More than 500 decision-makers in Asia, Europe and the USA who are responsible for networking and digitalization in production at their companies took part in the "Machine dreams: Making the Most of the Connected Industrial Workforce" survey. It is intended to demonstrate the shift towards a close integration of machines, artificial intelligence and employees in the manufacturing industry. According to Accenture, a so-called 'connected industrial workforce' is emerging, which is supported in its work by a combination of mobile technologies such as wearables, security and tracking technologies and analytics.

The study shows that the networking of employees in production is already an integral part of the business strategy for the vast majority (94%) of the industrial equipment suppliers and automotive manufacturers and suppliers surveyed: Over the next five years, the companies surveyed plan to invest around a quarter of their total research and development expenditure - i.e. up to EUR 220 billion - in the networking of man and machine. This would amount to an investment sum of EUR 181 billion for companies in the automotive industry and EUR 39 billion for industrial suppliers.

Hesitation during implementation

Although the manufacturing companies surveyed see advantages in the networking of man and machine, they have so far been hesitant to implement concrete projects. For example, less than a quarter of companies (22%) have already implemented comprehensive solutions for the 'connected industrial workforce' in their own production facilities. 85% of study participants see their company as a follower or even laggard in the use of digital technologies, but not in a leading position.

One of the stumbling blocks is the technical implementation in the networking of man and machine: more than three quarters (76%) of all managers surveyed see the lack of data security as a medium or major risk. 72% of those surveyed classify the complexity and the associated risks as a medium or major risk. For seven out of ten decision-makers (70%), the lack of sufficiently qualified employees represents such a risk.

Focus on automated guided vehicles

In the future, so-called "cobots" will be used primarily for gluing and welding work.

© Accenture

The vast majority (85%) of the companies surveyed believe that the focus in production will increasingly shift towards human-machine interaction. Driverless transport vehicles in particular - mobile robots that move materials back and forth in the factory or warehouse - play an important role here. More than half of the companies surveyed are already investing in such robot technologies. Over the next five years, companies are also planning to increase their spending on robots that work hand in hand with humans and outside of cages (collaborative robots, or cobots for short). There will also be investments in augmented reality systems such as data goggles or smart helmets, i.e. helmets equipped with mini-computers and screens.

In order to counter the security risks of the connected industrial workforce, many companies are also investing in the expansion of their existing IT infrastructure. Furthermore, 89% of all companies that, according to the study, see themselves as pioneers in the networking of man and machine have already started to specifically recruit experts with qualifications that were not previously available in the workforce.

Automotive industry as a pioneer

Of the manufacturing companies surveyed, car manufacturers and their suppliers show the greatest interest in collaborative robots, driverless transport vehicles and augmented reality devices such as data glasses or smart helmets. For a car manufacturer with an annual turnover of EUR 50 billion, the networking of man and machine could increase profitability by EUR 500 million by 2020, according to Accenture's calculations. Of this, 50 million euros will be spent on research and development, 415 million euros on production and logistics and a further 30 million euros on service and customer service.

The study also shows differences between countries: companies in the USA are planning to invest 40% of their total R&D expenditure in the development of solutions for the connected industrial workforce. Chinese companies follow in second place, allocating 23% of their R&D budget to this area. Companies in Germany and France plan to invest 20% and 19% of their R&D budgets in this area respectively. Of all the countries surveyed, Japanese companies plan to spend the least on R&D for the Connected Industrial Workforce, at just 17% of the total budget.