As the “father of cloud computing,” Amazon CTO Werner Vogels is responsible for the platform that is now driving manufacturing’s digital future.

Today, he is collaboratively developing digital transformation technologies smart manufacturers need to compete

by Peter Fretty for Industry Week

Since 1993, the IndustryWeek’s Technology Leader of the Year feature has served as our platform to celebrate individuals who have successfully leveraged technology to reshape the manufacturing world. Manufacturing greats including Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Harley-Davidson’s Jeff Bleustein and GM’s Ralph Syzgenda have each taken home the honors and now we have digital transformation in our grasp.

As the year of the great digital transformation, 2019 saw some of the biggest advancements yet. After all these years of talk about the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital transformation defining the future health and progress for the manufacturing industry, the hype has finally delivered on its promise. Along the way, one company has established itself as the clear leader: Amazon. And, if the future of manufacturing depends on technology and IoT, then Amazon CTO Werner Vogels is the person that will make it possible.

While the journey to revamp manufacturing may have started with cloud computing, it is the blend of data-driven technologies that positions Amazon and Vogels as the leader in this space. Specifically, it is technologies such data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT and edge computing that are ultimately enabling manufacturers to find success within the growing experience economy.

Taking the reigns