Need Actionable Data? Try MOM and DAD

At a recent webinar, Manufacturing Execution System (MES) provider L2L spoke with the Manufacturing Happy Hour on what it dubbed the “data paradox.” Never before has the average manufacturer had so much available information, yet the pace of business decisions has not universally increased. In some cases, the opposite has occurred, with certain organizations’ overall reaction time increasing. The failure here is a compound one: not only do these manufacturers underperform, but they can develop a distrust of the very solutions needed to keep them competitive.

To avoid technological dissonance, smart investments must be made not only in software designed to make information available, such as Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) platforms, but in Durable Authentic Datasets (DAD) that survive multiple points of contact without being lost, isolated, or altered.

ABI Research found digital transformation spending increasing across all industries by an average of US$18.5 billion between 2025 and 2030 (see ABI Research’s Industrial and Manufacturing Markets Forecast market data (MD-IMMF-24)). Verticals such as automative, aerospace & defense, and electronics see the largest percentage increase. Two significant areas of investment are industrial software and industrial automation—solutions designed around data availability and action. Data collected from ABI Research’s recent Industrial and Manufacturing Survey 2H 2024/1Q 2025: State of Play for Digital Transformation presentation (PT-3657) found respondents increasingly concerned on the challenge of improving their understanding of issues related to their production lines (12% in 2025, up from 9% in 2024).

More worrisome, that same study showed confidence falling in terms of the ability to perform predictive analytics, the capability to perform prescriptive analytics, and the presence of staff who even appreciated the potential for data analytics. Research also showed an increase in the lack of expertise to fully understand or utilize the potential of new technologies. These failings point to a lack of training and familiarity with the tools, or solutions that have been adopted in haste and may not actually fit the organization’s chief needs. Given the pace of technology—especially the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and workflows—it is quite believable that many manufacturers are struggling just to keep pace with innovation.

Regardless of the cause, these findings show the dangerous potential of distrust and disengagement. It is crucial in any digital transformation initiative to have complete buy-in from all staff, top to bottom. This begins not just with showing the value of the investment, but demonstrating how it can work with existing workflows, rather than simply existing as another layer on top of them.

In the age of digitization, trust in data is paramount. There is no point collecting information that cannot be relied on. Manufacturers are weary of solutions that promise radical transformation but do not modulate to their specific needs. This need for integration to bridge the gap from the shop-floor to enterprise systems has given rise to MOM software, which itself can be seen as an evolution of MES solutions. These solutions, provided by companies such as Siemens, iTAC Software, AVEVA, and others, are designed to improve efficiency through increased transparency. Operators have better insights into their systems because they can immediately see how the hardware is performing in the greater context of the factory environment.

Yet, this transparency is only part of the equation. MOM needs DAD to prove the information reliable. Data should be standardized, accurate, and accessible—and always secure. It must survive collection from the factory floor, traveling from sensor to dashboard quickly and without losing crucial context or integrity. These data must then travel quickly from the frontline worker to the enterprise level, not just identifying the potential problem, but providing a solution before revenue has been lost to excessive downtime. All of this must happen without losing the assurance as to its origin, so that the decision maker can trace the data from the right device and the right time.

Agentic AI solutions, such as those showcased by Tulip Interfaces at the recent Hannover Messe, go a long way in automating this process and reducing the crucial latency between issue occurrence and resolution, provided they are designed securely. The data are crucial to every digital transformation project. Without dependable data, it does not matter how accessible the data are.

Manufacturing solution vendors must ensure they understand their customers’ needs. The data paradox currently seen by ABI Research, L2L, and others risks slowing crucial investments needed to keep manufacturers competitive. It is not enough to have the information available; investments and internal alignment are needed to maximize reaction time and maintain the pace of innovation. MOM technology and DAD philosophy can help, producing better action and better yield (BABY) for any manufacturer that adopts them.