Digital Manufacturing Challenges Series – Part 2
Scott Gardner, Managing Director of Enterprise Architecture & Digital Manufacturing at iT2
Executive Introduction
For more than a decade, manufacturers have pursued the vision of IT–OT convergence. Technology providers have promised connected factories, real-time visibility, predictive analytics, and seamless integration between the shop floor and the enterprise.
Most organizations have invested heavily to make that vision a reality. MES platforms have been deployed. Equipment has been connected. Data historians have been implemented. Cloud architectures have been established. Analytics platforms are generating more information than ever before.
Yet despite these investments, many manufacturers continue to struggle with a fundamental challenge:
The technology can connect. The organization often cannot.
The reality is that IT–OT convergence is rarely limited by software, infrastructure, or network architecture. More often, it is limited by organizational alignment, governance, ownership, and leadership priorities.
The manufacturers making meaningful progress today understand an important truth:
IT–OT convergence is not a technology initiative. It is a business transformation initiative that requires leadership alignment across the organization.
The Promise of IT–OT Convergence
The business case for IT–OT convergence is compelling.
When operational technology systems are connected with enterprise systems, organizations gain the ability to:
- Improve visibility across production, maintenance, quality, and supply chain operations.
- Enable faster decision-making through real-time access to operational data.
- Reduce manual data collection and reporting activities.
- Improve asset utilization and equipment reliability.
- Increase responsiveness to customer demand and production changes.
- Strengthen cybersecurity and risk management capabilities.
- Create a foundation for advanced analytics, AI, and smart factory initiatives.
In theory, convergence creates a connected manufacturing enterprise where information flows seamlessly from machine to operator, from plant to enterprise, and from operations to leadership.
Unfortunately, theory and reality are often very different.
The Reality: Two Organizations Operating in Parallel
Many manufacturers still operate with distinct organizational boundaries between Information Technology and Operational Technology.
Information Technology teams typically focus on:
- Cybersecurity and compliance.
- Infrastructure standardization.
- Enterprise architecture.
- Data governance.
- Cost management and scalability.
Operational Technology teams typically focus on:
- Production uptime.
- Equipment reliability.
- Safety and quality.
- Operational continuity.
- Manufacturing performance.
Both groups are pursuing legitimate objectives.
The challenge occurs when those objectives are not aligned.
Anonymized Example
One multi-site manufacturer launched a digital manufacturing initiative designed to improve production visibility and establish enterprise-wide analytics capabilities.
IT prioritized infrastructure modernization, cybersecurity standards, and data governance.
Operations prioritized production continuity, equipment reliability, and minimizing disruption to plant personnel.
Neither side was wrong.
However, because governance structures were unclear, key decisions repeatedly stalled. Project teams spent months debating ownership, standards, and priorities.
The technology implementation was relatively straightforward.
The organizational alignment was not.
Challenge #1: No Shared Definition of Success
One of the most common obstacles to IT–OT convergence is the absence of a common vision.
Leadership teams often describe convergence using broad terms such as:
- Digital transformation
- Smart manufacturing
- Industry 4.0
- Connected operations
While these concepts are useful, they frequently mean different things to different stakeholders.
For IT leaders, success may be defined by:
- Improved cybersecurity posture.
- Standardized infrastructure.
- Reduced technical debt.
- Better governance and compliance.
For operations leaders, success may be defined by:
- Increased throughput.
- Reduced downtime.
- Improved quality.
- Faster problem resolution.
Without alignment around common business outcomes, convergence initiatives often become disconnected projects rather than enterprise capabilities.
Anonymized Example
During a plant modernization initiative, leadership believed convergence was progressing successfully because systems were being integrated and dashboards were being deployed.
Plant managers, however, measured success based on production performance and downtime reduction.
After eighteen months, both groups concluded the program had underperformed—despite meeting most of its technical objectives.
The organization had delivered technology.
It had not delivered a shared outcome.
Challenge #2: Ownership Is Often Undefined
Ask ten manufacturers who owns digital manufacturing and you may receive ten different answers.
In many organizations:
- IT owns infrastructure.
- Engineering owns automation.
- Operations owns production.
- Maintenance owns equipment reliability.
- Corporate leadership owns strategy.
The problem is that no one clearly owns the intersection between them.
As digital initiatives expand, accountability becomes increasingly difficult to define.
Anonymized Example
A manufacturer implemented a production analytics platform designed to improve operational decision-making.
Several months after deployment, data quality issues emerged.
IT believed the problem originated from equipment-level data collection.
Operations believed the issue was related to interfaces and integration.
Engineering believed configuration standards were inconsistent.
While teams debated ownership, business value was delayed.
The technical issue required weeks to resolve.
The governance issue required months.
Is Ownership Slowing Your IT–OT Program?
iT2 can help establish shared accountability across IT, engineering, maintenance, operations, and executive leadership.
Challenge #3: Cybersecurity and Productivity Are Viewed as Competing Priorities
Historically, cybersecurity was often viewed as an IT responsibility.
That mindset no longer works.
Modern manufacturing operations depend on connected systems, integrated platforms, and real-time information flows. As connectivity increases, operational risk increases as well.
Cybersecurity is no longer just a technology concern—it is an operational concern.
Yet many organizations continue to treat cybersecurity and productivity as competing priorities.
Anonymized Example
A manufacturer postponed critical security upgrades because leadership feared production disruptions.
Several months later, a cyber-related incident affected key operational systems and resulted in multiple days of production interruption.
The lesson was clear:
Protecting uptime and protecting systems are not competing goals.
They are the same goal.
Why This Matters More in 2026
Several forces are making IT–OT convergence increasingly important.
Rising Cybersecurity Threats
Manufacturing continues to be a primary target for cyberattacks. Operational resilience now depends on coordinated IT and OT leadership.
Aging Infrastructure
Many facilities continue to operate with legacy control systems, aging MES platforms, and unsupported applications. Modernization efforts require collaboration across both organizations.
Workforce Transition
Retirement and workforce turnover are accelerating. Capturing operational knowledge and standardizing processes requires integrated digital capabilities.
Demand for Real-Time Decision-Making
Executive teams increasingly expect immediate visibility into production, quality, maintenance, and supply chain performance. Delivering that visibility requires integrated systems and integrated leadership.
Leadership Reset
Organizations making progress are changing how they approach convergence.
From Separate Priorities to Shared Outcomes
Successful organizations align around common business objectives such as:
- Reliability
- Productivity
- Quality
- Cyber resilience
- Operational agility
From Functional Ownership to Shared Accountability
Rather than assigning ownership to one department, leadership establishes cross-functional governance structures that support joint decision-making.
From Technology Projects to Operating Models
The focus shifts from deploying systems to creating sustainable ways of working across IT, engineering, maintenance, and operations.
What This Means in Practice
Manufacturing leaders should consider five actions:
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The Bottom Line
The biggest obstacle to IT–OT convergence in 2026 is not technology.
Most manufacturers already possess the infrastructure, platforms, and connectivity required to move forward.
What many organizations lack is alignment.
Technology can connect systems.
Leadership must connect organizations.
Align IT, OT, and Manufacturing Leadership
iT2 can help define the governance, operating model, and shared outcomes required to move digital manufacturing initiatives forward.
Coming Next Month
From Data-Rich to Insight-Poor: Why Manufacturing Analytics Still Miss the Mark
