacturing, ChrisMonchinski sits down with Julie Fraser of Tech-Clarity and key sponsors to discuss an important new industry initiative: the 2026 Business Value and Evolution of Manufacturing Operations Software (MOS) Study. 
The conversation explores how the definition of manufacturing operations software has expanded beyond traditional MES to include a broader Level 3 ecosystem—encompassingquality, scheduling, inventory and warehouse management, EHS, maintenance (CMMS), connected worker technologies, and increasingly, AI-driven capabilities.
Julie, Glynn, Ryan and Rick share the origins of the research and explains why now is a pivotal moment for manufacturers to reassess their investments. With rapid advances indigital transformation and AI, companies are no longer just implementing MES—they are building integrated, plant-wide operational platforms designed to deliver measurable business value.  
A central theme of the discussion is value realization. The episode dives into:
What is driving current investments in MOS
The top business benefits manufacturers are seeing, from operational efficiency to improved decision-making
What organizations must do to ensure successful implementations, including alignment, planning, and realistic expectations
How long it typically takes to start seeing measurable returns
The conversation also tackles one of the most pressing topics in the industry today: the role of AI in manufacturing operations. Julie outlines how AI is not a replacement for core systems like MES, but rather a complementary layer that enhances analytics,optimization, and decision support across the Level 3 stack.  Importantly, the episode addresses common misconceptions in the market, helping listeners separate hype from practicalapplication—especially as vendors position AI-enabled solutions.
We conclude with a preview of what’s next:
A global survey launching in spring 2026
A comprehensive research report, infographic, and webinar to follow in the fall
This initiative, led by MESA International and Tech-Clarity, aims to provide the industry with a much-needed, data-driven perspective on how manufacturers can truly capturebusiness value from their digital investments.

We’ve spent decades in the OT space measuring return on assets, return on capital… But what about return on data?
For this MESA “Knows” Podcast, we sat down with Joanne Friedman to tackle a question most organizations still can’t answer: What are we actually getting from our data?
Every enterprise can tell you what they spend on data—platforms, lakes, AI initiatives…
Very few can quantify the value it returns.
Joanne who is a long-time contributor to MESA has championed ways to quantitatively measure Return on Data (RoD) and demonstrate why data reuse and time-to-decision are critical value drivers
If you’re investing in AI, analytics, or digital transformation… this is the metric that may determine whether it actually pays off.

What a wild ride in the past week for the software vendors of the S&P 500 and beyond!
In this episode, we sit down with Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO and co-founder of Critical Manufacturing, who used the term “SaaSpocolypse” to describe the growing tension between SaaS business models, AI "vibe-coding" and the operational realities of manufacturing software — particularly MES.
This conversation goes beyond hype. It challenges assumptions about deployment models, vendor lock-in, data ownership, and the future architecture of smart manufacturing systems.
If you care about the future of MES, interoperability, lifecycle thinking, and building resilient manufacturing systems — this episode is a must-listen.

A good maturity model doesn’t tell you how advanced you are—it tells you what risks you’re carrying and what you should do next. There maybe some skepticism out there on the value of maturity models and assessments; however, this is not just consultant-speak. A maturity model is a structured way to answer one of the hardest questions in digital transformation:
What are we ready for—and what are we not ready foryet?