The best customer-facing technology makes the complex simple. Then companies add complexity over time.
That describes much about Apple. Is the iPhone becoming too complex?
I was playing around with computing devices in the late 70s and early 80s. I set my dad’s little accounting business up on a Radio Shack TRS80 (affectionately called Trash-80).
I joined a small company in 1984 that designed and built automated assembly machines. My role was to lead sales, marketing, and application engineering. We used Apple IIs for quoting. My admin could save a quote, call it up, make changes, and send to a new prospect. Two GMI co-ops worked for me. I inherited project management. I sketched out a project management application using Multiplan (a spreadsheet) on the Apple II. Pretty cool.
I had an Apple IIc at home. I could carry floppy disks allowing me to work at home.
I missed the original Mac revolution. I’ve been exclusively on Apple since 2003. I’m typing this on an M2 Macbook Air (2022) that does everything I need. A new generation iPhone nestles on the table next to the computer. The only non-Apple device is a Remarkable paper tablet.
Apple is experiencing a subtle change as they prepare for the transition from the Tim Cook era. I hope they return to those early simplify roots.
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Fanuc announced in recent news a significant investment to create production capacity for robot manufacturing in the US.
We experienced more announcements regarding investments in manufacturing and infrastructure in the US during the past 10 years than just about any other flurry of announcements. Most never came to pass. This thought includes the multi-billions announced for building out data center infrastructure to power AI LLMs. (Most of those will never be built as this technology levels off.)
One of my favorite analysts, Samantha Mou, Senior Analyst at market intelligence firm Interact Analysis provides comments regarding the announcement which I find relevant.
FANUC America’s $90M investment is part of a growing trend where robot manufacturers are bringing production closer to key markets, and the US is becoming a critical destination. Interact Analysis expects the industrial robot market here to see steady growth over the next five years, driven by reshoring initiatives and policies like tariffs, which are forcing robot makers to rethink their manufacturing strategies.
FANUC isn’t alone in this shift. Just last year, Yaskawa attracted attention by announcing plans for US-based production for robots and motion control components. As the largest robot supplier in the U.S. by market share, FANUC’s push toward local production aligns naturally with its market leadership and customer proximity strategy.
That said, questions remain about the depth of localization. It is possible that the new facility will primarily support assembly instead of full-scale manufacturing. Given that FANUC produces its core motion control components in Japan, and with limited domestic supply of key parts such as precision gearboxes in the US, it is likely that critical components will continue to be imported, with final robot assembly conducted locally.
I’m always happy to see news of investment in manufacturing. But experience has made me skeptical about the real impact. We can hope.
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I thought something like this would happen when asset management firm TPG scarfed up some castoff small software divisions of larger companies. They’ve brought GE Vernova’s former Proficy business and PTC’s former Kepware and ThingWorx businesses together into a new company.
From the press release (which must mention AI to meet today’s standards), Velotic will provide new levels of AI-driven manufacturing efficiency, productivity, and data visibility.
The company will be led by Brian Shepherd (CEO) and James Heppelmann (Executive Chairman). Shepherd was formerly at Rockwell Automation and PTC. Heppelmann led PTC.
My observation is that this company will have a tough go competing against Inductive Automation (yes, they sponsor me, but don’t tell me what to write, and I like their continual innovation). Then there are established companies such as AVEVA (Wonderware, etc.) and Rockwell Automation (FactoryTalk etc.).
This will be interesting to watch.
Velotic today announced its launch as a leading independent industrial software company, uniting multiple trusted platforms to advance a new era for industrial and manufacturing technology. The formation of Velotic coincides with the closings of TPG’s previously announced acquisitions of Proficy, the former manufacturing software business of GE Vernova, and PTC’s former industrial connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) businesses. Backed by TPG, Velotic delivers a leading suite of data-driven solutions focused on improving processes by unlocking efficiency, enhancing productivity, and providing visibility across complex data and industrial operations.
The obligatory marketing justification geared not to you, the prospect or user, but to market analysts.
Velotic is purpose-built to meet the rapidly evolving productivity and data needs of manufacturing operators across the globe with a focus on creating next-generation, AI-powered industrial and manufacturing software solutions. By bringing together Proficy’s automation and production management expertise with Kepware’s industrial connectivity leadership and ThingWorx’s best-in-class industrial data and analytics applications, Velotic will provide customers with greater visibility, unparalleled insight, and the robust data and AI capabilities needed to produce and compete in today’s complex manufacturing environment.
Status.
