Are we ready for the future? Asia is ready

Asian manufacturers claim that within 15 years their factories will be based on AI-powered, self-learning machines and robots, supervised and supported by human workers. They are not entirely certain that the future of manufacturing in Europe and the US will be quite different from today.

These are the findings of research surveyors. The surveys cover a variety of sectors, including automotive OEMs and parts suppliers, aerospace OEMs and parts suppliers, machinery manufacturers, electrical equipment manufacturers, and heavy equipment manufacturers.

According to the report, AI, automation, and digital technologies will become increasingly important in the manufacturing sector. Within 15 years, hyper-automated factories will rely on the following elements, offering greater agility and flexibility while delivering a significant shift in productivity:

Autonomous operations (53%).

Productive AI-powered self-learning machines (52%). Fully automated warehouses (51%).

Intelligent connected production cells (49%).

Autonomous mobile robots (49%).

Digitally connected teams (48%).

Digital twins (47%).

Automated guided vehicles (45%).

"Yes, in the factories of the future, artificial intelligence will manage industrial production in real time, and static production lines will be a thing of the past," the report predicts. Digital twins will simulate the consequences of every decision before it is implemented, and humanoid robots will work alongside workers.

Manufacturers will not debate automation, artificial intelligence, or digitalization; these will be the basic standards.

The more futuristic and advanced the concept, the more pronounced regional differences become:

74% of factory managers in Japan stated that their companies would prefer "dark factories" when building new facilities by 2040 (China: 53%, US: 29%, Europe: 20%).

At the same time, 72% of participants in Japan (China: 65%; US: 35%, Europe: 21%) claimed that humanoid robots would become standard in companies' assembly processes.

Manufacturers in Asia are pioneering hyper-automated production and will likely reap the competitive advantages it brings sooner. Europe and Companies in the US are taking a more measured approach, partly because they are building fewer new facilities and converting existing factories is more difficult. However, this shouldn't prevent them from paving the way for hyper-automation today, especially given that finding sufficiently qualified workers will become increasingly difficult.

Hyper-automated factories will change how people work, the roles they undertake, and the skills they need to succeed in those roles. Accordingly, almost three-quarters of factory managers (70%) stated that "workforce transformation," even more important than automation (63%), artificial intelligence (62%), and digitalization (61%), is a critical element of hyper-automated production.

How does the workforce need to change?

According to most factory managers, this change should occur in how production information is preserved and shared (74%). They also emphasized the importance of data-driven decision-making (72%) and stated that data analysis should become part of employees' daily work (73%).

Nearly half of those surveyed... (49%) indicated that the biggest obstacle to workforce transformation is the significant investment in training programs. Other obstacles include people's fear of losing their jobs (46%) and employee resistance to adapting to expanded roles such as human-robot collaboration manager and autonomous logistics coordinator (38%).

Factory managers also complain about the shortage of professionals with AI skills and qualifications (51%). This problem is felt most acutely in India and Japan (67% in both cases), while it is less urgent in China (40%).

There is an expectation that within 15 years, most workers will no longer be working in production, but will be working for production. This means they will shift from manual labor to process control, decision-making, and optimization. They will need to be comfortable collaborating with AI and operating autonomous systems. Manufacturers must help the workforce develop these necessary skills; these skills are scarce and likely will remain so.

Most factory managers focus on digitalization measures that should already be implemented. Cybersecurity is by far their highest priority. The top priorities are cybersecurity measures (77%), followed by the implementation of production execution systems (70%) and cloud platforms (67%).

Most factory managers are focusing on digitalization measures that should already be implemented. By far their highest priority is cybersecurity measures (77%), followed by the implementation of production execution systems (70%) and cloud platforms (67%).

Among the technologies not included in the top five priorities of factory managers are the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and digital twins of machines and products; Japan and China are exceptions in this regard. According to the research, this is worrying because these technologies form the digital foundation of the modern factory.

What are your thoughts?

Is "fully automated production" a dream or an achievable goal?

Is it worth it? Clearly, Asian manufacturers see a future for this technology. This is ironic, because neither China nor India necessarily needs automation. The combined population of the two countries is 2.8 billion. Manufacturers there can continue to "use labor" in production.

The hesitation in the West is even more surprising. While manufacturers here have every incentive to invest in automation, a healthy skepticism still prevails. Perhaps they are tired of technologies that make excessive promises but deliver insufficient results.

We, as Turkish manufacturers, urge you to be open-minded about hyperautomation and to invest in these technologies where and when it makes sense.

Otherwise, we will miss this opportunity!

Our competitors abroad are China and India.