Unlocking Success in Digital Transformation (Part 1)

In this first part of our new series on how to unlock success in digital transformation, Bram recalls his own journey, introduces MES and gives an outlook to the parts to come.

Did you know that 60-70% of digital transformations fail to achieve their goals? 

Last week, David and Willem introduced Bram Van Genabet as the newest member of The IT/OT Insider crew. With more than a decade of hands-on experience leading digital transformation across various industries, Bram has overseen the rollout of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) across more than 160 production lines, significantly enhancing operational efficiency.

In this new series, “How to Get Started with Digital Transformation,” Bram will share the story behind his journey. He will reflect on the challenges faced, the lessons learned, and how these experiences transformed his projects from initial setbacks to significant successes. Bram will be talking about how a paper-dominated data desert evolved into an emerging data-driven organization capable of unlocking value from new insights.

In this first article, Bram delves into the early hurdles of his digital projects, offering valuable insights on overcoming obstacles and avoiding common pitfalls when starting a digital transformation journey.

It's Wednesday night, May 3rd, 2017, almost 10 PM. I'm finally arriving at my hotel room in Ridley Park, Philadelphia, completely exhausted. You know that feeling when you're so tired that all you want to do is sleep, but you're also starving because you haven't eaten properly in hours? Meanwhile, your mind is racing with a cocktail of to-dos, adrenaline, and caffeine. Just 72 hours ago, the first MES application went live at our site in nearby Eddystone. We had already been working double shifts, seven days a week, for two weeks leading up to the launch.

It had been touch-and-go for a while. The project was severely delayed, and our relationship with the contractor building the application was strained, to say the least. Two weeks ago, the final Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) results were disastrous, with numerous bugs still unresolved. The testing process was slow and cumbersome, and each new test cycle felt like a game of whack-a-mole—every fix seemed to break something else. 

Our frustration grew with the lack of progress and clear communication. To make matters worse, much of the work was being done remotely, far from the factory floor, by developers who had little understanding of the environment in which the application would be used. This led to frequent misinterpretations of our functional requirements. On top of that, we kept discovering new exceptions in the process that had to be added to the application. I couldn’t help but wonder why we hadn't been able to better describe our process before development started. 

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Understanding MES - Manufacturing Execution System

The term MES stands for Manufacturing Execution System. It's a critical application focused on executing manufacturing processes on the shop floor. However, the concept of MES is often mixed with related terms such as MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) and Historian (industrial data logger), leading to some overlap and varying interpretations. For the scope of this blog MES was interpreted broadly to include the following capabilities:

• Order management

• Inventory management

• Traceability

• Recipe management

• Performance management

• Quality management

• Energy management

• Process parameter management (including historian)

• Operator logbook

Make sure to subscribe to receive next week's article which will be a deep dive into the world of MES. 

“Needless to say, the call did not start well”

Bram continues his story: 

Ultimately, we managed to get the application to deliver results that were "just good enough" to move forward. Then there was the issue with the interface to the automation system. The contractor had assured us it was under control and would be ready in time. However, when we tested it a week ago, it turned out that almost nothing in the MES-PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) interface was ready, let alone working as intended. The contractor, who was supposed to fix it, had a flight booked home and made it clear he wouldn’t be staying over the weekend. Things were looking bleak just before our status update with the COO, where we had to decide whether to proceed with the Go/No-Go decision for the GoLive next week. The project had already been delayed multiple times, we were severely over budget, and support for the project was melting away like ice in the summer sun.

I entered one of the fluorescent-lit meeting rooms with the contractor’s project manager to dial into the call with my manager, the COO, and the managing director of the contractor. Needless to say, the call did not start well. Ultimatums were being thrown around, with the integrator being warned that if they didn’t deliver, the project would be killed. Since the project was over budget and there were ongoing disputes about change requests and scope changes, stopping the project would set us back years in our digital transformation efforts. 

The COO was clear on the phone: if we didn’t start by next week, the project would be over—game over. We were to continue preparing for the GoLive, ensure everything was ready, and report back on Monday morning before midday Central European Time (6 AM in Philadelphia). The factory would be stopped Monday morning for the monthly stock count, so either we started up then, or we would lose at least another month. We were desperate to show some results and had little choice. The stakes were high: we got 48 hours. 

