Revolution in manufacturing

The NTT Data study"From the factory floor to the AI age: Do you have a master plan or do you need to catch up?" focused primarily on the hurdles in the areas of personnel, infrastructure and ethical framework conditions. The key findings include:

• 95% of respondents state that generative AI is already speeding up processes and improving production results.
• 94% state that edge and IoT data can make AI results even more accurate and useful when incorporated into GenAI models.
• 91% expect digital twins combined with GenAI to both improve the performance of physical assets and make supply chains more robust.
• Respondents say they are already using GenAI for process automation, supply chain and warehouse management, and infrastructure monitoring and maintenance.

The hurdles in AI projects

The vast majority of manufacturers face major hurdles in the implementation of AI projects.

• Infrastructure: 92% of manufacturers believe that legacy technologies are holding back key projects, but only half have carried out a full infrastructure assessment.
• Combination of technologies: Even though 94% expect edge and IoT data to significantly improve AI model results, a majority see major difficulties in implementation.
• Ethics and responsibility: The need for an ethical basis for the use of AI is well known, but only 47% of managers believe their company is well positioned for this.
• AI knowledge of the workforce: Two thirds of manufacturers believe that their employees lack the necessary knowledge to use AI solutions effectively.
• Data management: Only 41% of manufacturers believe that they have enough storage and processing capacity for AI requirements.

Jochen Gemeinhardt, Head of Production and Supply Chain at NTT Data DACH © NTT DATA

"The results of our study make it clear that GenAI is on its way to fundamentally changing the manufacturing industry," emphasizes Jochen Gemeinhardt, Head of Production and Supply Chain at NTT Data (DACH). "Our data also shows that Europe is doing well in an international comparison - and is even leading the way in terms of adequate data management at 48 percent. Nevertheless, manufacturing companies still have a lot of work to do if they want to exploit the great potential of GenAI."

More than 500 managers and decision-makers in the manufacturing industry from 34 countries were surveyed as part of the study.