Tulip Operations Calling 2025 Event Brief
Tulip’s third annual Operations Calling event drew over 600 attendees to Somerville, MA — the company’s largest and most energetic gathering yet. Hosted at Tulip’s headquarters and Tulip Experience Center (TEC), the sold-out event brought together customers, partners, analysts and industry leaders to explore how agentic AI and intelligent systems are redefining operational excellence.
Industry Context
The timing aligned with what Axendia has observed across the manufacturing landscape: organizations are shifting from one-time digital transformation projects toward continuous transformation strategies. Tulip Cofounder and CEO, Natan Linder, noted that uncertainty at a macro level continues to persist – “it’s not just one black swan, but a whole flock of black swans.” This volatility makes it essential that manufacturers focus on agility, interoperability, and empowering the frontline. (see: Continuous Innovation and Improvement – The Cornerstone for Resilience)
Key Takeaways
Tulip showcased its composable MES and open integration capabilities — an approach Axendia has identified as critical for sustainable digital initiatives that bridge the gap between IT, OT and Quality. The Partner Pavilion and TEC reinforced the need for a collaborative digital ecosystem, where it is rare that 1) a single vendor provides a full end-to-end solution and 2) that clients are looking for an end-to-end solution from one vendor. Tulip also offered attendees an “AI Passport” certification, attained through six interactive experiences and coaching from Tulip’s experts. The intention was that recipients could apply these practical skills once back at their facilities.
AI discussions included the benefits of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for teams across the organizations. MCP is an open standard that connects AI systems securely to external data sources, tools and services. By acting as a common interface between models and context providers, MCP simplifies integration and enables AI agents to operate with richer, real-time context across applications. An example shared by a few speakers was the MCP server allows them to take advantage of multiple agents simultaneously. This can also help minimize hallucinations that often come with long, iterative queries.
Additional presenters at the breakout sessions emphasized the integral role of internal champions – especially from the top of the organization – and the need for cross-functional alignment at the earliest stages of transformation. In a discussion with Avon Technologies, Tulip’s Chief Business Officer Erik Mirandette highlighted how democratizing technology enables operations teams to build fit-for-purpose apps that deliver measurable value – from reducing inventory in stock to accelerating release cycles.
Walker Reynolds of 4.0 Solutions captured where he views the industry stands today with the provocation that “digital transformation is dead.” He explained this stance by claiming organizations that haven’t initiated any digital initiatives are already too far behind and will not succeed. The phrasing that he feels is more appropriate in describing where we are today is that we’re now in a state of “continuous transformation.”
In Brief
From Axendia’s perspective, Operations Calling reinforced that successful digital initiatives are not about adopting a single platform, but about orchestrating an ecosystem of interoperable, data-driven technologies that empower the workforce. Internal collaboration in these endeavors is absolutely key. As manufacturers navigate ongoing uncertainty, the path forward will favor organizations that continuously learn, adapt, and align people, processes and technology to achieve operational excellence.
Related Content:
- Moving Data with Purpose to Drive Value
- Adopting Manufacturing Innovation to Improve Quality and Accelerate Time to Market
- Enabling Knowledge-Driven Manufacturing with an Agentic AI Platform
- From Maintenance to What’s Next
- Continuous Innovation and Improvement – The Cornerstone for Resilience
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The opinions and analysis expressed in this post reflect the judgment of Axendia at the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. Information contained in this post is current as of publication date. Information cited is not warranted by Axendia but has been obtained through a valid research methodology. This post is not intended to endorse any company or product and should not be attributed as such.