It’s all about people, process, technology and data

When I entered the chocolate industry in 2015, the company was embarking on a transformative journey: the implementation of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). The project’s objectives were ambitious—digitizing factory operations by automating traceability, eliminating paperwork, and boosting productivity. We began with two pilot sites, one in the USA and another in France, with a plan to complete the pilot within 9-12 months and create a template for a global rollout.

Initially, my role in the project was limited. I participated in a few vendor demos and contributed to the energy management functional requirements. At that time, I had only been with the company for a few months and was busy working on automation upgrades at a factory in Spain. This experience turned out to be the perfect preparation for my future involvement in the MES project, as it deepened my understanding of the chocolate-making process. Coming from a background in oil & gas and chemicals, I naturally sought out data historians to learn more about the processes. To my surprise, most of the people I approached in my new company had never heard of them. Many processes were still paper-based, with some data stored in the SCADA system, but accessing that data often required a USB stick or even a picture taken with an old Nokia phone. It felt like I had stepped into a data desert. The gap between where we were and where we wanted to be was vast, but so was the potential.

One of the reasons I joined this company was its global presence. I had always wanted to work on a project in the USA, and when I learned that the project manager for the USA pilot was leaving, I expressed my interest in taking over the role. By then, the project was about six months in, and tensions were rising. The focus had been on the interface between the ERP system and the MES application, but there were numerous exceptions to handle. Early test results were disappointing, and the functional requirements were still evolving as new challenges emerged. I knew this would be a challenging project, but I was excited to dive in fully, and I remain grateful to this day for the opportunity to take on this challenge.

“We faced numerous challenges, experiencing high highs and equally low lows.”

What I expected to be a one-year project turned into an odyssey. The pilot project was like a thriller, with multiple moments when it was just one decision away from being completely scrapped. We faced numerous challenges, experiencing high highs and equally low lows. The core project team grew into a highly capable group, forming a global digital community. Now, eight years later, we've deployed the solution to over 160 production lines across more than 30 factories, scaling the benefits throughout the organization.

Bram’s Journey, from vision, over pilot, proof of value and acceleration. Source: Author

On a personal note, I’ve reached another milestone in my career. I’ve decided to take on a new challenge as an independent consultant, beginning with a new role as Digital Operations Director at La Lorraine Bakery Group to embark on a fresh digital transformation journey.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing my experiences and insights with the IT/OT Insider community. I’ll reflect on the challenges we faced and how we successfully overcame them to deliver significant value to the organization. Alongside these reflections, I’ll offer fresh perspectives on how to initiate a digital transformation journey based on my new experiences. 

Throughout the years, and through interactions with many practitioners from other companies undergoing similar transformations, I’ve identified that the key challenges tend to revolve around four critical dimensions: people, process, technology, and data. Together, we’ll dive deeper into these areas and explore essential questions, such as:

People – How can you ensure that applications are user-friendly and embraced by the workforce? How do you address the challenges of change management? How do you communicate and market the digital transformation project? What strategies work for building reports that genuinely replace shop floor paperwork? What skills and capabilities are essential for success?

Process – Why it’s crucial not to automate a broken process. How can you define an operating model that functions effectively in a digital organization rather than merely automating exceptions? What internal processes are most effective for deploying and maintaining an MES application at scale?

Technology –  How do you develop a scalable and standardized template that operates reliably across multiple sites? How to deal with version control and upgrades? How to select the right platform for the application? 

Data* – What are the best practices for managing data quality, ownership, and availability? How can you derive valuable insights despite missing or unreliable sensor data?

Digital transformation isn’t just about implementing new technology—it’s about navigating a complex, high-stakes journey where 60-70% of projects fall short. The real key to success? It’s not just about adopting new tools but seamlessly integrating people, processes, technology, and data. 

Intrigued by how to steer clear of common pitfalls and transform challenges into victories? Be sure to subscribe to the blog to stay updated and to learn more about my journey and the insights I’ve gathered along the way.

Footnote* : In older models, data was often considered a part of the technology pillar. However, contemporary frameworks, such as those discussed in Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI by Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney Zemmel, position technology as a tool to unlock and utilize data. In these modern models, data is treated as a separate, distinct pillar, focusing on essential aspects like data governance, including ensuring data quality, establishing data ownership, and implementing effective data management practices.