An Honest Take on Digital Transformation: Digital Factory Day 2026 

On May 12, 2026, the latest edition of Digital Factory Day took place in Warsaw, a forum for the exchange of experiences among manufacturing companies. This recurring event, organized by ImFactory, brings together manufacturing leaders and practitioners from various industries at different scales of operations. Its goal is the mutual exchange of knowledge, experiences, and inspirations.

Digital transformation in manufacturing rarely looks the same as it does in conference presentations. It is shaped by everyday decisions, implementations, challenges, changing priorities, and the constant pursuit of optimal solutions. That is why, at Digital Factory Day, we place emphasis on practice, honest conversations, and the exchange of experiences among people who deal with these issues in their day-to-day decisions, says Grzegorz Fijałka, Partner | Business Development at ImFactory MES Competence Center. 

This year’s edition featured representatives of Apator, OSM Piątnica, BART, OnlyBio.life, Espersen, Modular System, and DOVISTA Polska, who chose to share their experiences in presentations. Additionally, Michał Zieliński from ImFactory presented a case study on the implementation of the Digital Transformation Roadmap at Bahlsen Polska. 

The presentations focused mainly on the topic of MES implementation – from preparation and planning, through the first steps, pilots, and integration, to the system’s daily functioning, long-term maintenance, and scaling. Particularly high praise was given to Apator’s presentation, which shared their experience from the preparation and first stages of MES implementation.  

The speakers not only addressed successes, proven solutions, and achieved benefits, but also touched on mistakes, difficult decisions, and challenges that arise on the path to digital transformation. One of the most interesting threads in this context was preparing the organization for changes that are an inevitable part of implementing an IT system for production. The speakers presented examples of how to handle these changes, emphasizing the importance of the joint commitment of both the client’s entire team and the implementer, as well as the openness of the technology itself. Since both MES and APS systems affect numerous levels of the organization, which must continue operating smoothly during implementation, honest and candid accounts of this process proved invaluable to the participants.  

During this year’s edition, there was noticeable interest in the topic of teams’ organization, relationships between them, and how to structure it all so that the transformation not only runs smoothly but also brings tangible benefits to people. 

Apart from the presentations and case studies, the conversations between sessions were equally important – often, it was there that the most specific questions, inspirations, and exchanges of experience emerged.   

The event was attended not only by manufacturing companies but also by system suppliers – AVEVA, PlanetTogether, and Braincube – as well as a representative of the University of Lomza. There was also an opportunity to see the Agilox mobile robot, presented by ASTOR representatives in the context of smart intralogistics.   

The attendees appreciated, above all, the high quality of content and the opportunity to see the real results and first-hand experiences of companies that had decided to digitalize their production.

Digital Factory Day is a perfectly organized event that has created a space for valuable exchange of experiences, practical insights, and inspiring discussions on production digitalization. A great asset of the conference were the substantive presentations on the challenges and results of MES implementation, showcasing the practical approach and real experiences from projects, concludes Arkadiusz Włoch, Project Coordinator at BART Sp. z o.o. 

A very interesting event, especially for a first-time attendee. For a company in the process of MES implementation, participation gives an interesting picture of where you are and where you can be in the near future. The sessions arranged to reflect the chronology of implementation showcase ImFactory’s outstanding professionalism as a host. For those who haven’t attended yet, I strongly recommend taking part – whether as a speaker or as an active listener, says Kamil Wrzesiński, NS Continuous Improvement Manager at Espersen Poland. 

For me, the greatest value was the confirmation of the knowledge I already had, while also broadening it with new perspectives and a practical approach to the topics discussed, states Tomasz Masełko, Logistics and Digitalization Manager at OnlyBio.life S.A. 

What made this event exceptionally valuable was not technology demonstrations or product presentations, but honest conversations. The agenda focused almost exclusively on the clients’ experiences: insights from implementations, operational challenges, the realities of integration, and the actual problems that manufacturers face when modernizing their operations, observes Tim Conlon, Director, Global Partnerships at Planet Together. 

Among the multitude of conferences and webinars on production development and digitalization, it is key to identify those that actually bring value. Digital Factory Day is no place for marketing or promoting specific solutions. It is, however, a forum for sharing experiences of both successes and lessons learned from mistakes. The conference content consists of presentations of real projects by their actual participants. Its welcoming atmosphere enables attendees to interact directly with speakers and ask about crucial details on the spot. It is also an excellent place for benchmarking with other entities from the industry and beyond. All of this is rounded off by the opportunity to network with people involved in digitalization, states Tomasz Kubach, Project Manager – Digitalisation at Espersen Poland Sp. z o.o. 

The event shows how important it is, in the process of continuous improvement and digital transformation, to learn from practical, proven experiences. Equally crucial, however, are honest, candid conversations held in an open atmosphere – ones that help see challenges from a new perspective and seek the best solutions with mutual support.