has partnered with IMD Business School to launch its inaugural Industrial Intelligence Report, shedding light on how organisations are navigating the shift towards connected, data-driven industrial ecosystems.
The study reveals a clear disconnect between ambition and execution. While 74% of business leaders identify digital ecosystems as a strategic priority, only 27% report substantial data sharing with partners. This gap underscores persistent challenges, including integration complexity, legacy infrastructure and weak governance frameworks.
At the core of the report is the concept of “industrial intelligence”, defined as the integration of operational technology, information technology and artificial intelligence to enable real-time, data-driven decision-making across industrial ecosystems.
The research suggests that organisations capable of harnessing this capability are better positioned to respond to supply chain volatility, accelerate innovation and advance decarbonisation efforts.
Case studies featuring organisations such as the Port of Rotterdam and Kwinana in Australia demonstrate how industrial intelligence is already delivering measurable value. However, scaling these successes remains a hurdle, with many companies struggling to align strategy, governance and technology.
Caspar Herzberg, CEO of AVEVA, emphasised the importance of leadership and structural transformation. “With this collaboration with IMD, our ambition is not merely to understand the motivations behind the move to digital ecosystems, but to define the frameworks, competencies and leadership practices that will concretely enable companies to transcend silos and build more adaptive, ecosystem-driven operating models,” he said.
IMD’s Michael Wade highlighted that technological capability alone is insufficient. “Governance, integration and learning matter more right now than algorithms. Ecosystems are already delivering operational value. The next phase is about converting that foundation into strategic advantage through better data sharing, coordination, clearer roles and more deliberate leadership,” he noted.
As industrial sectors continue to digitise, the report concludes that success will depend less on isolated technological investments and more on an organisation’s ability to orchestrate collaborative, intelligence-led ecosystems at scale.
