More than 1,500 companies in the manufacturing industry from 17 countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), France, Italy and Spain, were surveyed for the new report from Rockwell Automation. Just over 100 of the participating companies come from Germany (101).

The key findings of the report for Germany this year are:

• AI is a key factor for future success for manufacturers. 43% of German manufacturers expect to introduce generative AI (GenAI) in their operations in 2024.
• 89% of German manufacturers expect to use AI and machine learning (ML) in advanced analytics. This is slightly below the European average of 92 percent.
• The lack of expertise to make the best use of smart manufacturing technologies is the biggest barrier to the adoption of these solutions for German companies at 36%.
• Technology investment is increasing by almost a third, with 69% of German companies investing between 21% and 50% of their operating budget in this area.
• Intelligent technologies deliver the best return on investment (ROI). Software as a Service (SaaS) is in the lead with 16 percent.
• Only 22% of the German manufacturers surveyed see cybersecurity as a significant challenge.

The AI revolution is here

Automation and optimization through artificial intelligence and machine learning are the main reasons for investing in intelligent manufacturing technologies. 84% of the German companies surveyed stated that they have already invested in AI and ML or plan to do so in the next twelve months. This corresponds to the European average of 84 percent.

When it comes to the application of advanced analytics, 89% of companies in Germany have planned to do so, which is just below the European average of 92%. In the case of use cases for AI and ML, German companies cite three main applications in particular: Process optimization (44 percent), quality control (37 percent) and robotics (35 percent).