{"id":12882,"date":"2025-08-19T10:06:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T17:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/?p=12882"},"modified":"2025-08-19T10:06:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T17:06:24","slug":"5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech","title":{"rendered":"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;12885&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At QAD, we believe that listening is the first step to leading. We\u2019ve met with manufacturing leaders from around the world through the QAD Customer Advisory Board, conducting sessions that weren&#8217;t about pitching products; they were about listening. We asked candidly: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s holding you back today? What\u2019s next for your operations? What do you need from your technology partners to move faster and smarter?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The feedback was clear and consistent: across industries, manufacturers are under pressure to adapt faster than ever before. Global volatility, talent shortages, aging systems and rising expectations from customers and regulators are making the old playbook obsolete. And the message we heard was this: The systems of the past can\u2019t meet the speed of today\u2019s reality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are five key insights that manufacturing leaders shared. These customer insights are shaping how QAD shows up as a strategic partner in this new era.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. AI Needs to Empower People, Not Replace Them<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manufacturers are cautiously optimistic about <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/artificial-intelligence\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but they\u2019re also pragmatic. They don\u2019t want hype. They want tools that help teams work smarter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One global automotive supplier told us: <\/span><b>\u201cAI is everywhere now, but what matters is how it\u2019s used. If it can help our people work more efficiently and reduce the noise, we\u2019re all in.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaders emphasized a need for practical AI, designed to alert, recommend and support human decision-making without overcomplicating day-to-day operations.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Speed-to-Value Is the New Competitive Advantage<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manufacturers need modular, scalable platforms that deliver value in weeks, not years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A finance executive from an industrial manufacturer put it this way: <\/span><b>\u201cThe idea of waiting 12 or 18 months to get value from a new system? That just doesn\u2019t fly anymore. We need impact in 90 days, not 900.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This urgency isn\u2019t just about <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/05\/5-key-steps-for-a-successful-erp-implementation\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">software implementation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s about enabling faster innovation across every part of the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Data Without Action Is a Liability<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manufacturers are sitting on massive volumes of data, but many still lack the tools to turn that data into action. Fragmented systems and reporting lags are holding teams back.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A senior leader at a consumer products company shared: <\/span><b>\u201cWe don\u2019t need more dashboards. We need systems that actually help us act. Spot the disruption, recommend a response and do something about it.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The goal is clear: empower teams to move from insight to execution, seamlessly.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Workforce Enablement Is a Strategic Imperative<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leaders are laser-focused on how to close the <\/span><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/qad-digital-learning-empowering-partners-and-customers\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">skills<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gap, accelerate training and retain top talent. What they need are tools that work for the people closest to the work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An operations leader in the food and beverage sector said it best: <\/span><b>\u201cThe people on the floor are our biggest asset. If the system doesn\u2019t work for them, it doesn\u2019t work for us.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ease of use, mobile access and tailored workflows emerged as critical factors in workforce productivity and morale.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Agility Is Non-Negotiable<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it\u2019s a sudden shift in demand, a supply chain disruption or a regulatory change, manufacturers need the ability to pivot quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As one executive from a life sciences company shared: <\/span><b>\u201cThe systems we use need to adapt at the same pace as our business. If it takes weeks to make a change, we\u2019ve already missed the moment.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manufacturers aren\u2019t just looking for flexibility. They\u2019re demanding it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Join the Conversation at Champions of Manufacturing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These conversations didn\u2019t just validate what\u2019s next. They defined it. The insights shared across our customer community continue to shape how QAD partners for success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re bringing these customer insights to life at <\/span><b>Champions of Manufacturing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, QAD\u2019s flagship customer event, taking place October 21-22 in Brussels and November 12-14 in Dallas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This isn\u2019t just a conference; it\u2019s a call to action. Join the boldest manufacturers, sharpest technologists and most forward-thinking leaders for two days that will redefine what\u2019s possible in modern manufacturing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll see breakthrough technologies in action, including the unveiling of Champion AI\u2014QAD\u2019s new Agentic AI platform built to transform ERP from a passive system of record into a proactive system of action. Get hands-on with product demos, hear from visionary customers and connect directly with the people building what\u2019s next.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Join us for <\/b><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/events\/champions-of-manufacturing\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Champions of Manufacturing<\/b><\/a><b> and discover the future of manufacturing technology.