Wrench Factor - IT–Ops Divide: How to Build a Modern Industrial Tech Stack

Manufacturers know the tension well: Operations needs modern tools to run efficiently, while IT is tasked with protecting the enterprise, managing risk, and preventing tech-stack sprawl. Sometimes, when those priorities collide, digital transformation stalls.

On this episode of Wrench Factor, host Tyler Hufstetler sits down with Blaine Bryant, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at Lightera. With more than two decades of global IT leadership across manufacturing, software, financial services, and high-tech industries, Blaine has built a career transforming technology organizations into strategic value creators. Today, he leads global IT consolidation, MES standardization, data modernization, and cybersecurity maturity across 27 manufacturing sites.

Together, Tyler and Blaine dig into what really holds digital transformation back—and how IT and Operations can align to move faster and smarter. They explore:

What CIOs actually look for when evaluating new tools: ROI, governance, security, and adoption
The rising need for unified OT leadership to avoid tribal, decentralized decision-making
How to reduce cybersecurity risk across distributed plants and aging OT assets
How to build scalable, standardized architecture without killing plant-level flexibility

Whether you’re leading a plant, modernizing your tech stack, or navigating IT reviews, this episode breaks down a practical path for building a secure, integrated, and future-ready operations ecosystem—together.