Driving Sustainable Manufacturing with AI-Powered Solutions | Sarah Calkin-Ward from Fero Labs

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro-experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website and let the AI do all the work while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Sarah from Fero Labs, Director of Marketing. How are you doing today, Sarah?

Sarah Calkin-Ward: Good, thanks, Ernesto.

Ernesto: It’s great to have you on today, and I’m sure our listeners are tuning in wondering what Fero Labs is all about. “Where plants work better together with Fero Labs.” Let’s start off with that so you can give us a better insight. Sarah, in your own words, can you tell us what Fero Labs is all about?

Sarah: Sure. Fero Labs is an augmented intelligence platform, and we work with manufacturers to help optimize their production to drive profit and sustainability. The work we do is pretty important because the manufacturing sectors we support—like steel, chemicals, cement, and oil and gas—are some of the heaviest emitters of climate-changing carbon. Our platform uses AI and machine learning to help them make better, faster, and more confident production decisions.

The feedback we get from customers is that they’re working 90 times faster compared to traditional methods like Six Sigma, and they’re averaging about an 11% increase in efficiency just by using us. For manufacturing plants, that can translate into millions of dollars in savings.

Ernesto: I would agree with that. So our listeners can get a better understanding—what is the key problem you solve for clients?

Sarah: Manufacturing is a pretty risk-averse sector, and that’s out of necessity. Small errors can lead to safety issues or cost millions. So, for them to make changes, they need science-based confidence.

Since COVID, supply chain issues have forced them to look at their efficiencies. They need to maximize the use of raw and recycled materials while minimizing waste. Rising fuel and energy costs, especially in the EU, have also been a challenge. They need to ensure their quality remains on point while addressing these issues. We help them achieve these goals more sustainably, creating a win-win for both the plant and the planet.

Ernesto: That’s great to hear. Is there a vertical segment or an ideal ICP you focus on?

Sarah: Yes, we focus on those heavy emitters because we’re a mission-driven company aiming to mitigate climate change. These sectors—steel, chemicals, cement, and oil and gas—are where we can make the biggest impact.

From a persona perspective, we target decision-makers like plant owners and digital transformation leaders. These are people who want to maximize efficiency, keep shareholders happy, and comply with regulations to reduce their carbon footprint.

Ernesto: Awesome to hear. How does someone typically find out about Fero Labs? What’s your top client acquisition channel?

Sarah: It’s a very niche market because our ICP is narrow. Pre-COVID, events were key, but they haven’t bounced back fully, especially in the EU due to travel footprint restrictions.

Now, we focus on upper-funnel activities like PR, communications, and launching our podcast, Profitable Sustainability. Demand generation and lead generation through LinkedIn are also significant because we can target tier-one and tier-two accounts precisely. Our website plays a central role in this strategy.

Ernesto: For our listeners, you can always check them out at ferolabs.com. What role does the website play in your client acquisition, Sarah?

Sarah: The website is everything. Even when our sales team does cold outreach or networks at events, prospects still visit our website to learn about us before deciding to engage.

When I started five months ago, the website was one of our biggest weaknesses. I immediately brought in tools like Hotjar for usability insights and Sixth Sense to verify visitors from key accounts. This helped us address leaks and make targeted changes. For example, we attract a lot of academics due to our white papers, but they’re not our target buyers. These tools help us focus on visitors who matter most.

Ernesto: Definitely important. Let’s switch gears and talk about you as a leader. As Director of Marketing for Fero Labs, what are some key tasks you focus on daily?

Sarah: A lot of my time goes to managing agencies and contractors since I’m a marketing team of one. I catch up with them regularly, ensuring there are no roadblocks.

I also listen to sales calls to understand customer pain points, refine messaging, and identify content gaps. On top of that, I handle execution, like setting up LinkedIn campaigns and optimizing the website. I organize my day to write and focus deeply at specific times for maximum efficiency.

Ernesto: Sounds like you’re wearing many hats and managing it well. Kudos to you!

Sarah: Thanks! Life in a startup keeps you on your toes.

Ernesto: Let’s move into our next section—rapid-fire questions. Are you ready, Sarah?

Sarah: Absolutely.

Ernesto: What’s the last book you read?

Sarah: The Pocket Guide to Product Launches by Mary Sheehan. It’s a fantastic read for product marketers.

Ernesto: Great read for our listeners. Next, what’s one thing your company is focused on the most right now?

Sarah: Helping manufacturers mitigate climate change by optimizing their processes to reduce carbon emissions at the source.

Ernesto: Amazing. If there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d fix as a marketer?

Sarah: I’d love to shadow my prospects for a day to truly understand their workflows and pain points. Right now, we rely on anecdotal feedback, but seeing their day-to-day challenges firsthand would be invaluable for messaging.

Ernesto: That would be insightful. Next, if there’s one repetitive task you could automate, what would it be?

Sarah: Note-taking. While transcription tools exist, they struggle with accents. A reliable, accurate transcription tool would be a game-changer.

Ernesto: Agreed. Lastly, what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you were restarting your marketing journey?

Sarah: Find your purpose. Passion is great, but purpose gives you a legacy. Working for a mission-driven company like Fero Labs, which aims to create a sustainable future, feels meaningful and fulfilling.

Ernesto: That’s inspiring. Thanks for sharing, Sarah. Before we wrap up, what’s one thing you want listeners to remember about Fero Labs?

Sarah: We don’t just measure or store data—we mitigate carbon emissions right at the source. You don’t need code to deploy our platform, and you can start making impactful changes today.

Ernesto: Fantastic. Thank you so much for being on the show, Sarah. To our listeners, you can always check them out at ferolabs.com. Thank you for tuning in, and we’ll see you in the next episode of Pathmonk Presents.

Sarah: Thanks, Ernesto.