OPERATIONS

Failing to scale According to Rockwell Automation’ s 10th Annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report, an overwhelming 95 % of global manufacturers are currently investing in, or plan to invest in, AI and machine learning over the next five years.

However, many are seeing difficulties scaling beyond pilot programmes. According to Boston Consulting Group( BCG), despite heavy investments in AI, most manufacturers are not able to report meaningful returns. While most organisations make substantial investments in advanced planning systems, relatively few have successfully converted these investments into sustained performance improvements. Just 20 % of organisations report meaningful value gained from AI and as few as 7 % report value from generative or agentic AI use.

BCG’ s research found that organisations reporting higher maturity levels achieve

128 May 2026