Global Lighthouse Network 2025
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FIGURE 11 Lighthouses build holistic transformation teams
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Transformation leaders 4Data scientists 5Data engineers 3Automation specialists 3Cybersecurity 2
Product managers 3Business translators 2Business owners 2Agile coaches 113Digital transformation roles added by domain1
# FTEs added per 1,000
Business Technical
1. Original question from GLN Research Survey (July 2024): “What are the roles that you have added over the past 2-3 years to enable digital transformation
across your lighthouse site(s) and corporate teams?”
Source: Global Lighthouse Network.Digitally driven, but not just by
technologists
Lighthouses are dispelling the notion that
technology alone drives digital transformation.
Instead, they make digital transformation
everyone’s job – embedding the technology and
people capabilities needed to deliver reimagined
processes. On average, this translates into
25 new transformation roles hired per 1,000
factory FTE, of which nearly half are business
and operations roles (see Figure 11).34 In early development, they typically establish centres of
excellence (CoE)35 to design and deploy practical,
innovative solutions across the network. Some
focus on technologies such as manufacturing
execution systems (MES) or “digital twins”, while
others focus on processes like “prototyping”
or “batch release”.36 These CoEs often partner
with enterprise teams and third-party providers
to fill capability gaps, but over time they render
themselves obsolete by upskilling frontline site
operations and technology leaders, who take on
the responsibility of deploying and scaling-up
these new technologies in localized contexts.
Siemens has long fostered a CoE-led approach in the context of its digitalization programme “Lean Digital
Factory” (LDF). Their experts gather around core digitalization technologies and build up capabilities
through pilot projects carried out in dedicated sites. As the insight around a specific tool matures within
the CoE, knowledge is shared within the LDF network and the mandate to scale the technology is shifted
to the plants. The role of the local expert then concentrates on managing the development backlog and
supporting a potential external distribution.37
At Siemens and elsewhere, site leaders are taking
back the responsibility of identifying and integrating
advanced technology solutions. As this happens, a
new focus has emerged on ensuring these frontline
roles are upskilled to match the implications of future technology on their processes and advanced
capabilities are democratized (e.g. via low/no code)
to enable employees without coding knowledge to
become “citizen developers” who create, modify
and optimize applications. EXAMPLE Siemens
Global Lighthouse Network: The Mindset Shifts Driving Impact and Scale in Digital Transformation
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