What is the secret sauce to real, true innovation? The answer lies at the intersection of the right people and the right technology. Today’s most successful companies are investing in advanced tools like AI (artificial intelligence), automation, and connected systems, while also leveraging collaborative, cross-functional teams capable of turning those technologies into meaningful business outcomes.
This is precisely what Dave Moelker, CEO, Twisthink, is doing to help companies turn their physical products into smart, intelligent, and connected systems with the help of a cross functional team.
“It has become increasingly important as the complexity of these systems goes up, you cannot afford to build them in silos,” he says. “We need these different perspectives and these different disciplines working together from the very beginning in order to unlock solutions that are actually commercially viable and driving value in the market, but they have that technical feasibility and that is really resonating with users.”
At the end of the day, the right team can enable customers to derisk development products and get to market faster. That shift is becoming critical as products evolve beyond standalone hardware into ecosystems powered by software, sensors, cloud infrastructure, AI, and realtime data. Organizations that once operated in handoffs between departments are now discovering innovation happens faster and more effectively when teams collaborate from day one.
The Dangers of Speed without Clarity
In today’s business environment, speed matters more than ever before. Markets are moving quickly, customer expectations continue to rise, and companies face increasing pressure to innovate without wasting time or capital.
But speed alone is not enough. Moelker cautions that while we can move faster with the help of AI, we must that in the context of making good, smart decisions. Moving quickly without clarity can create new hurdles.
This is what Twisthink aims to do: empower its customers with the inputs they need to make those decisions. “Nothing creates more sand in the gears than not being able to make decisions quickly,” Moelker says.
Innovation Starts with Teamwork
The solution to moving faster with clarity comes in the form of understanding customer pain points and leveraging a cohesive team to be able to solve problems. Moelker points to one specific case study, Flexco. The company approached Twisthink with one question: how might we start to use technology to deliver better outcomes for customers and service teams. This is a perfect example of a company that had a need and knew if needed help to achieve its objectives.
Twisthink’s team began by working with internal Flexco teams and then expanded globally to understand where the company could create the most value, reduce wasted effort, and maximize results using its own data. This deep evaluation revealed clear opportunities to improve uptime, strengthen customer support, and modernize service workflows.
This insight ultimately led to the development of a custom connected device, which was a retrofit sensor designed to attach to existing conveyor products and remotely monitor belt performance. By identifying the assets most at risk, the solution enables service teams to prioritize interventions, reduce unplanned downtime, and shift from reactive maintenance to a predictive, data‑driven model.
Because the device can be installed on equipment already in the field, Flexco was able to accelerate adoption and establish a scalable foundation for future digital services, advanced analytics, and premium uptime offerings. The result is not just a new product, but a strategic evolution in how Flexco delivers value, strengthens customer loyalty, and leverages data to drive continuous improvement.
This may be one of the biggest lessons today: breakthrough products rarely emerge from isolated technical advancements alone. They happen when companies bring together diverse expertise, align around customer needs, and create systems that allow decisions to happen quickly and intelligently.
As AI, connected devices, and intelligent systems continue to reshape industries, organizations that embrace cross-functional collaboration will be far better positioned to compete with new innovation. Technology may power innovation, but people working together remain the true differentiator. Together, the two are a powerful combination of what can bring true innovation to market successfully.
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