Rockwell Automation: The 5 Priorities Defining Manufacturing’s Next Chapter
September 28, 2026
5 Priorities Stand Out as Defining Trends Across the Global Manufacturing Landscape
By: Jane Barr, Regional President, Americas at Rockwell Automation
As I speak with manufacturers around the world, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the conversation has changed.
A few years ago, the focus was on digital transformation itself. Organizations were asking whether they should invest, where to begin, and how quickly they could justify the cost.
Today, the debate is largely over.
According to Rockwell Automation’s 11th annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report, 90% of manufacturers now say digital transformation is necessary to remain competitive. The question is no longer whether to transform. It’s how effectively organizations can execute.
What emerged from this year’s research is a picture of an industry moving from experimentation to execution. Manufacturers are operating in an environment defined by rising costs, workforce shortages, cybersecurity concerns, and economic uncertainty. Yet despite these challenges, leaders are accelerating investments that improve resilience, agility, and performance.
Five priorities stand out as defining trends across the global manufacturing landscape.
1. AI Is Moving from Curiosity to Core Capability
Artificial intelligence has crossed an important threshold.
Manufacturers are no longer simply exploring AI—they are embedding it into operations. One-third of manufacturing operations are already AI-augmented today, and respondents expect that figure to surpass 50% within the next four years. AI and machine learning were also identified as the technology most likely to drive positive business outcomes over the next five years.
What’s particularly interesting is where AI is being applied. Organizations are increasingly leveraging it to support quality improvement, cybersecurity, process optimization, and operational decision-making. As these systems mature, we are moving beyond automation alone and toward more adaptive, intelligent operations capable of continuously learning and improving.
The winners won’t be those who simply adopt AI. They’ll be the organizations that successfully scale it across the enterprise while maintaining trust, governance, and operational discipline.
2. Operational Intelligence Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
Manufacturers have never had more data.
The challenge is turning that data into action.
Rockwell Automation’s survey this year found that only 43% of collected manufacturing data is being used effectively. While many organizations have invested heavily in connected equipment and digital technologies, significant opportunities remain to contextualize information and transform it into meaningful operational intelligence.
This is becoming one of the most important differentiators in manufacturing.
High-performing organizations are not necessarily collecting more data than their peers. They are creating systems that connect, contextualize, and operationalize information faster. As a result, they make better decisions, respond more quickly to changing conditions, and create a stronger foundation for AI, autonomy, and continuous improvement.
Data collection is no longer enough. The real value lies in coordinated action.
3. Cybersecurity Is Becoming an Operational Requirement
As manufacturing environments become more connected, cybersecurity is evolving from an IT concern into a business-critical operational priority.
Nearly half (46%) of manufacturers reported experiencing a cyber incident within the past year. At the same time, respondents identified cybersecurity risk as one of the leading external obstacles to business growth.
What makes this particularly significant is the growing convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). As organizations invest in advanced analytics, AI, connected assets, and autonomous systems, the potential attack surface expands.
This year’s report makes an important point: security is becoming a prerequisite for autonomy. Organizations cannot confidently scale intelligent operations without secure, resilient architectures that help protect critical assets and maintain trust across connected environments.
In the future, successful manufacturers won’t treat cybersecurity as a separate initiative. They’ll build it into the fabric of their operations.
4. Workforce Transformation Is Accelerating
One of the most encouraging findings from this year’s research is the emphasis on people. Despite concerns surrounding AI and automation, manufacturers are not simply replacing workers. They are redefining roles and investing in new capabilities. This lines up with what I see in the field.
Rockwell Automation’s survey found that 93% of manufacturers expect smart manufacturing technologies to reshape their workforce. 40% reported reskilling workers during the past year. Additionally, many organizations plan to repurpose existing employees and hire for entirely new roles as digital transformation advances.
This reflects a reality many industry leaders already understand: technology creates opportunity, but people create outcomes.
As intelligent systems become more integrated into daily operations, technical skills remain important. Collaboration, communication, adaptability, and problem solving are equally valuable. Manufacturers that invest in both technology and workforce development will be best positioned to capture long-term value.
5. Competitive Differentiation Is About Execution
Perhaps the most important trend emerging from this year’s survey is that technology alone is no longer a differentiator.
Most manufacturers have access to advanced technologies, automation platforms, analytics tools, and AI capabilities. Competitive advantage increasingly depends on how effectively organizations align those technologies with people, processes, and business objectives.
Interestingly, manufacturers across every global region identified AI adoption as their number-one strategy for mitigating external risks. However, regional priorities varied beyond that: from digitization and automation initiatives to talent development, cybersecurity investments, supplier management, and innovation strategies.
The common thread is execution.
Organizations that can rapidly convert insight into action, scale successful initiatives, and continuously improve will find a meaningful advantage over competitors.
The Road Ahead
After eleven years of research, the message from this year’s State of Smart Manufacturing Report is unmistakable.
Manufacturing has entered what many would call the execution era.
Those pulling ahead are not necessarily making larger investments. They are building organizations capable of turning intelligence into action, technology into outcomes, and disruption into opportunity. They are combining AI, operational intelligence, cybersecurity, workforce development, and disciplined execution into a cohesive strategy for growth.
In a world defined by uncertainty, those capabilities may become the most important competitive advantage of all.
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