LNS Research Industrial Transformation and Operational Excellence Blog

Scaling AI Trust & Plant Credibility: Chief Sustainability Officer CTA

Allison.Kuhn@lns-global.com (Allison Kuhn) — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:00:00 GMT

AI is often presented as the next breakthrough for manufacturing. Boards demand it, CEOs promote it, and vendors sell it. On plant floors, however, workers cite tools that don’t reflect operational reality and mistrust recommendations. “Efficiency” projects feel disconnected from daily work, safety, and lasting impact. This has widened the credibility gap and serves as a wake-up call for executives investing in AI (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Surveys show a significant gap in how AI is being perceived, with anxious workers on the shop floor and excited execs on the top floor.

The 2026 Industrial Productivity Index and World’s Most Productive Companies™

matthew.littlefield@lnsresearch.com (Matthew Littlefield) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:55:51 GMT

2025 was a historic year.

The Industrial DataOps Tipping Point: Are We There Yet?

vivek.murugesan@lns-global.com (Vivek Murugesan) — Tue, 12 May 2026 14:15:00 GMT

With the emergence of Industrial DataOps, the OT side of the fence is finally getting the attention and solution it deserves, which IT has been getting for quite some time now. Over the past few years, multiple waves of technology and vendor activity have targeted this challenge. But I believe we have now reached a tipping point. Significant capital flows, new product launches, open-source momentum, and accelerating adoption tell us that Industrial DataOps is no longer an emerging concept.

Industrial AI for Safety, Quality, & a Sustained Competitive Advantage

Allison.Kuhn@lns-global.com (Allison Kuhn) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:02:00 GMT

Executives are in a race as Industrial AI is rewriting the rules of manufacturing leadership. As margins tighten and operations grow more complex, the winners won’t just be those who adopt digital tools first, but those who industrialize AI fastest and most effectively. Industrial Transformation Leaders, the top 29% of manufacturers leveraging digital technologies to drive step-change performance, have dramatically improved safety, quality, and profitability (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Leaders have dramatically improved performance
compared to Followers in every metric that matters

Four Categories of Manufacturing Execution Solutions

niels.andersen@lns-global.com (Niels Andersen) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:45:00 GMT

MES is not disappearing. The market is maturing, and it is splitting into four distinct categories that reflect how different manufacturers address the same fundamental execution challenges. Before evaluating specific vendors, manufacturers need to understand which category fits their situation.

Where Palantir Won & C3 Didn’t: A Tale of Two Industrial AI Platforms

vivek.murugesan@lns-global.com (Vivek Murugesan) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:47:00 GMT

Software categories are nothing without some healthy competition, and it’s only more interesting when it’s a true 1-v-1 comparison of two companies with similar characteristics. Whether it was Seeq vs. TrendMiner in self-serviced Advanced Industrial Analytics, or more recently Highbyte vs. Litmus in Industrial DataOps, a closer look at each of these matchups provides some good insights on what it takes to win in a category.