Seasoned growth leader joins to accelerate adoption of the most scalable way to bring AI to the factory floor

Guidewheel, the leader in AI-powered FactoryOps, today announced that Charles Lawson has joined the company as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective August 11. Lawson will lead global go-to-market as Guidewheel advances its mission to empower the world’s 10 million factories to reach sustainable peak performance. With accelerating customer pull and a platform built to connect any machine in minutes, Guidewheel is positioned to become the winning AI layer for factory operations worldwide.

Lawson brings more than two decades across enterprise software and manufacturing tech, including revenue leadership at Egnyte — where he helped scale ARR from under $1M to over $100M — and earlier roles at ServiceMax, Arena Solutions, and Datasweep (acquired by Rockwell Automation). He most recently served as CRO at Fulcrum and at Propel.

Factories generate vast operational data, but much of it remains locked inside machines. Guidewheel’s FactoryOps platform connects to any machine in minutes and turns that data into action — giving teams the real‑time visibility and tools to improve throughput, reduce downtime, and cut waste.

Guidewheel’s customers are showing what’s possible when every machine can contribute to a smarter, faster operation:

• A Fortune 500 global medical device manufacturer improved productivity by 35%
• Fibrix Filtration maintained >90% uptime for a full year by using Guidewheel’s real-time visibility, building a repeatable model for multi-plant success
• A plastics manufacturer improved asset utilization by more than 30% in under a year

These wins compound over time — each new connection builds a richer data foundation that benefits every customer. Explore more in case studies.

“Charles has a track record of building high-performing teams that scale,” said Lauren Dunford, CEO of Guidewheel. “He shares our conviction that FactoryOps is the key to helping the world’s 10 million factories unlock sustainable peak performance.”

“I’ve spent my career scaling go‑to‑market systems, and Guidewheel is something different — this is about changing the game for an entire industry. The combination of customer pull, transformative AI, and a platform that can scale across every machine in every factory is unmatched. I’m thrilled to help bring this to more customers, faster,” said Charles Lawson.

Guidewheel’s $31 million Series B, announced in August 2024 and led by BlackRock and Temasek’s Decarbonization Partners fund, has fueled product acceleration and global expansion. The company’s May 2025 TED Talk, “The future isn’t just coded, it’s built,” reframed manufacturing as a critical driver of innovation and sustainability — and put FactoryOps at the center of that future.

Guidewheel is on a mission to empower the world’s 10 million factories to reach sustainable peak performance. Our AI-powered FactoryOps platform connects any machine in minutes, giving teams real-time visibility, insights, and tools to improve production, efficiency, and sustainability. Backed by Greycroft, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Rethink Impact, and Decarbonization Partners, Guidewheel works with hundreds of manufacturers across the globe to drive measurable results that compound over time.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250819247395/en/

“I’ve spent my career scaling go‑to‑market systems, and Guidewheel is something different — this is about changing the game for an entire industry."