Based in the Boston area, Velotic has more than $300 million of revenue and serves customers across manufacturing, oil & gas, utilities, and infrastructure. Proficy, Kepware, and ThingWorx will remain as distinct product lines within the broader Velotic portfolio, now operating under one mission and platform.
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The vendor engineer explained a new product. My job was to take the product to UL for testing and approval. This was about 1984. It was a heater with electrical/electronic controls. We went over the schematic. “This circuit is here because the customer likes… This circuit controls something the customer doesn’t like.” I was so impressed about designing for best customer experience.
This memory returned when I saw this report from Interact Analysis. I like this market analyst reports better than most after having spent some time discussing methodology with a founder.
The report reveals that most companies haven’t a clue about what most of their customers want and need. I could say I’m shocked…but I’m not.
The study specifics:
Participant Demographics
Company type: Hardware OEM, System Integrator, Consulting/Advisory Firm, Distributor/Channel Partner, +Others
Countries: Participants took part from all over Europe, the USA, Middle East and Asia
Organization annual revenue: ranged from <$25M to over $1B
Methodology
This report is based on an online survey conducted in December 2025 and January 2026, capturing feedback from more than 200 individuals worldwide. All responses were validated to ensure data accuracy. Insights from 10 in-depth interviews with leading organizations further enrich the findings by adding qualitative context where relevant.
While nearly all respondents report some level of customer feedback activity, only 30% say they have a fully developed, structured program in place. Of these, almost two-thirds are companies with revenues above $1B, highlighting the resource advantage that larger organizations hold.
Smaller firms, meanwhile, often rely heavily on sales teams or informal, ad-hoc methods. This limits their ability to track trends consistently or gather representative insights.
Existing customers will tell you one story, but it is likely incomplete. A neutral, domain-expert approach enables richer insights, better representation, and a more accurate understanding of customer and market realities.
I worked with a company some years ago to talk with customers about implementing certain technologies. I heard stories, but I also wondered what they were holding back.
More than half of companies collect feedback sporadically, though most realise this is insufficient. Outsourcing elements of the feedback program reduces internal pressure while enabling organizations to maintain a consistent read on market sentiment.
The problem of who collects the data and where it goes.
While the C-Suite is the primary user of customer and market feedback – reviewing insights and applying them to strategic decisions – the sales team is most often responsible for collecting this data and managing the associated budgets.
However, sales teams may not have access to the right target groups for detailed, balanced feedback. Customers may also be less inclined to provide candid input when the request comes directly from their account owners, creating gaps in representativeness and depth.
I’ve also been at the bottom of the funnel either sending customer information or receiving “suggestions” from management about customers I knew well. The cognitive dissonance was overwhelming.
Some years ago, Hexagon went on an acquisition spree forming an organization composed of many disparate parts. I’ve attended a couple user conferences often trying to figure out where everything is.
Last year they announced a restructuring that spins off a chunk of the company. Here is the story from a message I received.
We step forward with a new identity and a powerful story to share.
As Hexagon AB prepares for the potential spin-off of its Asset Lifecycle Intelligence and Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial divisions, as well as ETQ, Bricsys and Projectmates, we are ready to introduce our new brand.
Octave was built to unleash intelligence at scale, harnessing data to transform what’s possible for customers around the world.
This is more than a new name. It’s a bold signal of who we are, and how our solutions and team can champion your business.
Expertise. Clarity. Intelligence. All tuned to cut through complexity and optimize performance – at any scope or scale. We’re looking forward to what’s next, and we’re glad you’re a part of it.
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I was on a family trip to the Phoenix area and caught up with old friend Tom Burke. We’ve known each other since my early editor days through his leadership of OPC Foundation. He left OPC Foundation some time ago and spent time with Mitsubishi and the CC Link Partners Association. Inductive Automation just introduced him as a Technology Evangelist. A good move for both.
Inductive Automation (who is a long time sponsor of The Manufacturing Connection and has no part in my writing this story) has impressed me ever since my first meeting with founder Steve Hechtman. The current leadership team is taking the company in a stronger direction with even more IT integration. As I mentioned in my latest podcast, I never thought I’d use words like Git and containers and dataops and MCP describing manufacturing software.
Given Tom’s history with OPC and the technology in that space, I’d expect him to be promoting the Inductive Automation ecosystem including the light weight messaging of MQTT and Sparkplug. Years ago, I wrote to him about how users were coming to prefer the simpler, lighter weight messaging to OPC UA, which was becoming ever more complex and cumbersome. This could get interesting.
