South African manufacturers are navigating a period of profound disruption — from energy volatility and grid instability to complex supply chain risk, rising sustainability expectations, and the imperative to modernize legacy operations. At the same time, manufacturers are under increasing pressure from customers, regulators, and global partners to demonstrate credible progress toward net-zero and emissions reduction, without compromising operational performance.

In this executive roundtable hosted by NTT DATA, we explored how connected factories, digital twins, artificial intelligence, and targeted IoT solutions are accelerating operational modernization while simultaneously enabling energy resilience, emissions visibility, and sustainability at scale. The discussion focused on how manufacturers can move beyond high-level sustainability commitments to measurable, data-driven action — using IoT and real-time data to monitor energy usage, track emissions at the asset and process level, and inform smarter operational and investment decisions.

Participants shared experiences and strategy frameworks spanning real-time operational visibility, risk mitigation, optimized asset utilization, and sustainability-led growth, including how digital technologies can help align operational efficiency with ESG and net-zero objectives in the South African manufacturing context.

Key discussion themes included:

• Modernizing the factory floor: Unifying OT and IT systems, data, and processes to improve efficiency, predictability, and transparency across production environments, while reducing operational silos.
• AI and digital twins as operational accelerators: Using live virtual models of factories and supply chains to simulate scenarios, anticipate disruptions, optimize throughout, and assess the operational and sustainability impact of decisions before they are executed
• IoT-enabled resilience and net-zero progress: Deploying sensor networks, edge technologies, and connected energy systems to monitor energy consumption, measure emissions, reduce waste, manage load-shedding impacts, and support credible decarbonization strategies.
• C-Suite priorities in smart manufacturing: Aligning digital and sustainability investments with business imperatives — resilience, cost efficiency, regulatory readiness, competitiveness, and long-term value creation.

Participants left with actionable insights, real-world examples, and peer-driven strategies to advance their digital transformation and sustainability journeys — ensuring their organizations remain resilient, competitive, and future-ready in a landscape shaped by rapid technological change, energy uncertainty, and rising net-zero expectations.