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2023 State of Smart Manufacturing Study Finds Over 45% of Asia-Pacific Manufacturers Struggle to Outpace Competitors Due to Lack of Innovation, Skilled Workforce and Technology

SINGAPORE, March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

- Global survey reveals impact of smart manufacturing technology on maximizing

data insights, attracting talent, and minimizing risks to supply chain,

quality, and cybersecurity.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world's largest company dedicated to

industrial automation and digital transformation, announced the results of the

8th annual "State of Smart Manufacturing Study." (

https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/capabilities/digital-transformation/state-of-smart-manufacturing.html

) The global study surveyed more than 1,350 manufacturers across 13 of the

leading manufacturing countries including Australia, China, India, Japan and

the Republic of Korea.

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 findings include:

-"Balancing quality and growth," and "tracking or quantifying sustainable

practices" are the biggest internal obstacles inhibiting progress for

Asia-Pacific (APAC) manufacturers this year, compared to deploying and

integrating new technology in 2022.

-Globally, twice as many manufacturers believe their organization lacks the

technology needed to outpace the competition, as compared to 2022.

-Four out of five manufacturers still lack an end-to-end supply chain planning

solution.

-Close to half (44%) of APAC manufacturers plan to adopt smart manufacturing

within the next year; out of this, China (80%), Australia (60%) and India (59%)

are already using some components of smart manufacturing.

-The biggest barriers to adopting smart manufacturing for APAC manufacturers

are employee resistance to technology adoption and change, lack of skill set to

manage smart manufacturing implementation, and lack of clear definition of the

value/ROI of smart manufacturing.

-Quality management system (QMS) is the smart manufacturing system that APAC

respondents have seen the largest ROI, followed by manufacturing execution

system (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP).

-Cybersecurity risks rank highest as the obstacle all respondents are looking

to mitigate with smart manufacturing initiatives.

88% of APAC manufacturers plan to maintain or grow employment due to technology

adoption. Additionally, 39% of respondents believe they will be able to

repurpose existing workers due to their increasing use of technology.

-Of the 94% of APAC manufacturers who have formal or informal environmental,

social and governance (ESG) policies in place, close to half (48%) cite "a

competitive differentiator" 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, Strategy and Corporate 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 globally, 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(

https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/capabilities/digital-transformation/state-of-smart-manufacturing.html

).

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. Out of the total

number of respondents, 425 are based in Asia-Pacific in Australia, China,

India, Japan and the Republic of Korea. 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.(https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-sg.html) (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.

Source:Rockwell Automation