Robotics and automation are moving fast. The challenge for many organizations in keeping up with the evolution of robotics is what sits behind the machines. Robots are great for delivering value, but sometimes, they can come with fragmented data, disconnected systems or outdated infrastructure. A strong digital foundation brings everything together, allowing automation initiatives to scale, adapt and perform as intended. Without it, automation efforts often stall before they reach their full potential.

1. Assess Your Digital Maturity

Before investing further in robotics or automation, it is important to take an honest look at where your business stands today. Digital maturity reflects how well data flows between teams, how integrated your software and infrastructure are, and how easily you can access and act on information.

Many entities discover that they are operating with disconnected tools or manual workarounds that limit the effectiveness of automation. In fact, 91% report facing barriers to digital transformation due to poor data availability or a lack of software automation skills.

Assessing your digital maturity means identifying those gaps early. This can include reviewing how data is collected and shared across operations, evaluating system interoperability, and understanding whether your current setup supports scalability. By clearly defining your starting point, you can prioritize the improvements that will have the greatest impact and build a stronger foundation for automation initiatives moving forward.

2. Partner With Expert Guidance

After assessing your digital maturity, you may quickly realize how complex the path forward can be. Gaps in data integration, legacy systems and competing priorities can make it difficult to move from insight to action. This is often the point where internal teams benefit from an outside perspective. This is where experienced digital transformation advisors come into play.

Understanding digital gaps is only the first step — knowing how to close them requires strategic planning and execution. Partners like TRC help companies with this by translating high-level automation goals into a clear roadmap, reducing uncertainty while keeping initiatives aligned.

As a consulting firm with over 55 years in engineering, technology and operational strategy, TRC brings a simple and real-world approach to digital transformation. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, it works closely with clients to understand their unique needs, constraints and long-term objectives. This allows TRC to design digital foundations that are technically sound and realistic to implement.

Key capabilities that make it a strong partner for digital transformation include:

• End-to-end digital strategy development that aligns robotics and automation initiatives with big picture objectives
• Deep industry expertise across robotics, automation and industrial systems
• Integrated data and infrastructure planning to support system interoperability, scalability and long-term performance
• Risk-aware implementation guidance that helps organizations avoid costly missteps and delays during transformation efforts.

By working closely with a partner that understands the technical and operational sides of automation, you gain a more confident path forward. TRC emphasizes its approach to long-term scalability, system interoperability and measurable impact, helping teams build a digital foundation that supports robotics and automation well into the future.

3. Define Strategic Goals

With an expert partner in place, the next step is to turn strategy into achievable goals. This is where many automation initiatives either gain traction or lose momentum. Defining what success looks like early helps teams stay aligned and ensures digital investments are working toward outcomes that are important to the business.

A phased approach is especially effective when building a digital foundation. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, you can focus on what is realistic in the near term while keeping long-term objectives in view. Goals may look different over time —- what is achievable in the next six months may focus on system integration or data visibility. Meanwhile, 12- to 24-month goals may center on advanced automation or analytics-driven decision-making.

Each phase should also be tied to a specific business outcome. Rather than setting broad or abstract goals, successful strategies connect digital initiatives to measurable results such as reducing downtime, improving throughput or increasing operational efficiency. This approach keeps progress measurable, while also helping you see how your digital foundation supports robotics and automation at every stage.

4. Architect a Unified and Secure Infrastructure

Once you define strategic goals, your attention can switch over to the technical aspects that support them. Building an infrastructure is where the digital foundation truly takes shape. This step focuses on how systems connect, data moves and information is protected as robotics and automation efforts scale.

A key part of this process is bringing together operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments. Historically, OT systems have operated separately from enterprise IT, creating data silos and limiting visibility. Unifying these environments allows organizations to gain real-time insights from the shop floor while maintaining consistency across business systems, enabling smoother workflows and more informed decision-making.

Equally important is designing the infrastructure with flexibility in mind. Open standards and well-documented APIs help ensure new robots, software platforms and technologies are integratable without major rework. By prioritizing interoperability and security from the outset, brands can build an infrastructure that supports current automation needs and adapts as technology evolves.

5. Develop Your Data-to-Insights Strategy

A digital foundation only delivers value when there is a clear plan for how you collect, manage and use data. Robotics and automation systems generate massive amounts of operational data. Yet, without structure, the data often goes underutilized. Developing a data-to-insights strategy ensures information flows purposefully rather than sitting in disconnected silos.

An effective strategy starts with data governance. This includes defining ownership, setting standards for data quality, and establishing how information from robotics systems is stored, shared and secured. When governance is in place, you can trust your data and use it consistently across teams.

Once data is properly managed, it becomes a powerful driver for advanced capabilities. You can apply analytics, machine learning and real-time dashboards to optimize processes, predict issues and improve performance. This change is already underway across the industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) in the manufacturing market accounted for $8.57 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $12.35 billion in 2026, so data-driven automation is becoming the norm. A strong data-to-insights strategy ensures you can capitalize on that momentum.

Building a Digital Foundation That Lasts

A strong digital foundation is essential for turning robotics and automation investments into long-term value. By assessing digital maturity, setting phased goals, unifying infrastructure and turning data into actionable insights, you can create a strategy that scales with your needs. Working with experienced digital transformation advisors helps bring that structure and clarity to this process. By working on these steps together, you ensure automation efforts are supported by a foundation that can adapt and deliver results over time.