Leading Transformation

How do you get real returns from AI in a complex manufacturing operation? Tal Rozenberg is CEO of RH Group, Israel's leading contract electronics manufacturer, serving medical devices, aerospace, defense and green tech. RH runs more than 15,000 SKUs, 25,000 active purchase orders and a base of over 1,000 suppliers, with sites on three continents.Tal walks through RH's AI journey in specific, practical detail, including how AI agents that work inside the tools buyers already use (Excel) cut the time buyers spend on tactical supplier follow-ups by more than 60%, improved supplier past-dues by over 40%, and increased confirmed order lines by 15%.In this episode:- How RH started its AI journey in 2023 with a cross-functional learning group, from executives to line workers- The framework: business problem first, technology second, adoption with people in mind- Why most of RH's early pilots failed, and how the successes paid for the losses- How RH decides whether to build AI tools in-house or buy from vendors- Building toward a unified data set, with separate tools for each function on top- What's next: physical AI, humanoid robots and dexterity on a high-mix, low-volume line- Three lessons for getting out of pilot limbo: involve operators from day one, manage expectations, and fix the process before you build- Lessons from international expansion and M&A- Why supply chain resilience is the most overlooked factor for companies in defense, AI hardware and data centersIf you run a complex manufacturing operation and are deciding where AI fits, this episode shows what a process-first approach looks like in practice.

0:00 Preview

0:18 Introduction

1:39 How RH Group manages a highly complex operation

2:33 Starting the AI journey with a cross-functional learning group

5:03 AI agents in the supply chain: 60% less buyer time on follow-ups

8:50 How to get a whole organization on board with AI

16:17 Choosing which pilots to bet on

20:12 Build vs. buy24:52 Building a unified data set

31:02 Physical AI and the biggest challenges now

34:45 Three lessons for escaping pilot limbo

39:23 How broad experience shapes decision-making

41:42 Lessons from international expansion and M&A

47:00 Why supply chain is the most overlooked factor

50:46 Closing#AIinManufacturing #SupplyChain #DigitalTransformation #Manufacturing #OperationalExcellence #LeadingTransformation #industrialAI _______________CONNECT WITH US🌐 LeadingTransformationPodcast.com✅ Uwe Doerken on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uwedoerken/✅ Petra Doerken on Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/petradoerken

Most transformation programs are built to satisfy a board. Uwe Doerken argues they should be built around one measurable benefit to the customer. As former CEO and Executive Chairman of DHL Worldwide Express and a 15-year member of the Deutsche Post World Net executive board, Uwe led more than 100 acquisitions and organizational change across 200+ countries. Today he invests in and operates businesses through a family office, with a strong focus on AI.In this episode, Uwe explains:

• Why a single customer metric, like next-day letter delivery in Germany, can drive an entire company's transformation
• The board structure he used at DHL to balance running the business with changing it
• Why tracking AI usage (inputs) is not the same as productivity and customer value (outputs)
• Why the real risk with AI is not thinking radically enough
• Why most M&A deals fail in post-merger integration, not in the deal itself
• How "strategic degrees of freedom" help startups and leaders pivot without losing focus
• Why waiting to be a fast follower on AI may be the riskier choice

If you lead a company through technology adoption or operational change, this conversation gives you a practical framework covering structure, leadership, culture, and customer focus.

0:00 Introduction

2:19 What real transformation looks like

4:10 Impress your customers, not your board

5:01 Why transformation fails, and the DHL board structure that fixed it

7:42 Why transformation is the CEO's job in smaller companies

8:33 AI vs. past technology waves: inputs vs. outputs

12:17 Choosing which AI initiatives actually matter

15:40 Why M&A deals fail after closing

18:33 The family office thesis and the startup incubator

21:04 Thinking like an owner

23:27 Lessons from failure: strategic degrees of freedom

26:20 How much AI risk is acceptable

28:38 The contrarian view: transformation creates energy

30:37 The one thing leaders must get right

31:32 Closing

#AITransformation #Leadership #digitaltransformation #aiadoption

_______________

CONNECT WITH US

🌐 LeadingTransformationPodcast.com

✅ Uwe Doerken on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uwedoerken

✅ Petra Doerken on Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/petradoerken

AI in industry, without the hype.

On Leading Transformation, Dr. Petra Doerken and Uwe Doerken, former Chairman and CEO of DHL, talk with manufacturing and enterprise leaders, operators, investors and technology executives about how they put AI to work: what it costs, what breaks, and what pays off.

First episodes release Wednesday, October 7, with new episodes every Wednesday after that.

Featuring voices from upcoming episodes: Tal Rozenberg, CEO of RH Group, Karthick Iyer, Vice President of NVIDIA, Pano Anthos, Managing Partner of XRC Ventures, Sri Ambati, CEO of H2O AI, Sankalp Arora, Gather AI....

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