<\/b>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=&#8221;12885&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][vc_column_text]At QAD, we believe that listening is the first step to leading. We\u2019ve met with manufacturing leaders from around the world through the QAD Customer Advisory Board, conducting sessions that weren&#8217;t about pitching products; they were about listening. We asked candidly: What\u2019s holding you back today? What\u2019s next for your operations? What do [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":12886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[198,182],"tags":[546,2015,3214,3210,3211,349,757,3212,3213],"class_list":["post-12882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-success","category-featured","tag-ai","tag-business-agility","tag-champions-of-manufacturing","tag-customer-advisory-board","tag-customer-insights","tag-customer-success","tag-data-management","tag-speed-to-value","tag-workforce-enablement"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech | QAD Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover what leading manufacturers want next from AI, agility and enterprise tech, based on QAD customer insights from around the world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech | QAD Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover what leading manufacturers want next from AI, agility and enterprise tech, based on QAD customer insights from around the world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"QAD Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/QADerp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-19T17:06:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Billy Caraballo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@QAD_Community\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@QAD_Community\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Billy Caraballo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Billy Caraballo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7ad8746e3a362627a2c21417836645e3\"},\"headline\":\"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-19T17:06:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech\"},\"wordCount\":748,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"AI\",\"Business agility\",\"Champions of Manufacturing\",\"Customer advisory board\",\"Customer insights\",\"customer success\",\"data management\",\"Speed to value\",\"Workforce enablement\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Customer Success\",\"Featured\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech\",\"name\":\"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech | QAD Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-19T17:06:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Discover what leading manufacturers want next from AI, agility and enterprise tech, based on QAD customer insights from around the world.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"Champions of Manufacturing\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"QAD Blog\",\"description\":\"Next-Generation Manufacturing &amp; Supply Chain Solutions in the Cloud\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"QAD\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"QAD\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/QADerp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/QAD_Community\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/qad_erp\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/qad\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/QADInc\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/QADIncorporated\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/QAD_Inc.\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7ad8746e3a362627a2c21417836645e3\",\"name\":\"Billy Caraballo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/billy-caraballo_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/billy-caraballo_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/billy-caraballo_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Billy Caraballo\"},\"description\":\"Billy leads Product Operations at QAD. With a decade of experience and leadership in Product Management, she thrives at the intersection of systems, strategy and people. Known for transforming chaos into clarity, she specializes in scalable discovery-to-delivery frameworks that embed best practices, strengthen insights, and turn ambitious ideas into measurable results. Outside of the office, Billy enjoys giving back to her community through mentorship and assistant coaching.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.qad.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/billy-caraballo\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech | QAD Blog","description":"Discover what leading manufacturers want next from AI, agility and enterprise tech, based on QAD customer insights from around the world.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech | QAD Blog","og_description":"Discover what leading manufacturers want next from AI, agility and enterprise tech, based on QAD customer insights from around the world.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech","og_site_name":"QAD Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/QADerp","article_published_time":"2025-08-19T17:06:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Billy Caraballo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@QAD_Community","twitter_site":"@QAD_Community","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Billy Caraballo","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech"},"author":{"name":"Billy Caraballo","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7ad8746e3a362627a2c21417836645e3"},"headline":"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech","datePublished":"2025-08-19T17:06:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech"},"wordCount":748,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg","keywords":["AI","Business agility","Champions of Manufacturing","Customer advisory board","Customer insights","customer success","data management","Speed to value","Workforce enablement"],"articleSection":["Customer Success","Featured"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech","url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech","name":"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech | QAD Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-19T17:06:24+00:00","description":"Discover what leading manufacturers want next from AI, agility and enterprise tech, based on QAD customer insights from around the world.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Blog-Thumbnail-Troy-Aikman.jpg","width":900,"height":450,"caption":"Champions of Manufacturing"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/5-key-customer-insights-shaping-the-future-of-manufacturing-tech#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 Key Customer Insights Shaping the Future of Manufacturing Tech"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/","name":"QAD Blog","description":"Next-Generation Manufacturing &amp; Supply Chain Solutions in the Cloud","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"QAD","url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"QAD"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/QADerp","https:\/\/x.com\/QAD_Community","https:\/\/instagram.com\/qad_erp\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/qad","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/QADInc\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/QADIncorporated\/","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/QAD_Inc."]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7ad8746e3a362627a2c21417836645e3","name":"Billy Caraballo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/billy-caraballo_avatar-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/billy-caraballo_avatar-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/billy-caraballo_avatar-96x96.jpg","caption":"Billy Caraballo"},"description":"Billy leads Product Operations at QAD. With a decade of experience and leadership in Product Management, she thrives at the intersection of systems, strategy and people. Known for transforming chaos into clarity, she specializes in scalable discovery-to-delivery frameworks that embed best practices, strengthen insights, and turn ambitious ideas into measurable results. Outside of the office, Billy enjoys giving back to her community through mentorship and assistant coaching.","url":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/author\/billy-caraballo"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12882"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12887,"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12882\/revisions\/12887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}