Jeff Winter 12/2/25 Jeff Winter 12/2/25

Come With Me If You Want to Transform

A fun Terminator 2–inspired take on why modern manufacturing can’t transform without shared data, integrated systems, and actual human cooperation

Jeff Winter 11/24/25 Jeff Winter 11/24/25

The Magazine Cover You Really Do Not Want To Be On

A look at the real reasons digital and AI transformations collapse and what leaders must change to stay off the cover of any technology-failure magazine.

Jeff Winter 11/18/25 Jeff Winter 11/18/25

Has Anyone Seen My ROI?

ROI is a superhero when used in the right places, a black hole when used in the wrong ones, and a discipline, not a deliverable, if you actually want it to work.

Jeff Winter 11/14/25 Jeff Winter 11/14/25

Where’s My Insight? Escaping the Waldo Effect in Data

An entertaining look at why finding insights in today’s factories feels less like analytics and more like squinting at a crowded Waldo page hoping the answers reveal themselves.

Jeff Winter 11/7/25 Jeff Winter 11/7/25

Model Context Protocol: The Glue That Binds and the Crack That Breaks

Generative AI gave us smart answers.
Agentic AI gives us autonomous action.
That jump is massive… and dangerous.

Jeff Winter 10/30/25 Jeff Winter 10/30/25

If Captain America Worked in Manufacturing

What if Captain America ran a factory instead of fighting villains? This piece reframes the “A” on his helmet as Automation, AI, and Analytics, and argues that modern manufacturing leadership is less about heroics and more about designing systems that let people do their best work.

Jeff Winter 9/26/25 Jeff Winter 9/26/25

Maslow Goes to the Factory: The Hierarchy of Manufacturing Needs

Factories have needs too. Just like Maslow taught us about people, manufacturers must climb their own pyramid.

Jeff Winter 9/22/25 Jeff Winter 9/22/25

Think Fast, Think Local: The Edge Advantage in Manufacturing

Edge Computing Explained: From Shop Floor Sensors to AI-Powered Insights, Right Where the Work Gets Done

Jeff Winter 9/3/25 Jeff Winter 9/3/25

The Rise of the CAIO (Chief AI Officer)

AI is rewriting the rules of competition; the Chief AI Officer is the editor-in-chief.

Jeff Winter 8/21/25 Jeff Winter 8/21/25

The AI Hamster Wheel

Measuring speed means nothing if direction never changes

Jeff Winter 8/14/25 Jeff Winter 8/14/25

The Art, and Risk, of Misplaced Priorities in the Age of AI

Some companies are masters at setting priorities… just not the right ones.

Jeff Winter 8/8/25 Jeff Winter 8/8/25

When the Tool You Love Is Secretly Holding You Back

Excel doesn’t have a learning curve. It has a dependency problem

Jeff Winter 7/6/25 Jeff Winter 7/6/25

Paper Thinking in a Digital World

Digital transformation doesn’t start with a tool, it starts with letting go of the paper that made the old one feel safe.

Jeff Winter 7/3/25 Jeff Winter 7/3/25

The Franken-System: Built to Survive, Not to Last

Your Franken-System Is Showing

Jeff Winter 6/19/25 Jeff Winter 6/19/25

You Can’t Scale Excellence with Spreadsheets

If your operations still run on Excel... this might be the part where you start hearing the Jaws theme.

Jeff Winter 6/17/25 Jeff Winter 6/17/25

The Illusion of Progress: A Guide to Getting the Least Out of Industry 4.0

You can't automate your way out of a mindset problem.

Jeff Winter 6/1/25 Jeff Winter 6/1/25

What Happens When We Trust the Box Without Opening It?

The illusion of intelligence is more dangerous than no intelligence at all.

Jeff Winter 5/19/25 Jeff Winter 5/19/25

The Five Stages of Business Transformation

Business transformation, at its core, is about rethinking how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value.

Jeff Winter 5/15/25 Jeff Winter 5/15/25

If your infrastructure looks perfect, you probably don’t understand it.

Digital transformation sounds clean on paper. Reality is held together by scripts and duct tape.

Jeff Winter 4/14/25 Jeff Winter 4/14/25

‘Excel and Jim’ are not an MES Strategy

Heroic effort is not a sustainable strategy, it’s a sign of a broken one.