The technologies that made the greatest impacts and the leaders who implemented the tech.

While failure instructs, when it comes to manufacturing technology, what matters is what actually works.

Every new technology starts on the hype end of the Gartner cycle. Manufacturers have to wait patiently for new hardware and software to prove out. Then, it takes time to explore and understand the technology that seems to have value. Pilot use cases can be difficult to identify and implement.

Once a technology deployment succeeds, however, doors to possibility open up across the organization. Taking that first step, deploying that first technology, bears fruit far beyond its immediate benefits. That is when a digital transformation kicks into gear.

Here, then, are our stories from 2024 that best chronicle manufacturing technology that gets results and the leaders who blazed the digital trail.