Powered by: CIONET, Cognizant and AWS

On Thursday, October 9, 2025, we gathered a group of CIOs and Digital leaders from manufacturing companies for an intimate, high-level setting at Restaurant Tante Koosje in Loenen aan de Vecht. Hosted by CIONET and in collaboration with Cognizant, and AWS the evening was dedicated to tackling one of the most persistent challenges in digital transformation: how to move from pilots and proofs-of-concept to scalable, enterprise-wide success.

The dinner was moderated by Herman van Bolhuis (Founder, CIONET), who steered the conversation through strategic, technical, and organizational dimensions of scaling smart initiatives.

The Challenge: “Pilot Purgatory”

Many organizations find themselves stuck in what is often called “pilot purgatory”, projects in generative AI, connected manufacturing, digital twins or automation that show promise in limited scope, but never make it into full-scale adoption. Barriers include:

• Fragmented, siloed data and legacy IT systems
• Poor alignment between the frontline/operations and executive strategy
• Lack of a clear, repeatable, and measurable scaling roadmap
• Difficulty in integrating OT (Operational Technology) and IT systems reliably at scale
  
  

In this dinner, leaders discussed not only the technical risks and constraints but also the organizational, cultural, and strategic adjustments required.

Key Themes Explored

Some of the major topics and perspectives that surfaced:

• From Pilot to Practice
  How do you break free from the pilot stage? Which governance and execution frameworks help make smart manufacturing initiatives stick?
• Generative AI & Real-Time Automation
  Going beyond insights to action: how can AI and automation be embedded in processes so they continuously produce value, not just in isolated pockets?
• Empowering the Workforce
  Smart transformation isn’t just about tech — it’s about enabling people. How can you build skills, mindsets, and engagement so employees become drivers of innovation rather than resistors?
• IT/OT Integration & Data Standardization
  At scale, the seams between operational tech and information systems must be seamless. Standardized data, interoperability, and clean architectures are key enablers.
  
  

What We Take Away

• Scaling requires more than success at small scale
  A pilot with promising results doesn’t automatically translate into impact across the enterprise. You need governance, measurement, alignment, and adaptability.
• Start with architecture and data foundation
  Without integrated data and robust architectural design, you’ll struggle to scale reliably.
• People and process matter as much as tech
  Rolling out new tools means rethinking roles, training, incentives, and culture.
• Bridge the gap intentionally
  The path from pilot to scale should be designed, not hoped for. A repeatable, iterative, phased roadmap with clear metrics is essential.