Industrial manufacturers expect the share of highly automated processes across their operations to nearly triple by 2030, rising from 18% today to 50%, according to a new outlook from PwC.
The projection comes from PwC’s Global Industrial Manufacturing Sector Outlook, based on a survey of 443 manufacturing executives worldwide.
The findings point to a significant increase in the use of automation, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies among manufacturers.
Automation is expected to expand beyond production lines into data capture and analytics, product development, and after-sales support. The report says highly automated processes will increasingly span the entire value chain, from front-office functions to back-office operations.
PwC also projects a sharp increase in the use of advanced technologies in manufacturing. The share of company activities relying heavily on those technologies is expected to rise from 26% today to 68% by 2030.
Those findings are part of a larger trend. A survey released late last year found that 95% of U.S. industrial companies expect to introduce new automation into their operations by 2028. At the same time, AI is becoming increasingly important to manufacturing operations. Separate industry research shows most manufacturing leaders now consider AI essential to running their businesses.
Production and operations are expected to see the highest levels of technology use, followed closely by product design and development. Technology adoption in business support functions, including finance and human resources, is also expected to rise significantly over the next several years.
PwC said automation and robotics are primarily being adopted as productivity tools, while AI is expected to support both efficiency improvements and revenue growth.
The study also found that companies already leading in technology adoption are likely to extend their advantage. PwC identified a group of “future-fit” manufacturers, the fastest-moving and most digitally advanced companies, that already report higher levels of automation.
Currently, about 29% of processes at those companies are highly automated, compared with 15% at other manufacturers. By 2030, that figure is expected to reach 65% for future-fit organizations, versus 45% for the rest of the sector.
