Rethinking Digital Transformation So It Doesn’t Fail
Manufacturers frequently discuss digital transformation, but the focus often shifts to technology rather than the real issues. Jeff Miller explains that efforts fail due to outdated processes, cultural friction, and misaligned expectations. He emphasizes that activity alone does not equal progress; even effective Industry 4.0 tools can underperform without a clear vision. It’s essential to align people, processes, and purpose before expecting technology to create change. Ultimately, Jeff advocates piloting the vision rather than the tool to ensure a successful digital transformation.
During a recent keynote, Jeff Miller, Director of Smart Manufacturing and Innovation at InSource Solutions, shared a simple but powerful reminder: transformation isn’t something you install. It’s something you prepare for, build toward, and support with the right behaviors and processes.
In other words, we’ve been piloting technology when we should be piloting the vision.
In manufacturing, we sometimes get so tied to the way we’ve always worked that we forget to question the perspective itself.
Take Industry 4.0, for example. The term gets thrown around as if it’s interchangeable with “digital transformation,” but the two aren’t the same. Industry 4.0 is a collection of technologies. Digital transformation is the strategy, purpose, and organizational change that decides how those technologies actually create value.
You wouldn’t walk into a doctor’s office and say, “I’d like some Vicodin.” Instead, you would describe your symptoms and allow the expert to diagnose the appropriate treatment. However, in manufacturing, companies often jump straight to solutions without first identifying the real problem. What we need are clearer intentions, not just more tools.
This pattern is alarmingly common, and industry research shows that most digital transformation efforts fall short of the results leaders hope to achieve. The issue isn’t the technology itself; the problem lies in starting with the tools rather than focusing on the desired outcome.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because manufacturers fall into this trap far too often. We start with the tool instead of the outcome, and that’s exactly where digital transformation begins to break down.
Lighthouse Companies Aren’t Magical, They’re Disciplined
Jeff highlighted the Global Lighthouse Network, which consists of over 130 companies that have achieved significant improvements in productivity, throughput, reliability, and waste reduction. These enhancements were not a result of having the largest budgets or the most modern facilities; in fact, some of these companies have only 100 employees, and most have transformed existing brownfield sites. Their success did not rely on the tools they used.
It was the mindset.
They knew why they needed to change, and they aligned their people and processes before expecting the technology to work miracles. They treated transformation like a long-term commitment, not a trial balloon.
And that distinction makes all the difference.
Technology Is the Seasoning, Not the Recipe
Jeff compares technology to barbecue seasoning. People often ask him what spice blend he uses, but the seasoning is only a small part of the process. The real magic lies in the elements you don’t see: brining, temperature control, cooking time, wood selection, and technique.
Technology operates in a similar way. It can enhance a solid process or highlight a weak one, but it cannot replace the fundamentals. If your workflows, decision-making habits, communication routines, and cultural norms remain unchanged, no tool will deliver meaningful results.
Adding new technology on top of outdated habits will only lead to more sophisticated versions of the same problems.
Stop piloting the technology. Pilot the vision.
Technology has already demonstrated its potential. Leading companies have shown what is possible. The real question is not whether the tool works, but whether your organization is ready to adapt its operations when the tool is introduced. Transformation is not just about digital advancements; it’s fundamentally about changing the way you operate. It isn’t merely a matter of replacing old software with new. Instead, it involves reshaping the habits, workflows, skills, and expectations that dictate how work gets done. When you implement a clear vision characterized by defined outcomes, aligned teams, and updated processes, adopting the technology becomes straightforward. That’s when transformation shifts from a buzzword to a tangible reality.
Watch the full keynote
Prefer to see the keynote for yourself? Jeff’s complete KTE presentation takes you beyond the highlights of this blog and into the real stories, data points, and perspective shifts that manufacturers need to hear. He breaks down why so many digital transformation efforts lose momentum, how to spot the organizational barriers that quietly stall progress, and what it looks like when companies rethink their approach with vision, not technology, at the center. If you want the unfiltered, full-picture version of this discussion, Jeff’s keynote is the best place to start.
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