Why orchestration is the better answer to industrial AI’s semantic bottleneck Collaboration Synergies Inc. · Author of The Intelligent Digital Thread · November 2026 AMT has put its finger on the real problem with industrial AI. In a recent IMTS article, “Getting Operations Ready for Industrial AI: Addressing the Technology Stack,” Ryan Kelly, AMT’s vice …
If integration cannot produce the item-specific production record, what can? The answer is one sentence: a production-grade engine executes a visual process model against a specific item, and the record emerges as a natural byproduct of execution. The model is called a Bill of Process Information — a BOPI. For each production step, the BOPI …
Read more “The Record Your Plant Needs Is a Byproduct — Not a Project.”
There was a period, not that long ago in the arc of industrial history, when the problem I described previously did not even have a name. And without a name, it was very hard to solve. Picture the manufacturing floor of the mid-1980s. ERP systems — or their ancestors — were planning production. They were …
Read more “We Named It MES. Here Is What That Naming Made Possible — And What It Left Unsolved.””
When manufacturers discover their AI can’t reach the data it needs, the next word in the meeting is always the same: integration. Connect the systems. Break the silos. Build the unified view. The industry has been doing exactly this for twenty-five years. Five generations of integration technology — point-to-point custom interfaces, Enterprise Application Integration, Enterprise …
Read more “Five Generations of Integration. Same Missing Record.”
The Book Is Out. Here Is Why the Argument Still Matters. By Michael McClellan · President, Collaboration Synergies Inc · Camas, Washington Six months ago I published an article on this platform arguing that manufacturing AI is missing its foundation. The response confirmed what four decades of plant work had already taught me: the problem …
Read more “Manufacturing AI Still Has a Foundation Problem.”
I have been in a leadership position regarding the evolution of manufacturing plant information generation and management since the first concepts of a manufacturing execution system and real time data management were developed. I sometimes wonder how we got to where we are and how the modern pieces fit together in an AI world and …
Read more “Evolution From Manual Data Collection to Digital Thread and AI”
IntroductionAs industries embrace digital transformation, several foundational concepts have emerged to guide the shift toward smarter, more efficient, and more integrated systems. Among these are digitization, digitalization, the digital thread, Model-Based Design (MBD), and the Model-Based Enterprise (MBE). This blog provides a definition for each concept and explores how they interrelate within modern engineering and …
Read more “Interconnected Concepts in the Digital Transformation of Engineering and Manufacturing”
In today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment, the ability to seamlessly connect data, processes, and people is more critical than ever. A well-implemented digital thread can provide the visibility and agility needed to thrive in this landscape. Business Process Management (BPM) serves as a crucial framework in building this digital thread, enabling organizations to streamline operations, enhance …
Read more “Building Your Production Digital Thread with BPM: A Comprehensive Guide”
This is the core illustration from the recently published Department of Defense Directive 5000.97 on Digital Engineering. The directive describes the DoD concepts behind the Digital Engineering Ecosystem that includes digital engineering and the technical activities including manufacturing and quality. Digital Engineering Ecosystem: Theinfrastructure and architecture (hardware, software, networks, tools, workforce) necessary to support digital …
Read more “US Department of Defense Digital Engineering Ecosystem”
I was delighted to participate in the NIST driven Model Based Enterprise Summit held in Chicago the week of April 21. We were invited to speak at the event and had a great opportunity to visit with many of the participants regarding opportunities and issues surrounding the concept of the Digital Thread, particularly as applied …