About this session

What is holding back your smart factory vision — a lack of technology or a lack of alignment?

For decades, manufacturing leaders have optimized systems in silos: IT focused on data, OT on production. But as AI, IoT, and automation transform the industrial landscape, these traditional divides have become more than inconvenient, they have become a barrier to growth, innovation, and resilience.

Real-time manufacturing demands seamless, real-time data. Yet legacy infrastructures, fragmented systems, disconnected teams, and cultural divides leave many factories stuck in operational deadlock. IT-OT convergence is often pitched as the answer — but few talk openly about the leadership challenges, security risks, and operational complexities it creates.

In this session, Micael Meixeiro, Global ICT and Digital Head of IoT at Stellantis, shares firsthand insights from one of the world’s largest industrial groups on what it really takes to move from silos to synergy. Together, we will explore how leading manufacturers are rethinking integration — not just of systems, but of teams, processes, and governance — to unlock smarter operations, resilient infrastructures, and future-ready factories.

Join us for a candid, insight-driven conversation on how forward-thinking manufacturers are moving from silos to synergy and why mastering IT-OT convergence is fast becoming a leadership imperative in the race for smart factory success.

Discussion points:

• How are manufacturers successfully breaking down silos between IT and OT systems and teams?
• What new capabilities emerge when IT and OT systems are fully integrated?
•  How can legacy infrastructure be modernized without disrupting production?
• What cultural challenges arise when aligning IT and OT—and how are they addressed?
• How are cybersecurity risks evolving at the IT-OT intersection?
• What role does cloud and edge computing play in real-time factory intelligence?
• What does a fully connected, future-ready smart factory look like in practice?