#1 Industry 4.0 Thought Leader on What Manufacturers Get Wrong About Digital Transformation | Insights with Jeff Winter (Belden)
- S1E95
- 26:50
- June 28th 2026
Industry 4.0 is not a tool set you buy. It is a business transformation that requires the right strategy, storytelling, change management, and credible execution across both business and the plant floor. That is the thesis Jeff Winter has been refining for years, and it is why he has been ranked the number one global thought leader for Industry 4.0 by Onalytica, named the number one global influencer in manufacturing by Manufacturing Digital Magazine, and has amassed over 100 million views across more than 1,300 LinkedIn posts.
In this episode of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast, Sheri Hinish sits down with Jeff, now VP of Commercial Strategy at Belden, for a conversation about what it actually takes to make Industry 4.0 real inside a manufacturing organization. Jeff traces his career from sales engineer to safety PLC turning point to the moment he stopped selling products and started selling visions, and how LinkedIn and storytelling transformed not just his career but his identity.
Together, they unpack why manufacturers struggle to turn proven technologies into a clear path forward (most start with nouns like AI and IoT when they should start with verbs like reduce, accelerate, and standardize), the five prerequisites that must be true inside an organization before technology creates value, and the emerging concept of the "two factories" model where a physical factory makes the product and an AI factory produces the intelligence that runs it. Jeff also shares his framework for understanding Industry 4.0 as both an era and a destination, why every plant thinks it is special (and why that kills scale), and what connected intelligence looks like when done right.
Chapter Markers:
0:00 Introduction: making Industry 4.0 real
1:03 Meet Jeff Winter: origin story and career arc
2:07 LinkedIn, storytelling, and 100 million views: building a movement
3:41 The safety PLC turning point: from selling components to selling the safe machine
8:40 Selling the product vs. selling the problem vs. selling the vision
10:21 Industry 4.0 defined: era vs. destination (and why both are right)
13:32 Why manufacturers struggle: starting with nouns instead of verbs
14:17 Cross-functional value, functional budgets, and the ownership gap
15:20 Industry 5.0 vs. 4.0: is 15 years enough for an industrial revolution?
19:27 What real digital transformation requires: five prerequisites
21:25 Every plant thinks it is special (and why that kills scale)
23:21 The next manufacturing operating model: from connected equipment to connected intelligence
24:51 Jensen Huang's two factories: the physical factory and the AI factory
25:14 Making intelligence operational: the real competitive advantage
26:19 Final words and how to find Jeff on LinkedIn
Key Topics:
Industry 4.0, digital transformation, IT/OT convergence, manufacturing strategy, smart manufacturing, physical AI, connected intelligence, NVIDIA two factories, Belden, change management, human centricity, cross-functional KPIs, manufacturing operating model, automation, IoT, digital twin, business case for transformation, plant floor to enterprise, operational technology, Jeff Winter
Connect and Learn More:
Jeff Winter: linkedin.com/in/jeffreyrwinter
Belden: belden.com
Sheri Hinish (Supply Chain Queen): supplychainqueen.com
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Supply Chain Revolution
The supply chain podcast where sustainability, AI, and global trade strategy collide. If you run supply chains, set procurement strategy, or lead enterprise transformation, this is the show that connects the dots others miss.
Hosted by Sheri Hinish, the Supply Chain Queen, each episode tackles the questions keeping executives up at night: how tariffs and trade disruption reshape sourcing and supplier networks, where agentic AI and automation are actually delivering ROI in supply chain planning, what reshoring and nearshoring mean for sustainability commitments, how to operationalize ESG and Scope 3 reporting without destroying margins, and why the companies building circular economy and regenerative supply chains are outperforming those that are not.
Guests include senior leaders from Microsoft, SAP, IBM, Amazon, Starbucks, Unilever, MIT, TerraCycle, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and the most ambitious climate technology companies in the world. These are not scripted talking points. These are real operators, real decisions, and real outcomes.
Whether the topic is autonomous supply chain planning, digital twins, supply chain cybersecurity, trade compliance, sustainable procurement, carbon data transparency, or the talent pipeline for next generation supply chain leaders, every episode delivers frameworks you can use Monday morning.
Built for chief supply chain officers, heads of procurement, sustainability leaders, operations executives, technologists, policymakers, and graduate students in supply chain management, operations, and sustainability. If your role touches global supply chains, this show was made for you.
Sheri Hinish is an award winning executive strategist, board advisor, and global thought leader in supply chain transformation, sustainability, and AI. She is the Founder of Supply Chain Revolution Global and previously led sustainability consulting at EY and IBM. Featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Economist, and Forbes. Named the number one Global Supply Chain Leader and Top 250 Leaders in Sustainability. She speaks regularly at COP, New York Climate Week, Reuters Events, and Gartner Supply Chain Symposium.
Show notes and resources at supplychainqueen.com
Full episodes on YouTube at youtube.com/@supplychainqueen
Follow Sheri on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/supplychainqueen
Keywords: supply chain, sustainability, AI, artificial intelligence, ESG, tariffs, trade policy, procurement, reshoring, nearshoring, circular economy, Scope 3, digital transformation, supply chain management, supply chain technology, supply chain leadership, agentic AI, climate tech, supply chain strategy
Learn more at supplychainqueen.com
My purpose is to make a meaningful impact for the clients, colleagues, partners, and communities I serve. I have spent my career at the intersection of supply chain, sustainability and innovation in large-scale transformation. I’d love to walk with you on your journey.
I'm the Founder and Host of the Supply Chain Revolution podcast. In my day role, I currently serve as the Global Consulting Sustainability Services, Technology + Ecosystems Leader at EY serving across sectors, alliances, sustainability solutions, and digital ventures. I formerly led Sustainability Services + Alliances at IBM with a passion for sustainable supply chain, circularity, and hardening emerging sustainability tech use cases.
Colleagues and clients affectionately call me the nickname “Supply Chain Queen.” I'm recognized as a trusted partner that F500 companies consistently leverage for connected transformation, end-to-end digital supply chain, purpose-driven leadership, and disruptive thinking in embedding sustainability and emerging innovation in transformations.
Recent awards include: Top 250 leaders in Sustainability (2025), Leaders in Excellence, Supply & Demand Chain Executive (2025), Top 100 Women in Sustainability and Supply Chain (2024), Top 50 influencer in Sustainability by Onalytica (2023), 100 Women in 2023 by March8 Magazine, the 2021 #1 Supply Chain Leader by Supply Chain Digital, a 2022, 2021, 2020 & 2019 Supply & Demand Chain Executive "Pro to Know," the "People's Choice 2020 Global Woman in Supply Chain Leader,” and a Corporate Vision Excellence award in 2020.
I’m a Rebel who loves creating, building, and bringing out the best in people, helping to grow high-performance teams. I've made a career in turn-around and scaling high growth opportunities (product, solutions, infrastructure for practice areas and alliances), simplifying the complex, rethinking paradigms for F500 clients, mainly in CPG, Financial Services, Retail, Advanced Manufacturing, Chemicals and Energy.
I am a graduate lecturer in Sustainability at the University of Arkansas and have a Masters from Harvard University with emphasis in Sustainability + Liberal Arts. I hold 2 credentials from Rutgers University with highest distinction (Beta Gamma Sigma), an MS in Supply Chain Management, and a Mini-MBA in Digital Supply Chain. I also have a BS in Business, Supply Chain Management (Summa Cum Laude) from the University of Maryland. I hold an IBM Industry Academy Expert designation (in Consumer), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt.
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