ABI Research will attend the Hannover Messe 2024 exhibition in late April to evaluate the most transformative technologies shaping the industrial markets. This article shares our analysts' predictions for the event. Before we get to those expectations, here is a word from ABI Research Chief Research Officer Stuart Carlaw.
Update: Identify emerging manufacturing trends in 2025 in this blog post.
Although we are out of the vise grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers continue to face immense challenges, notably labor shortages, regulatory shifts, trade disputes, supply chain complexity, etc. To help address these challenges, industrial and manufacturing companies are investing in digital transformation. Digital transformation is in full swing in numerous manufacturing sectors, including semiconductor, automotive, mining, pulp and paper, cement, metalworking and machine tools, and many more industries. ABI Research covers the latest technology trends that will determine the fate of manufacturers’ digitalization journey.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the booming technology topics of our time. ABI Research has multiple research products and articles covering how generative AI will transform the modern enterprise. The manufacturing sector is one industry that gains tremendous benefits from using generative AI. Whether it’s product design or inventory management, there are many use cases for generative AI in manufacturing. In this article, I’ll identify five examples of how generative AI can be applied to the manufacturing industry.
Whenever you use an elevator, do you wonder how it was designed? Or, if you’re shopping for a new car, are you curious about who brought this impressive machinery to life? Being an employee of a large manufacturing firm, maybe you do. But the average consumer puts little thought into the hard work done by mechanical engineers to translate an idea into a functional, safe-to-use product. We often take it for granted that the elevator works correctly or that the car’s shape supports aerodynamism. It’s through numerous sketches, testing, and modifications that power-producing machines get to the final form we see them in. These laborious processes can be greatly streamlined using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software fine-tuned for engineering teams.
As manufacturers continue to embrace digital transformation, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) become ever more crucial in improving productivity. If your plant aims to deploy a new PLC, there are a number of brands providing effective hardware and software solutions to support industrial automation. ABI Research’s recent Industrial Automation: PLC Hardware and Software competitive ranking assessed 11 PLC companies on their solution capabilities. To refine your search for a new PLC partner, I’ll share five of the most promising brands from the report.
Manufacturers, in their digital transformation journey, increasingly require advanced data analytics solutions to optimize their plant operations. More specifically, data analytics is an essential technology for the proactive monitoring of production line equipment, in the form of predictive maintenance, production line optimization, and accommodations for additional orders. Software providers’ means of delivering these solutions vary widely, as evidenced in ABI Research’s recently released Manufacturing Data Analytics competitive ranking. The report assesses 10 different suppliers of data analytics software for manufacturing companies and identifies the top innovators and implementers of said solutions. This post will summarize how some of these companies made it to the top of the list.
More than 50,000 technology innovators and decision makers rely on ABI Research for deep insight and analysis of transformational technologies and key markets. In addition, we also provide an impartial and expert perspective on the companies that are shaping these technologies and industries.
Despite volatile economic conditions, the manufacturing industry is continuing its push for the “smart” digital factory. Some of the pressures spurring growth in digitalization include labor shortages, sustainability goals, and increased demand for products. In our manufacturing industry outlook, we highlight 6 significant trends that manufacturers and technology suppliers should think about as it relates to a 2023 game plan.
In chemical manufacturing, potential failure can happen in many operational areas. This is because of the complex nature of chemical production and the large number of assets deployed in a chemical plant. To reduce the frequency of manufacturing inefficiencies, the chemical industry should invest in digital transformation. Beyond operational efficiency, digital transformation in the chemical industry helps companies meet other agendas, such as workplace safety, sustainability goals, and tackling labor shortages.
