Unlocking the Power of Data: A Guide to Digital Transformation for Manufacturers with Vinny Maurici

<p><strong>Lisa Ryan:&nbsp;</strong>Hey, it's Lisa Ryan. Welcome to the Manufacturer's Network Podcast. I'm excited to introduce our guest today, Vinny Maurici. Vinny heads up the data engineering practice at ObjectEdge, a digital consultancy based in the Bay Area of California. He brings over 15 years of experience launching data programs for Enterprise and Fortune 500 B2B manufacturers and distributors. Vinny, welcome to the show.</p><p><strong>Vinny Maurici:&nbsp;</strong>Thanks for having me.</p><p><strong>Lisa Ryan:&nbsp;</strong>Share your background and what led you to do what you do at ObjectEdge.</p><p><strong>Vinny Maurici:&nbsp;</strong>As you just mentioned, I've been in the data world for about 15 years, and for me specifically, my brain has always worked in a way where I've seen data as more than just a means to an end. I like to build tangibility around how data can affect businesses. It's fallen into more of the consulting world, and it's been an excellent opportunity to work with our customers over the years to say, Hey, let's take this thing called fluffy data. You go to conferences all the time, and they say data are the new oil, and you need to turn data into an asset for an organization, and nobody knows what that means.</p><p>It's such a big, wide-open topic, and for my team, we pride ourselves in saying, Hey, let's turn the intangible into a tangible. Let's create steps, order of operation, and actual outcomes and benefits for why data is essential to an organization. And it's been such a great time trying to build all these models for our customers.</p><p><strong>Lisa Ryan:&nbsp;</strong>With data just expanding at the rate it is. Before the show, we were talking about how AI is transforming everything, and data can be used for good and can also be used for evil, and it goes the whole spectrum in ways that we would've never thought about before.</p><p>So specifically, though, when it comes to manufacturers, what are some of the data challenges that manufacturers are facing today?</p><p><st