The blind spot in manufacturing productivity
For decades, manufacturers have relentlessly optimised the shopfloor. Lean, Six Sigma and Kaizen have driven measurable gains in production efficiency, quality and cost control.
Yet beyond the factory floor, a different picture often emerges. In offices, R&D labs and design studios, work is still fragmented across emails, spreadsheets and disconnected tools. Decisions stall; approvals drift and teams spend valuable time chasing information rather than creating value.
This overlooked area represents one of the biggest untapped productivity opportunities in manufacturing today.
As Tomas Susedik, Global Account Manager at Wrike, puts it:
“Manufacturers are all looking for productivity improvements in production environments. But very few are practicing Kaizen in the office and there are often bigger gains to be harnessed there.”
Wrike’s challenge: breaking into a cautious sector
Wrike, a leading work management platform, was already widely adopted in professional services, marketing agencies and IT teams. It centralises tasks, files and communications to streamline workflows, improve efficiency and raise quality of output. The value proposition was obvious: if Wrike could unlock 10–20% more efficiency in support functions such as R&D, product management, quality and engineering, manufacturers could accelerate innovation and cut costs without touching a single production line.
But manufacturing is a sector that trades on heritage, relationships and trust. Despite its global success, Wrike found itself struggling to scale in this market. Progress was slow, built one relationship at a time.
“Before partnering with The Manufacturer, we had some existing relationships in the sector and were trying to expand our network, but it was very much on a one-by-one basis,” explains Tomas. “We hosted small events, which were good, but all small format. We needed more exposure.”
The challenge was clear: how do you persuade an industry that prides itself on tradition and rigour to adopt a productivity tool born in Silicon Valley?
The solution: The Manufacturer’s community
Wrike turned to The Manufacturer, the UK’s most established community of industrial leaders, as the partner who could connect it at scale to decision-makers who mattered.
“This is the reason we chose to partner with The Manufacturer,” says Tomas.
Since 2024, Wrike has invested in The Manufacturer’s flagship Summits, Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit and the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit, at co-sponsor level. These events provided Wrike with:
- Keynote slots to showcase thought leadership to 200+ senior leaders.
- Private roundtables with senior decision-makers.
- Editorial and digital features extending visibility beyond the room.
For a solutions provider seeking credibility and community, it was the perfect solution.
What happened in the room
Ryan Molloy, Strategic Architect at Wrike, recalls walking into his first Summit without knowing what to expect:
“I went in without any preconceptions and really enjoyed it. Tomas and I delivered a keynote entitled Unlocking Manufacturing’s Future, which was very well received and our roundtable generated some deep discussions. The mix of executives and technical people was just right. The most active participants were the technical staff, but that gave the execs a better understanding of the problems and how they could be solved. And ultimately, it’s the execs who authorise investment.”
That mix of engineers asking tough questions with executives hearing the answers proved pivotal. Wrike wasn’t just seen as another SaaS vendor. It was positioned as a thought leader helping manufacturers re-think how they worked.
The impact: from one-to-one to one-to-many
For Wrike, the results were immediate and measurable:
Tomas sums it up:
“The Manufacturer’s format is unique. It provides an excellent environment for solutions providers to bring their offering and benefits to an engaged audience of the right people. We have struggled to find anyone delivering this format as successfully in other vertical markets, or in the manufacturing space in other geographies.”
Why the partnership matters
For Wrike, the partnership has done more than generate leads. It has embedded the brand into the conversations that shape the sector’s digital future. For an industry as networked and relationship-driven as manufacturing, that’s the currency of trust.
When asked the primary benefit of working with The Manufacturer, Tomas doesn’t hesitate:
“There are two separate benefits: the quality of the execution and the alignment we need with such an engaged community of manufacturers. The Manufacturer is very much in a league of its own.”
An open door for productivity
Manufacturers know that productivity is their lifeblood and their biggest challenge. But too often they focus only on the factory floor. Wrike’s story shows that by bringing Kaizen into the office, R&D lab and design studio, there are opportunities for gains that rival anything found on the line.
By partnering with The Manufacturer, Wrike was able to move from knocking on doors one by one to walking into a room filled with the right decision-makers, armed with credibility and trust.
For Wrike, manufacturing is no longer a blind spot, it is now the fastest-growing vertical in the world.
MARKETING TO MANUFACTURER
Marketing to Manufacturers is a free initiative from The Manufacturer, designed to help solutions providers and commercial partners generate demand in the manufacturing sector. Leveraging insights from The Manufacturer’s ongoing editorial research spanning a community of over 600,000 industrial professionals, Marketing to Manufacturers equips solution providers with real-world market intelligence to refine their positioning and messaging.
By delivering tailored guidance, fresh industry research and a strategic roadmap for engagement, Marketing to Manufacturers is proven to help partners maximise ROI and shorten sales cycles.
Through exclusive reports, events, newsletters and direct industry engagement, Marketing to Manufacturers ensures solutions providers stay ahead of the curve by translating knowledge into commercial success.
It’s the only resource of its kind, dedicated solely to the manufacturing sector.
Check out the latest Manufacturing Momentum report here: https://info.themanufacturer.com/manufacturing-momentum-report-2025-h2-m2m
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