How DBR77 uses digital twins and focused AI pilots in manufacturing
Torian Richardson is CEO of DBR77. DBR77 helps small and midsized manufacturers modernize operations through digital transformation, digital twins and industrial intelligence. The conversation explains how the company ties IIoT, simulation and measured pilots to real shop floor constraints and why that matters for manufacturers starting digital transformation.
Begin with one costly operational problem, establish a reliable data foundation, run a focused AI or automation pilot with experienced operators involved, and scale only after you can measure value. Ignore pressure to add AI everywhere or rely on AI for stakeholder discovery and change management.
What’s the quick origin story of your business, and what makes what you do genuinely different from the other options your customers are looking at?
DBR77 grew out of firsthand experience leading manufacturing operations and seeing how difficult it was for smaller manufacturers to access the industrial intelligence available to large enterprises. We built an integrated ecosystem that helps manufacturers measure performance, simulate improvements and automate with confidence. Unlike vendors selling a single tool or technology, we begin with the manufacturer’s real operational constraint and support the entire transformation—from IIoT and digital twins to plant operations, AI guidance and vetted automation partners. (
Where does most of your new business come from today, and where do you wish it came from?
Today, most new business comes through industry relationships, referrals, strategic partnerships and manufacturing trade shows. We want more opportunities to come from U.S. manufacturers discovering DBR77 through thought leadership, earned media and trusted peer recommendations—especially small and midsized companies beginning or expanding their digital transformation.
What’s one thing you’ve actually handed over to AI in the last year, and one thing you tried it on and went back to doing the human way?
We’ve handed AI the first pass of analyzing operational data. Surfacing patterns, anomalies and potential bottlenecks far faster than a person could. We tried using it more heavily for stakeholder discovery and transformation planning, but returned to human-led conversations because trust, organizational dynamics and the realities of the shop floor require judgment that AI cannot replicate.
Have you noticed a change in how customers find you or what they already know before they reach out? Is anyone arriving through AI assistants like ChatGPT yet?
Customers are becoming more informed and understand new terms like digital twins, industrial AI and IIoT, and often have a specific operational challenge in mind. We have not yet confirmed a meaningful stream of leads directly from ChatGPT or other AI assistants, but we believe AI-driven discovery is becoming increasingly important and want DBR77 to be more visible in those results.
If you were advising someone in your industry on all of this for the next 12 months, what would you tell them to actually do, and what would you tell them to ignore?
Start with one costly operational problem, establish a reliable data foundation and run a focused AI or automation pilot with measurable outcomes. Keep experienced operators involved, build governance in from the beginning and scale only after proving value. Ignore the pressure to “add AI” everywhere, flashy demos without shop-floor context and claims that technology can replace human judgment or change management.
Thank you to Torian Richardson and the team at DBR77 for sharing what actually worked with Leaders Perception readers.
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