Peggy’s Tech Blog:

Journey back with me 20 years ago. Manufacturing leaders were asking whether automation would fundamentally change the workforce. Today, the conversation has shifted, albeit only slightly. Now, the debate centers on AI (artificial intelligence), robotics, and what many are beginning to call physical AI. And once again, the fear narrative dominates the headlines: Will machines replace people?

But perhaps we are asking the wrong question. The manufacturing industry has always evolved through disruption. Steam power changed labor. Electrification changed productivity. The internet changed connectivity. Industrial IoT (Internet of Things) changed data access. And now AI is changing decision-making itself. Yet every industrial revolution did more than eliminate tasks. Rather, it created entirely new industries, new services, and new opportunities that previously did not exist.

What does it really take to innovate in today's fast-moving, connected world? In this episode of The Peggy Smedley Show, host Peggy Smedley sits down with Dave Moelker, CEO of Twisthink, to explore how their unique cross-functional model — blending strategy, design, and engineering — helps OEMs and industrial companies modernize faster and smarter. Dave shares how Twisthink helped Flexco, a 100-year-old mining industry leader, transform their physical conveyor belt equipment into a smart, connected system — reducing unnecessary service visits and improving uptime through remote monitoring and real-time data.

For More Information from IBM THINK:

Recently, I came across a CBS News report documenting a new use for animatronic robots, now deployed in Japan.

What interested me most: The robot is not humanoid. It is a robotic version of a wolf, which makes perfect sense: In nature, a bear is more afraid of a wolf than a human.

Your next campaign brief writes itself.

Most marketing teams spend Monday morning pulling numbers. Viktor spends it posting them. Cross-platform brief in #growth before the first standup. Spend anomalies flagged before they compound.

Your marketing team stops reporting and starts deciding.

Looking to sponsor an upcoming segment of The Peggy Smedley Show? Check out the exciting topics planned for the coming months and send your ideas to [email protected].

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