Business Wire

WI-ROCKWELL-AUTOMATION

Share
New State of Smart Manufacturing Study Finds Over 40% of Manufacturers Struggle to Outpace Competitors Due to Lack of Technology and Skilled Workforce

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today announced the results of the 8th annual “State of Smart Manufacturing Report.” The global study surveyed more than 1,350 manufacturers across 13 of the leading manufacturing countries.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230314005374/en/

To view this piece of content from mms.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Rockwell Automation announced the results of the 8th annual “State of Smart Manufacturing Report” (Photo: Business Wire)

This year’s 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.

Key global findings include:

  • Twice as many manufacturers believe their organization lacks the technology needed to outpace the competition, as compared to 2022.
  • 4 out of 5 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% of manufacturers cite “improving quality” as the main positive outcome they want to achieve with smart manufacturing initiatives.
  • 89% of manufacturers plan to maintain or grow employment due to technology adoption. Additionally, 36% of respondents believe they will be able to repurpose existing workers due to their increasing use of technology.
  • Of the 95% of manufacturers who have formal or informal ESG policies in place, 42% cite “improving efficiencies” as the top driving factor for pursuing ESG initiatives.

“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, Corporate Strategy and Development, 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.”

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.

“At Rockwell, we combine the power of our portfolio of industry solutions with our second-to-none partner ecosystem to serve as a trusted advisor to leading companies around the world,” said Lakkundi. “As the biggest company focused solely on industrial automation and digital transformation, we work to make the complex simple and meet companies where they are in their journeys.”

The full findings of the report can be found here.

Methodology

This report analyzed feedback from 1,353 respondents from 13 of the top manufacturing countries with roles from management up to the C-suite and was conducted in association with Sapio Research and Plex Systems. The survey covered discrete, process, and hybrid industries across a balanced distribution of company sizes with revenues spanning $10 million to over $10 billion, providing a wide breadth of manufacturing business perspectives.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK) is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit www.rockwellautomation.com.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230314005374/en/

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com
DK

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

NTT DATA Recognized as a Global Top Employer for Third Consecutive Year15.1.2026 09:00:00 CET | Press release

NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, today announces it has been certified as a Global Top Employer for 2026 by the Top Employers Institute. Recognized for the third year in a row, this prestigious honor places NTT DATA among a select group of just 17 organizations worldwide honored for consistently delivering a high-performing people strategy across its global operations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260115418660/en/ NTT DATA recognized as a Global Top Employer In addition to its global recognition, NTT DATA has also earned four Top Employer 2026 regional seals and 37 country and region seals across North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa. The Global Certification is the highest level of recognition offered by the Top Employers Institute and underscores NTT DATA’s ability to align its leadership, leverage data-driven insights and apply validated b

SAP and Syngenta Announce Partnership to Scale AI-Assisted Agriculture15.1.2026 09:00:00 CET | Press release

SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and Syngenta, a global leader in agricultural innovation, today announced a multi-year strategic technology partnership to accelerate AI-assisted innovation across Syngenta’s global operations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260115682130/en/ Jeff Rowe - CEO of Syngenta Group (left) and Christian Klein - CEO of SAP (right) The partnership will embed artificial intelligence at the core of Syngenta’s enterprise, modernizing operations and enabling accelerated innovation through advanced data analytics across the business — from manufacturing and supply chain to grower-facing products and services. Agriculture continues to navigate challenges driven by climate variability, supply chain complexity, and global uncertainty. By deploying AI-assisted tools enterprise-wide, this partnership positions Syngenta to meet the challenge of feeding a projected 10 billion people by 2050, while unlocking fast

Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP) Announces CE Mark for ULTRA GI™ Cycle for Duodenoscopes in Partnership with FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe15.1.2026 09:00:00 CET | Press release

New cycle for the STERRAD™ 100NX Sterilizer introduces a validated sterilization method for complex endoscopes, promoting patient safety through innovation. ASP International GmbH (“ASP”), a division of Fortive (NYSE: FTV), in collaboration with FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe GmbH, proudly announces that the ULTRA GI™ Cycle has received CE mark approval. The ULTRA GI™ Cycle is the latest innovation for the STERRAD™ 100NX Sterilizer with ALLClear™ Technology. The ULTRA GI™ Cycle’s receipt of the CE mark represents a pivotal advancement in elevating patient safety across healthcare facilities and addressing the complex challenges associated with traditional reprocessing methods. “This is a meaningful step forward in our mission to make duodenoscope reprocessing safer across Europe,” said Chad Rohrer, President, ASP. “By bringing hydrogen peroxide gas plasma sterilization into routine practice, we’re giving clinicians greater confidence to focus on what matters most – their patients.” ASP’s i

AWS Launches AWS European Sovereign Cloud and Announces Expansion Across Europe15.1.2026 08:00:00 CET | Press release

AWS announces the general availability of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and plans to expand across Europe with new AWS Local Zones in Belgium, the Netherlands, and PortugalAmazon plans to invest more than €7.8 billion in the AWS European Sovereign Cloud in Germany and support an average of 2,800 full-time equivalent jobs annually Today, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the general availability of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, a new, independent cloud for Europe entirely located within the EU, and physically and logically separate from other AWS Regions. The AWS European Sovereign Cloud’s unique approach provides the only fully featured, independently operated sovereign cloud backed by strong technical controls, sovereign assurances, and legal protections designed to meet the needs of European governments and enterprises for sensitive data. AWS also announced plans to extend the AWS European Sovereign Cloud footprint from Germany across the EU to support stringent isolation, i

Cargill Advances Maritime Decarbonisation with Delivery of First Green Methanol Dual-Fuel Vessel15.1.2026 08:00:00 CET | Press release

Brave Pioneer is the first in a new fleet of chartered vessels designed to scale Cargill’s investment to low-carbon innovation across dry-bulk shipping Cargill today announced the maiden voyage of Brave Pioneer, the first of five green methanol dual-fuel dry bulk vessels chartered by the company. The deployment of the Brave Pioneer marks another important milestone in Cargill’s broader decarbonization efforts – one focused on innovation, testing and learning as the company works with customers and partners to refine future-ready solutions for Cargill and the industry. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260114083757/en/ Built by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and owned by Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Brave Pioneer is equipped to operate on both conventional marine fuels and green methanol, a lower-carbon alternative. Built by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and owned by Mitsui & Co. Ltd., Brave Pioneer is equipped to ope

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye