Rockwell Automation, one of the world’s leading companies in industrial automation, informatization and digital transformation, has released the ninth edition of its annual State of Intelligent Manufacturing Report. The global survey covers more than 1,500 manufacturers from 17 major manufacturing countries and regions.

This year’s report shows that manufacturers are primarily focused on leveraging advanced and emerging technologies to enhance resilience, improve quality, reach the full potential of their workforce, and drive sustainable growth.

S72402-NANANA Cyril Perducat, senior vice president and Chief Technology Officer, Rockwell Automation, said: “A skilled workforce is the cornerstone of the success of any manufacturing operation, and attracting, managing and retaining employees is an ongoing challenge. The survey shows that technology alone will not solve the problem. To stay competitive, manufacturers need to get their employees to embrace advanced technology. This will be at the heart of the culture that will continue to evolve, driving technology collaboration and employee collaboration, as well as business growth.”

The global survey results mainly include
•AI becomes the first choice for manufacturers to achieve business results. 83% of manufacturers plan to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their operations by 2024.
•95% of manufacturers are using or evaluating smart manufacturing technologies, up from 84% in 2023.
94% of manufacturers plan to maintain or increase their workforce by adopting smart manufacturing technologies, with a focus on relocating existing workforces to new or different roles and hiring more employees.
Change management is the top workforce-related challenge facing manufacturers in 2024.

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For the second year in a row, manufacturers listed “improving quality” as the main goal they hope to achieve with existing smart manufacturing technologies. In addition, “Quality control” is the number one AI/ machine learning use case in 2024.
For the first time, cybersecurity is listed as one of the top five external risks facing manufacturers in 2024, ranking third overall.
• Energy management is a top priority for manufacturers’ sustainability /ESG programs.

Allison Kuhn, principal analyst at LNS Research, said: “The workforce of 2019 is not coming back, and developing a sustainable workforce strategy is critical to successfully addressing the tough manufacturing S72402-NANANA challenges. To win the war for talent, leaders must accept this new reality and focus on three key points: 1) total employee experience, 2) service-oriented leadership, and 3) Connected frontline Workforce (CFW) applications.”

Manufacturers will still face a major challenge: how to bring people, processes and technology together to drive long-term growth and resilience in their businesses. According to the report, about a third of manufacturing leaders believe that “matching technology and talent with business needs” and “effectively managing people and resources” are the main challenges their organizations will face in the coming year. Manufacturers can overcome this challenge by selecting a partner with relevant industry expertise and experience, through which they can provide tailored solutions and support to align technology and talent with business objectives.

“At Rockwell, our deep industry expertise combined with the excellence of PartnerNetwork™ puts us in a leading position to advise and guide the world’s leading manufacturers. As a global company committed to industrial automation, informatization and digital transformation, we strive to help companies realize the promise and value of their digital transformation, no matter where they are in their transformation.” “Perducat said.