Dozens of research reports detail the plague of pilot purgatory in digital transformation initiatives. Take, for example, the 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey by Deloitte. A key finding revealed that while 98% of manufacturers have started a digital transformation project, the vast majority remain stuck in the pilot phase, unable to achieve scalable impact. A major culprit for this phenomenon is a lack of strategy that funnels investments of time and technology into an abyss.
Without a connection to the business, digital transformation remains a technology conversation. Enter Los Angeles-based CESMII – The Smart Manufacturing Institute.
For years, CESMII has been at the forefront of smart manufacturing. Founded in 2016 and one of 17 Manufacturing USA institutes, CESMII is an advocate for smart manufacturing. During the past several years, CESMII has created a comprehensive set of resources to help manufacturers adopt smart manufacturing processes. The institute also led efforts to standardize data modeling, developing the Smart Manufacturing Interoperability Platform and establishing three regional Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centers that serve as technology-demonstration and workforce-training centers.