At Realize LIVE, Barry Chapman, vice president and general manager of U.S. Industries at Siemens Digital Industries Software, joined the Applied Imperative podcast with Dale Goulding to discuss what is driving transformation across sectors like aerospace and automotive.
Stream the full episode here.
The importance of the “plumbing”
While AI is top of mind for most leaders, Barry emphasizes that real transformation starts with structured, reliable data. “People dream about what’s possible with AI,” he said. “But you can’t interact with AI models unless the data is exact and correct.”
Barry highlights configuration-driven bill of materials (BOM) management as a critical, though often overlooked, enabler. He compares it to plumbing—unglamorous but essential. “The plumbing behind the scenes is so critical,” Barry said. It’s the foundation for everything from the “industrial metaverse” to “agentic AI,” Barry said.
Evolve with AI or risk falling behind
Barry emphasizes the urgency to get comfortable with AI, not just as a tool, but as a language. “AI is not going to replace workers,” he said. “But the workers who don’t know AI will be realized.”
His point is clear: companies that wait too long to adopt digital tools risk falling behind. “You have to learn how you’re interacting with AI, how you’re questioning it, how you’re using the data,” Barry said. Learning these skills, especially with tools like Mendix, helps teams move faster and make more informed decisions.
Barry stresses that the industrial future belongs to those who are agile, connected, and digitally fluent.
“The faster you can adapt to those headwinds, the better off you’re going to be,” Barry said.
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