From Code to Factory Floor: How Protolabs Scales AI-Driven Manufacturing with Marc Kermisch

Welcome to the CAIO Connect Podcast – where we uncover the real stories behind enterprise AI transformation. In this episode, host Sanjay sits down with Marc Kermisch, Chief Technology and AI Officer at Protolabs, one of the world's leading digital manufacturing companies. Marc brings a refreshingly honest perspective on AI transformation, openly discussing that 8 out of 10 GenAI experiments fail while sharing practical frameworks for the 2 that succeed. From his English major background at the University of Wisconsin to leading AI initiatives across CNH Industrial, OptumRx, and now Protolabs, Marc proves you don't need a computer science degree to reach the pinnacle of technology leadership. 5 Key Takeaways: The 80% Failure Reality – Marc reveals why 8 out of 10 GenAI experiments fail and the four critical factors that separate successful AI projects from failed ones: relevant use cases, defined KPIs, organizational resilience, and committed budgets. Start with Your Vendors First – Instead of building custom LLMs from scratch, leverage AI capabilities already embedded in your existing software partners (Salesforce, Microsoft, Oracle) to experiment and learn quickly. AI Agents in Your Org Chart – The future includes listing AI agents as actual team members with provisioned access and specific responsibilities, from personal assistants writing status reports to research agents helping new graduates onboard faster. Training is the Adoption Killer – The #1 reason Copilot adoption declines after 30 days isn't the technology—it's lack of proper training in prompt engineering and change management to shift daily work behaviors. Measure What Matters – At CNH Industrial, Marc saved 10,000 developer hours with GitHub Copilot by implementing simple, anecdotal tracking methods—proving ROI measurement doesn't need to create overhead that eliminates the savings. Ready to transform your AI strategy? Hit like, drop a comment with your biggest AI challenge, and subscribe to the CAIO Connect Podcast for more unfiltered conversations with leaders building AI at scale. Resources Mentioned: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kermisch/