All of the manufacturing automation and cybersecurity suppliers have been conducting market research that they are releasing for us all to get a sense of what customers are thinking. This one from ABB Robotics looks into the global automotive supply chain.
- Global ABB Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey confirms automation and robotics are crucial to the future of the industry
- New OEMs and start-ups lead the charge, while suppliers are lagging behind
- ABB’s flexible and smart solutions make automation viable for companies of all sizes
A new global survey commissioned by ABB Robotics and conducted by Automotive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) concludes that while automation is considered critical to the future of the automotive industry, many companies in the supply chain have yet to take advantage of the benefits offered by robotics and digitalization.
Almost all respondents (97%) believe that automation and robotics will transform the automotive industry over the next five years, with a similar number (96%) predicting that software, digitalization and data management will be equally significant. When asked about the pace of investment, most believed that new OEMs and start-ups were well ahead of the curve, investing either ‘very well’ (38%) or ‘quite well’ (28%), followed by legacy OEMs who were thought to be embracing automation ‘very well’ by 31%. However, only 7% believed that Tier 2 suppliers were making the necessary investment, with Tier 3 suppliers further behind with only 3%.
The ABB survey gathered opinions on a range of topics from a comprehensive mix of nearly 400 industry experts from vehicle manufacturers and suppliers at all levels of management and engineering as well as other key professionals throughout the automotive world.
