What Industry 4.0? The never-ending pilot
Full-scale digital transformation is stuck at pilot stage for most manufacturers. Not because the technology doesn't work, but because suppliers are selling software when customers want guaranteed outcomes, providing data when they need operational context, and asking for enterprise commitments before proving value.
The majority of manufacturers still run traditional break-fix maintenance - they're not waiting for perfect platforms, they're waiting for proof it solves their problems. This article explores three ways suppliers are helping customers cross the pilot chasm.
The problem: The pilot trap
The pattern is familiar. Engineering teams instrument a production line or a fleet of machines with a smattering of IoT devices. Data flows into a cloud platform. Algorithms detect anomalies. Maintenance teams receive alerts. Everyone celebrates the "digital transformation".
But twelve months later, the business case remains theoretical. The technology works, but the commercial model doesn't. Customers remain unconvinced that predictive maintenance alerts justify a subscription fee. Internal stakeholders question whether the investment will ever pay back.
This is where most industrial digital initiatives stall. Not from technical failure, but from commercial ambiguity.
Where suppliers can help manufacturers cross the tech pilot chasm
Sell outcomes, not technology
Rather than offering "condition monitoring software", leading suppliers are guaranteeing uptime, selling availability as a service, or taking on performance risk through outcome-based contracts.
Customers don't buy IoT, they buy reduced downtime, improved yield, or lower total cost of ownership. Successful suppliers have reframed their value proposition entirely around these business outcomes, making the technology invisible and the value undeniable.
Provide context, not just data
Data alone has limited value – the gold dust is in the context that transforms it into commercial advantage. The real opportunity isn't just knowing when a component will fail, but understanding how that failure impacts the customer's operation, their downstream commitments, and their own customer relationships.
Industrial suppliers with deep domain expertise are uniquely positioned to provide this contextual intelligence that pure-play tech companies cannot replicate. They speak the language of the production floor, not just the data centre.
Demonstrating tangible value before scaling investment
The suppliers breaking through use a "hyper-care" trial period. Intense, hands-on support during the first 60-90 days to prove the technology works in the customer's specific environment. Daily check-ins. Rapid troubleshooting. Joint problem-solving when data doesn't match reality.
This isn't about the technology working in theory; it's about building confidence that it works in practice, with their assets, their processes, their people. Only after this proving phase do manufacturers commit to broader deployment.
Making It Real
The industrial companies winning with IoT aren't the ones with the most sensors or the slickest dashboards. They're the ones who've cracked the fundamentals – outcomes over features, context over data, proof over promises.
For most manufacturers still running traditional maintenance operations, the path forward isn't about grand digital transformation programmes. It's about finding suppliers willing to put skin in the game. Suppliers who'll guarantee results, not just sell software. Who understand your operation well enough to tell you what the data actually means. And who'll work alongside your team during those critical first 90 days to prove it works in your reality, not just in a vendor demo.
The question isn't whether your equipment is connected. It's whether your supplier is committed.
Want to chat about your customer problem?
Drop me an email - sam.forbes@welivecontext.com
We Live Context helps industrial suppliers uncover B2B challenges, identify customer problems, and build strategies that give them the edge.