Understanding Manufacturing Resilience Through Technology and Team Empowerment

Welcome to our special coverage from Automate 2025, recorded directly at the Siemens booth. In this episode of Manufacturing Hub, hosts Vlad Romanov and Dave Griffith sit down with Chris Stevens and Annemarie Breu from Siemens to explore the evolving landscape of manufacturing resilience, digital twins, and automation lifecycle management.

This conversation dives into how manufacturers can prepare for disruptions, scale pilot projects into real business outcomes, and adopt technologies that make factories more flexible and robust. Chris highlights the importance of people and processes in delivering exceptional customer experiences, while Annemarie emphasizes how scaling technology deployments creates measurable business impact. Together, they outline how Siemens is helping manufacturers move from isolated pilots to large scale adoption, ultimately strengthening resilience and competitiveness in today’s uncertain environment.

We examine the meaning of manufacturing resilience in practice, including how to withstand supply chain shocks, tariffs, and workforce challenges. The discussion also covers workforce empowerment and the need to make manufacturing attractive again, not only by deploying advanced technologies but also by enabling teams to own solutions from the ground up.

A major theme is the role of the digital twin. Chris and Annemarie explain why starting in the virtual world is essential to validate designs, optimize processes, and minimize downtime risks. They address how digital twin adoption is becoming more accessible through as a service delivery models and collaborative environments where end users, system integrators, and technology providers all contribute.

We also look at the connection between copilot technologies and both operations and engineering. Natural language copilots are enabling operators to troubleshoot equipment quickly and engineers to interact with simulation environments more intuitively. This shift is accelerating adoption while reducing barriers to advanced tools.

Finally, the episode touches on automation lifecycle management, drawing parallels to product lifecycle management. By centralizing and version controlling automation artifacts such as PLC programs, HMI projects, and industrial edge applications, Siemens is paving the way for resilient and adaptable operations.

If you are curious about the future of resilient manufacturing, digital twins, and adaptive automation, this episode provides both strategic and practical insights.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction live from Automate 2025 at Siemens booth
01:00 Guest introductions and roles at Siemens
02:00 Defining manufacturing resilience in today’s environment
04:00 Workforce challenges and empowering teams to drive adoption
05:00 Why digital twin is the starting point for resilient operations
07:00 Digital twin adoption for small and medium manufacturers
09:00 Collaborative engineering environments and the metaverse
10:00 Challenges and opportunities at the cutting edge of automation
11:00 Copilot technologies for operators and engineers
12:30 Connecting digital twins with copilots across engineering and operations
13:30 Automation lifecycle management explained
14:30 Future deep dive preview on automation lifecycle management

References mentioned in this episode

Siemens Digital Industries: https://www.siemens.com/global/en/products/automation.html
Jeff Burnstein and Automate coverage: https://www.automateshow.com/

About the hosts

Vlad Romanov is an engineer, consultant, and co host of the Manufacturing Hub Podcast. With over a decade of experience in manufacturing and industrial automation, Vlad has worked with global companies such as Procter and Gamble and Kraft Heinz, focusing on digital transformation, SCADA and MES deployments, and operational excellence. He also leads Joltek, a consulting firm helping manufacturers modernize operations. Learn more at https://www.joltek.com/

Dave Griffith is a consultant and co host of the Manufacturing Hub Podcast. He has extensive experience helping manufacturers and technology companies bridge the gap between strategy and execution, with a focus on scaling digital transformation initiatives. Dave frequently speaks on topics including systems integration, leadership, and the evolving role of technology in industrial operations.

About the guests

Chris Stevens is responsible for customer experience at Siemens Digital Industries. His focus is on people and processes, ensuring that technology deployments deliver meaningful outcomes, adoption, and long term value for customers.

Annemarie Breu leads the Accelerator Deployment Team at Siemens Digital Industries. She specializes in implementing Siemens technologies beyond the pilot stage, scaling adoption, and ensuring that digital solutions create measurable business outcomes.

If you enjoy this conversation, make sure to subscribe to Manufacturing Hub for more interviews from Automate 2025 and beyond.