Annual Rockwell smart manufacturing study highlights impact of technology on success

Rockwell Automation released the results of its eighth annual “State of Smart Manufacturing Report.” The global study surveyed more than 1,350 manufacturers across 13 major manufacturing countries.

The 2023 report reveals a focus on delivering profitable growth without sacrificing quality, an emphasis on accessing data’s true potential and increasing adoption of technology to build resilience, enable agility, increase sustainability and address workforce challenges.

“Manufacturers are continuing to seek opportunities for profitable growth but are realizing that uncertainty in workforce availability is impacting quality, along with their ability to meet evolving customer needs,” said Veena Lakkundi, senior vice-president of corporate strategy and development at Rockwell Automation. “The survey found that smart manufacturing technology is enabling manufacturers of all sizes to optimize more resilient, agile, and sustainable solutions that accelerate transformation. If we’ve learned anything from history, it’s that organizations that invest in innovation, with a bias for action, during times of uncertainty can outpace competitors.”

Key findings of the study include the following:

• Twice as many manufacturers believe their organization lacks the technology needed to outpace the competition, as compared to 2022.
• Four out of five manufacturers still lack an end-to-end supply chain planning solution.
• Cybersecurity risks rank highest as the obstacle respondents are looking to mitigate with smart manufacturing initiatives.
• 45 percent of manufacturers cite “improving quality” as the main positive outcome they want to achieve with smart manufacturing initiatives.
• 89 percent of manufacturers plan to maintain or grow employment due to technology adoption. Additionally, 36 percent of respondents believe they will be able to repurpose existing workers due to their increasing use of technology.
• Of the 95 percent of manufacturers who have formal or informal ESG policies in place, 42 percent cite “improving efficiencies” as the top driving factor for pursuing ESG initiatives.

Based on the survey findings, technology is crucial to mitigating risk and delivering growth. However, for one-third of manufacturers, the range of available systems and platforms is leading to “technology paralysis” – an inability to decide between solutions. Manufacturers can overcome this indecision by choosing a partner with relevant industry expertise and experience who can advise and guide them in implementing a fit-for-purpose solution to achieve desired outcomes.

The full findings of the report can be found here.