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Partnerships
will Power the Future of Manufacturing
Manufacturers can't thrive in isolation.
Supply chain shifts, sustainability requirements and labor force availability are three of the most pressing challenges that manufacturers say motivate them to collaborate with an ecosystem of solution providers to better serve their customers.
"We have a vision of linking technology, data and production knowledge so that you can have direct conversations with your production environments,” said Richard Kenedi, a Senior Executive and General Manager for Proficy, Manufacturing Software.
Speaking to a room packed with hundreds of partners and end-users attending GE Vernova’s 2025 Accelerate User Conference, Kenedi gestured to an Alexa-enabled Proficy user interface screen in which operators can speak in natural language to request data visualizations.
“Alexa, show me the worst performing lines … show me the latest operator orders … visualize the turbine speed.”
Each time, the data appeared instantly without the need for a user to enter programming code or interpret a legacy, hard-coded gauge.
“Alexa, show me the worst performing lines … show me the latest operator orders … visualize the turbine speed.”
Manufacturing jobs in the U.S. that remained unfilled
Manufacturers are struggling to attract employees, especially entry-level workers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. remained unfilled as of March 2025. That number could grow to an estimated 2.1 million unfilled manufacturing jobs in the U.S. by 2030, according to a joint research study from The Manufacturing Institute.
With such a large gap to fill, it’s critical that employers offer employees user-friendly working environments and familiar user interfaces, said GrayMatter CEO Paul Galeski, a more than 40-year industry veteran.
“I don't care how good technology gets, we still need people,” he said.
“There are two kinds of businesses, those that get better over time, and those that don't,” Galeski said. “We really haven't fully explored, and certainly haven't implemented the full complement of AI and other tools that are very common in other industries. That means we still have a huge opportunity for growth.”
A Leading Partner
GrayMatter’s more than 20-year partnership with GE Vernova exemplifies the idea that complex, global organizations demand a broad coalition of expertise to design and support their always-on systems, Galeski said.
It’s both a sign of the evolution in manufacturing and a reminder of the opportunities ahead.
"The power of partners is critical,” Galeski told a group of GE Vernova and GrayMatter clients gathered for Accelerate. “You’ve got wonderful software, and partners like GrayMatter can really help enable it and support it so you can get even more value out of your investment."
Galeski knows the industrial technology landscape well.
Before joining GrayMatter as Chairman and CEO in May 2024, he founded and sold two other successful companies: MAVERICK Technologies and MAGNUM Technologies.
Investing in GE Vernova’s product portfolio has been a priority for Kenedi since he joined GE Vernova five years ago.
Previously, Kenedi had a career at Tektronix Communications and NETSCOUT.
“Quality is top of mind for us,” Kenedi said. “We are investing heavily, not just from a dollar perspective, but in using tools like AI for test automation, and we've really, really upped our game.”
The investment is paying off.
In 2023, GE Vernova’s Proficy Smart Factory software earned a spot from Gartner as a leader in the April 2023 Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems.
Globally, the market for MES solutions is expected to grow from an estimated $16.6 billion in 2025 to $41.8 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. Rapid adoption of cloud-based technologies is a major reason for the steady growth.
"There are two kinds of businesses, those that get better over time, and those that don't."
–
Paul Galeski,
GrayMatter CEO
Software & Support Success
Galeski and Kenedi had a unified message for customers at GE Vernova’s Accelerate Conference in Orlando, Florida: Both companies are striving to become known as “best in industry” for delivering agile solutions that meet clients where they are.
In March 2025, GE Vernova named GrayMatter as the top-performing Channel Partner in the Americas.
“I actually sold my first company to GE in 1997,” Galeski said. “So I’ve got a long history with GE Vernova and a good relationship, and I’ve admired the company for a long time. It’s a pleasure for me to work so closely with GE Vernova now, and to try to be the partner of the future after being a top partner this year.”
Industrial companies need trusted partners who not only provide cutting-edge software but also ensure there’s robust engineering expertise to support it, Galeski said.
Blending software and support is what enables manufacturers to harness the potential of emerging technologies.