Strengthening Cybersecurity in Heavy-Duty Manufacturing: From Risk Exposure to Operational Confidence

In manufacturing environments, cybersecurity is no longer confined to the IT department. It’s an operational, financial, and reputational concern that directly affects production continuity and stakeholder trust. For one manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial vehicles, the convergence of legacy systems, modern development pipelines, and operational technology created a complex security landscape that demanded a strategic response.

Karcsay Consulting Group (KCG) was engaged early to serve as a technology advisor, working closely with the company’s IT, DevOps, SecDev, and executive leadership teams to design a comprehensive, purpose-built security program.

Rather than approaching security as a checklist exercise, the engagement began with alignment. Understanding how cybersecurity risks intersected with business objectives, compliance requirements, and day-to-day operations. The organization faced challenges common to advanced manufacturers: inconsistent access controls, limited real-time visibility into threats, and gaps between IT and operational technology (OT) environments.

To address these risks, KCG guided the implementation of multi-factor authentication (MFA) to strengthen access control across systems and users. Detailed incident response run books were developed to ensure that when threats emerged, teams could respond decisively rather than reactively. Rigorous OT security reviews identified vulnerabilities unique to industrial environments, helping bridge long-standing gaps between plant operations and enterprise security.

Real-time syslog monitoring was integrated to improve visibility across the environment, while proactive penetration testing helped uncover weaknesses before they could be exploited. To further fortify the organization’s posture, a managed detection and response (MDR) solution was implemented and tailored to the company’s specific operational needs. Equally important, KCG ensured the internal team was trained to manage and sustain these capabilities, aligning policies and procedures with compliance expectations.

The result was not simply stronger security controls, but a measurable shift in confidence. Leadership gained clearer insight into risk. Internal teams operated with defined processes and shared accountability. The organization was positioned to detect, manage, and mitigate threats without disrupting production or innovation.

Key Takeaway: Cybersecurity maturity is achieved when technology, people, and processes work together in service of the business, not when tools are deployed in isolation.

If your organization is balancing operational complexity with increasing security demands, Karcsay Consulting Group can help you move from reactive defense to resilient, business-aligned protection. Contact KCG and schedule your free consultation to begin a strategic security assessment.