Hope you had a sweet Valentine’s Day. Let’s avoid both broken hearts and broken production foundations this year.

Manufacturing is entering an era defined by execution. AI promises smarter factories and digital twins promise perfect simulation. Meanwhile governments prioritize industrial strength as a pillar of economic security.

Each of these depend on a structured production environment.

AI cannot compensate for fragmented workflows. Simulation cannot model inconsistency. Speed cannot emerge from operational ambiguity.

The manufacturers quietly pulling ahead are investing in the transition already completed by engineering years ago:

Turning the product model into the single operational source of truth.

Model-based manufacturing is quickly becoming the prerequisite for scalable production.

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AI relies on digital twins and simulations. Without strong model-based foundations and disciplined workflows, intelligence has little on which to operate. Model-based manufacturing promotes agile factories. Therefore, forward-looking manufacturers are investing in the foundations now so future technologies can compound rather than stall.

U.S. policy is elevating manufacturing as a pillar of economic and national security, with industry expected to move faster, scale production, and execute with discipline. Defense strategy emphasizes expanding capacity and delivering surge production, increasing pressure on manufacturers to convert design into repeatable output. Acquisition reform is shifting toward speed and operational readiness, favoring production systems that can adapt without disruption. Initiatives mapping commercial capabilities to defense needs signal a clear advantage for manufacturers with structured, model-based production environments.

Economic security increasingly runs through manufacturing capability. While policy and procurement reform matter, the real constraint remains production readiness. Industrial strength is ultimately measured by the ability to scale when required. The U.S. must improve lead times dramatically.

Across technology, economics, and national strategy, a consistent pattern is emerging:

The factories that scale will be the ones built on structure.

Intelligence will matter. Automation will matter. Policy will matter.

But none of them substitute for a production system capable of translating design into repeatable execution.

Engineering already became model-based.

Production is now following.

See you in two weeks.

— The Dirac Team