If you are a B2B manufacturer who wants to use thought leadership to differentiate yourself in the marketplace, one of the best things you can do is study examples of thought leadership in manufacturing.
12 Thought Leadership Examples in Manufacturing
If you are a B2B manufacturer who wants to use thought leadership to differentiate yourself in the marketplace, one of the best things you can do is study examples of thought leadership in manufacturing.
At its core, thought leadership is the practice of positioning a company or individual as an authority in their field. Through unique insights, forward-thinking perspectives, and expertise, thought leaders shape industry trends, spark new ideas, and inspire others to innovate.
In the manufacturing space, thought leadership is especially critical. Manufacturing is an industry in constant flux, driven by the demands of digital transformation, sustainability initiatives, supply chain complexities, and evolving customer expectations. Manufacturers who establish themselves as thought leaders don’t just respond to these changes—they lead the way.
By offering valuable insights into key industry challenges and solutions, thought leaders in manufacturing foster stronger customer relationships, attract top talent, and gain a competitive edge. And that investment pays off. RH Blake research reveals that 84% of C-level executives in the manufacturing space purchase or start working with an organization that produces thought leadership content.
Below, explore 12 effective examples of thought leadership in manufacturing. These examples demonstrate how industry leaders are using content, research, and innovative perspectives to drive the sector forward, set new standards, and offer valuable insights to their peers.
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Blog post
RH Blake research demonstrates that 92% of decision makers in the B2B manufacturing ecosystem think more positively of organizations that consistently produce thought-leadership content. If you want your company to be regarded in the same way, and if you need to drive traffic to your website, consider publishing a blog that offers helpful advice and original perspectives on issues that your buyers and suppliers care about. The Specialty Design & Manufacturing Blog is a good example of this kind of thought leadership in the manufacturing space.
https://www.specialtydesign.com/blog/
Buying guide
Some B2B buyers need help making their buying decision. One piece of content you can create to help them along their buyer journey is a buying guide. This buying guide from onsemi stands out as an effective example of B2B manufacturer thought leadership because it communicates from a Decisive Viewpoint. onsemi takes the position that manufacturers of electric vehicles must source their silicon carbide semiconductors from suppliers that are vertically integrated.
Case study
Case studies and customer success stories are a type of content that sits right on the border between thought leadership and self-promotion. When they are written by trade publications, they tend to be impartial. When they are written by manufacturers, they are often promotional, even if only in a subtle way. The key is to communicate true thought leadership in the case study, to demonstrate empirical results, and to be authoritative but not salesy. Oracle seems to have found the right balance in this area, publishing a series of industrial manufacturing case studies that span a range of companies solving common challenges by implementing Oracle Cloud software applications.
https://www.oracle.com/ca-en/industrial-manufacturing/industrial-manufacturing-case-studies/
eBook
When your buyers need in-depth content to answer a question, solve a challenge or understand a trend, consider creating an eBook. This eBook from ABB is an example of thought leadership examples in manufacturing because it demonstrates innovative thinking that challenges conventional wisdom, offering visionary or disruptive ideas. In this case, it describes how gearless mill drives, digitalization, AI and analytics to transform grinding operations at mines worldwide.
Keynote talk
BP gives a great lesson in thought leadership for process manufacturers in a keynote address delivered at Tsinghua University, Beijing. This is a good example of thought leadership because it is Authoritative—it’s communicated by a recognized industry expert. In this case, that’s BP’s Fuzzy Bitar, SVP HSE and Carbon.
LinkedIn post
Thought leadership doesn’t have to be long and technical to be effective. Sometimes short and succinct is better. A good example of short-form, effective thought leadership are the LinkedIn posts published by Rio Tinto. In post after post, in 40 words or fewer, the company consistently grabs attention, offers value, presents a unique viewpoint, and offers a valuable resource for more reading.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rio-tinto/posts/?feedView=all
Podcast
If you are a busy B2B manufacturer, you may not have the time, staff, expertise or budget to launch and run a podcast. But that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage podcasts as a way to promote your manufacturer thought leadership. The Manufacturing Report is the podcast of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. Every episode typically features an interview with a manufacturer who is solving a familiar challenge in a novel way.
Report
This report from Accenture is an example of thought leadership in manufacturing because it communicates Relevance—current and future. It discusses next-generation manufacturing systems architecture, detailing how Manufacturing Execution Systems and cloud-based platforms align for sustainable, future-ready frameworks. It explores emerging trends, such as autonomous operations and the integration of predictive analytics, which sets a forward-looking foundation for industry growth.
Trade publication article
How do you demonstrate thought leadership in the manufacturing space without bragging about your company and capabilities? By offering Original insights in a trade publication article. By original, we mean unique perspectives or insights not addressed anywhere else. That’s what Jamie Flinchbaugh does in this article that he authored for Industry Week.
Video
This video from Microsoft is a good example of manufacturing thought leadership because it is Unbiased. The video promotes Microsoft Dynamics 365 indirectly by getting a Microsoft customer (not Microsoft sales engineers), to sing the praises of the ERP Microsoft platform. Impartiality is vital to true thought leadership in B2B manufacturing.
Webinar
How would you like to gather a bunch of your prime prospects into a room for a presentation that demonstrates your knowledge in a particular area? That’s what webinars do. Granted, not everyone is in the same room, but they may as well be. Webinars are a great example of effective thought leadership for manufacturers, especially when they meet a key criteria for thought leadership by being Empirical. In other words, they reference strong research data, like this this webinar from Forrester does.
Whitepaper
This whitepaper from SAS ticks the box for being an excellent example of manufacturer thought leadership by being Realistic. It’s based on real-world experiences, case studies and examples. Roughly 93% of decision-makers in a recent RH Blake survey said the best thought leadership is based on real-world experiences, case studies and examples. SAS–a global leader in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics–shares insights and learnings from helping both process and discrete manufacturers globally to optimize their energy usage by implementing AI in real-world settings.
Conclusion
Becoming a thought leader in manufacturing requires a blend of deep industry expertise, strategic content, and a commitment to addressing the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the sector. For B2B manufacturers, establishing a position as a thought leader is not only beneficial for brand recognition but also essential for building long-term trust with customers and partners.
As a marketing agency specializing in helping B2B manufacturers, RH Blake brings decades of experience in the industrial sector to help clients position themselves as industry authorities. Through a targeted combination of insightful content creation, strategic brand positioning, and a focus on issues that matter most to manufacturers, RH Blake enables its clients to drive meaningful conversations and stay ahead of industry trends. Whether through white papers, blog posts, case studies, or engaging multimedia content, RH Blake empowers manufacturers to share their expertise, educate their audiences, and ultimately lead their industries into the future.
With RH Blake’s guidance, B2B manufacturers can confidently embark on the journey of thought leadership, establishing their brands not just as vendors, but as trusted advisors and innovators in the manufacturing landscape.
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