Rockwell Automation releases State of Smart Manufacturing report, Indian manufacturers upbeat on urgent need for digitisation – Express Mobility News

Rockwell Automation, one of the world’s largest companies dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation has announced the results of its 9th annual “State of Smart Manufacturing Report.”

The global study surveyed more than 1,500 manufacturers across 17 of the leading manufacturing countries, including India. The report reveals a focus on harnessing new and emerging technologies to build resilience, improve quality, maximize workforce potential, and drive sustainable growth.

In India, given the supply chain disruptions over the last few years, the warehouse and fulfillment industry see the highest acceleration of digital transformation, followed by the renewable energy and chemical sectors. A staggering 91% of Indian manufacturers recognized the urgent need for digitisation, which is driven by both internal imperatives – such as the delicate balance between quality and growth, adoption and integration of new technologies, retention of skilled workers, product quality improvement and client onboarding – as well as external challenges such as inflation, supply chain disruptions, skilled labor shortages, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It further stated that Indian manufacturers are actively improving their network infrastructure and leveraging the multitude of connected hardware devices. Networking hardware, with an adoption rate of 88%, and production monitoring software solutions, with a remarkable adoption rate of 92%, lead the way in technology adoption across various industries in India.

Dilip Sawhney, MD, Rockwell Automation India said: “The 9th edition of smart manufacturing report highlights the transformative impact of new technologies, including GenAI, on the global manufacturing. From the accelerated need for digital transformation to the overwhelming adoption of technologies, the new study underscores the shift towards smart manufacturing, globally.”

“The report reveals that Indian manufacturing is rapidly evolving and is investing in smart manufacturing technologies to achieve growth, address workforce issues, improve quality control, mitigate cyber risks, and achieve sustainability. A wider adoption of digital transformation is crucial for India to become a trillion-dollar manufacturing economy — a vision of government of India under Make in India initiatives,” added Dilip.

Key findings

• AI ranks as the top capability that manufacturers believe will drive the biggest business outcomes. 83% of manufacturers expect to use generative AI (GenAI) in their operations in 2024.
• 95% of manufacturers are using or evaluating smart manufacturing technology – up from 84% in 2023.
• 94% of manufacturers plan to maintain or grow their workforce due to smart manufacturing technology adoption, with a heavy focus on repurposing workers to new or different roles and/or hiring more workers.
• Change management is the leading workforce-related obstacle for manufacturers in 2024.
• Manufacturers cite “improved quality” as the top positive outcome they hope to achieve from existing smart manufacturing technology for a second consecutive year. Additionally, “quality control” ranks as the #1 AI/Machine Learning use case in 2024.
• For the first time, cybersecurity is listed as one of the top five external risks for manufacturers in 2024, ranking third overall.
• Energy management is the factor that matters most to manufacturers’ sustainability/ESG programs.

From accelerating digital transformation to strengthening quality control and cybersecurity resilience, the report highlighted the key role emerging technologies play in addressing the industry’s multifaceted challenges.