As we kick off 2026, the most intriguing development in smart manufacturing leadership isn’t another sensor breakthrough or AI algorithm—it’s the emergence of an entirely new C-suite role: the Chief Purpose Officer. This signals a fundamental shift in how we think about human roles in increasingly automated industrial environments.
Beyond Automation ROI: The Human Question
For decades, plant managers and industrial leaders have focused on optimizing efficiency and maximizing automation ROI. Now, as machines become capable of executing virtually everything, the conversation has evolved to a more profound question: What is our company’s human function when the machines can do it all? This isn’t just philosophical musing—it’s becoming a critical business imperative that’s driving the creation of Chief Purpose Officer roles across industrial sectors.
The timing couldn’t be more relevant. While companies like Melexis are introducing sophisticated people detection algorithms for their thermal array sensors—designed for ceiling-mounted applications that can count and track human movement in constrained spaces—the irony isn’t lost on industry veterans. We’re getting better at detecting people while simultaneously questioning what people should actually be doing in our facilities.
Technology Enablers Reshaping Industrial Roles
The technological foundation supporting this transformation continues to accelerate. EMASS’s upcoming 16-nm ECS-DoT system-on-chip represents the kind of processing power that’s making edge intelligence ubiquitous in manufacturing environments. Meanwhile, the automotive sector’s push toward autonomous driving—with its sophisticated sensor fusion and connectivity solutions—is creating a ripple effect across industrial automation, bringing similar capabilities to factory floors.
What’s fascinating is how these advances in smart manufacturing leadership are forcing us to redefine value creation. Traditional metrics like OEE and throughput remain important, but they’re no longer sufficient. The Chief Purpose Officer role suggests that companies are recognizing the need for someone specifically focused on defining and nurturing the uniquely human contributions that can’t—or shouldn’t—be automated away.
From a practical standpoint, this shift presents both challenges and opportunities for plant engineers and automation professionals. We’re not just designing systems for efficiency anymore; we’re architecting environments that optimize both machine capability and human potential. The question isn’t whether this trend will continue—it’s whether your organization is prepared to redefine what leadership looks like when the machines handle the execution.