What Manufacturing Digital Leaders Are Carrying Into 2026

By now, most manufacturers are past the stage of debating whether digital matters.

The harder question is what actually works once the vision decks are gone and teams are left to execute.

Valtech’s Voice of Digital Leaders in Manufacturing study offers a useful snapshot of how large manufacturers are thinking about that problem as they move into 2026. Based on input from senior digital leaders inside global manufacturing organizations, the report reflects a clear shift away from ambition-first transformation toward disciplined, outcome-driven execution.

What stands out is not a single trend, but a consistent pattern: digital maturity is no longer measured by how many initiatives exist, but by how well organizations can align, prioritize, and sustain progress.

The Shift from Vision to Grounded Execution

One of the clearest signals in the report is the move away from large, abstract transformation programs.

Digital leaders describe organizations learning from earlier trial-and-error efforts and becoming more selective about where they invest. Rather than broad roadmaps, teams are breaking work into phases that can be delivered, measured, and defended internally.

As Herbert Pesch, Global Vertical Lead for Industrials at Valtech, puts it, the market is sending mixed but revealing signals:

“All in all, we see positive signals in the market, but we also see plenty of challenges for organizations.”

That tension is shaping behavior. With tighter budgets and higher scrutiny, digital initiatives are expected to show tangible value sooner. Incremental progress has become a strategy, not a compromise.

Channel Strategy Is Maturing, Not Expanding

The report shows continued growth in ecommerce and customer portals, especially in aftermarket scenarios. At the same time, leaders are more realistic about what those channels can deliver in the short term.

Rather than chasing every emerging channel, manufacturers are focusing on making core digital touchpoints more reliable and more connected to sales and service workflows.

This reflects an important mindset change. Digital is no longer being positioned as a separate growth engine. It is increasingly viewed as infrastructure that needs to work consistently across the customer lifecycle.

When pricing, availability, and service information diverge by channel, customers notice immediately. Fixing those basics is where many leaders are now investing their time.

Organizational Alignment Remains the Real Constraint

If there is one theme that repeats throughout the findings, it is that organizational readiness continues to set the limits of digital success.

Many respondents report progress in tooling and platforms, while simultaneously describing friction in decision-making, ownership, and cross-functional collaboration. Digital leaders are often caught between executive expectations and operational realities.

The report describes this as an alignment problem, not a technology problem. Even well-funded initiatives stall when priorities conflict or governance is unclear.

Valtech frames this challenge through the concept of the “connected manufacturer,” emphasizing that success depends on more than systems:

“Connected manufacturers deliver personalized and cohesive experiences that guide customers, partners and prospects throughout their buying, sales and service journeys.”

That cohesion requires shared accountability across functions, something many organizations are still working to build.

AI Moves from Promise to Precision

AI remains high on the agenda, but the tone has changed.

Instead of broad experimentation, leaders are narrowing their focus to use cases tied to decision support, personalization, and operational efficiency. The report highlights a growing awareness that AI value depends on data quality and internal capability, not just tools.

As one digital leader insight summarized in the report advises:

“Start with simple use cases to help customers get used to the service, limiting complexity in the early stages.”

This pragmatic approach reflects lessons learned. Many organizations are choosing to build trust internally and externally before scaling more advanced applications.

Incremental Change Is Becoming the Norm

Perhaps the most telling signal for 2026 is the widespread acceptance of phased progress.

Rather than betting on large-scale overhauls, manufacturers are favoring pilot projects, modular improvements, and local adoption strategies. This allows teams to test, learn, and adjust without putting the organization at risk.

From a customer perspective, this approach aligns with how adoption actually happens. Buyers do not change behavior because of a launch date. They change when tools consistently make their job easier over time.

Incremental change is how that trust is built.

What This Means for B2B Leaders in 2026

The takeaway from Valtech’s research is not that manufacturers should slow down.

It is that digital leadership now requires sharper focus.

The organizations moving forward are asking better questions:

• Where does digital remove friction today?
• Which customers feel the impact first?
• What can we operationally support six months from now?
• How do we explain digital value in business terms, not technical ones?

Those questions signal maturity. They also mark a shift away from treating digital as an initiative and toward treating it as a business capability.

As manufacturers carry these lessons into 2026, the advantage will not belong to those who do the most. It will belong to those who execute with clarity, alignment, and intent.