Factories can count their defects but struggle to prevent them
Manufacturers are increasingly effective at recording defects but often lack the process information needed to prevent them. New Minitab research reveals why better data collection has yet to deliver genuinely predictive quality management.
The most valuable data may belong to somebody else
Improving industrial performance increasingly depends on information held by suppliers, infrastructure operators and other businesses. Research from the World Economic Forum examines why that information remains difficult to share, even where the potential benefits are substantial. Manufacturers have become increasingly capable of measuring what happens inside their own operations, yet some of the information that […]
Why the connected factory still struggles with the handover
Most US manufacturers believe their operations are connected, yet new research reveals persistent gaps between design, production and quality. These weaknesses are restricting the benefits of automation and AI.
Industrial AI moves closer to the factory floor as workers gain control of automation
Artificial intelligence is beginning to move beyond analysing manufacturing data towards managing the everyday activities of factory workers. The development raises questions about how manufacturers can automate operational processes without losing the knowledge, oversight and accountability that underpin production. Poka, an IFS company, has launched AI Studio, a no-code platform designed to allow manufacturing teams […]
Semiconductor manufacturing faces a growing computational bottleneck
The increasing complexity of advanced semiconductors is creating a manufacturing challenge that cannot be resolved through improvements in production equipment alone. As chip designs become more intricate, the computing resources required to prepare them for manufacturing are becoming a potential constraint on production efficiency and technological progress. Siemens and NVIDIA are addressing this problem through […]
Precision and productivity are reshaping industrial robot design
Manufacturers are demanding more from industrial robots as production requirements become increasingly complex. Higher output must be achieved without compromising precision, while rising operating costs and pressure on factory space are forcing manufacturers to reconsider how automation equipment is designed and deployed. ABB Robotics has introduced two industrial robots, the IRB 1700 and IRB 1700ID, […]
Industrial AI faces a new challenge in managing intelligence at the edge
As manufacturers move beyond experimenting with artificial intelligence towards deploying applications on factory floors, the ability to manage software across distributed industrial equipment is becoming an increasingly important consideration. Collecting operational data is only part of the challenge. Manufacturers must also make that information accessible to applications and maintain those applications across potentially large numbers […]
Digital investment helps Manchester clothing manufacturer triple in size
For smaller manufacturers, digital transformation often begins with replacing manual processes rather than introducing sophisticated automation. The experience of Manchester clothing manufacturer WAWWA demonstrates how relatively modest technology investments can improve production efficiency and create capacity for growth. The sustainable clothing business has tripled its turnover and workforce, creating 20 jobs over two years while […]
Smaller businesses are finding that AI success depends on focus rather than scale
Smaller businesses may have an advantage over larger organisations in adopting artificial intelligence, with new research suggesting that clearly defined applications and employee training are more important to success than technological sophistication or the size of an organisation. Research from Dell Technologies, involving 2,013 UK SME decision-makers and 713 representatives of large businesses, found that […]
Remote operations put industrial automation at the heart of BP gas project
The development of increasingly autonomous industrial facilities is placing greater demands on the control systems that allow complex operations to be managed safely from a distance. BP’s latest offshore gas project in Azerbaijan offers an example of how integrated automation and digital engineering are becoming central to the design of critical industrial infrastructure. Emerson has […]
When a manufacturing data error takes two weeks to fix
Building a Formula 1 team from scratch places enormous demands on manufacturing systems. Cadillac Formula 1’s experience reveals how correcting an apparently simple data error can involve reconstructing a complicated history of production transactions. At Cadillac Formula 1, correcting the records for a single type of component has sometimes taken two weeks. As individual components […]
IFS unveils new industrial AI capabilities at Unleashed in Orlando
IFS has introduced a range of industrial AI capabilities at IFS Unleashed in Orlando, spanning enterprise intelligence, automated workflows and warehouse management. The announcements highlight the company’s plans to make AI an integral part of industrial operations while retaining control over how intelligent systems access information and execute decisions. IFS has unveiled a series of […]
Why the fastest engineering now happens before anything is built
The future of manufacturing competitiveness may depend less on building faster prototypes and more on building better virtual ones. As digital engineering reshapes product development across industry, technologies once associated primarily with elite motorsport are increasingly becoming central to how manufacturers design, test and optimise products long before physical production begins. That trend is reflected […]
Why manufacturers must finally connect design with reality
For years manufacturers have invested heavily in digital transformation programmes designed to connect factories, automate production and improve operational visibility. Yet one of the industry’s most persistent challenges remains largely unresolved: the disconnect between how products and production systems are designed and how they actually perform once they enter the real world. That gap sits […]
Honeywell bets that focused automation is the next phase of industrial transformation
Industrial manufacturers are entering a new phase of digital transformation in which the challenge is no longer simply connecting assets or collecting operational data, but turning industrial automation into increasingly autonomous operations. Against that backdrop, Honeywell has completed one of the most significant corporate restructurings in its history, creating a standalone automation business designed to […]
Engineering and manufacturing are being reshaped by AI
The role of AI in industry is shifting from optimisation to authorship, moving beyond analysing systems to actively designing them. As simulation, data and autonomous agents converge, engineering is becoming a continuous, machine-driven process where physical outcomes are defined long before anything is built. The application of artificial intelligence is extending beyond automation and analytics […]
The factory is no longer built in steel it is proven in simulation first
Industrial transformation is no longer constrained by physical iteration but by the ability to model, simulate and validate complexity before it exists. The convergence of AI, simulation and real-time data is redefining how factories are designed, operated and continuously optimised. The language of digital transformation in manufacturing has long been dominated by incremental gains, better […]
Belgium’s transmission breakthrough is going global
As electricity demand accelerates and renewable generation reshapes power flows, transmission operators are under pressure to unlock capacity without waiting decades for new infrastructure. Belgium’s early adoption of dynamic line rating shows how smarter use of existing assets is becoming one of the most powerful tools in modern grid strategy. As the first to deploy […]
Auto manufacturing returns to uncertainty once again
The automotive industry is entering another period of structural upheaval, driven by shifting regulation, tightening margins and recalibrated expectations around electrification and autonomy. As past certainties unravel, flexibility, digital continuity and cost discipline are emerging as the real fault lines that will determine which manufacturers endure. The automotive industry has a habit of believing it […]
Leading through uncertainty transforming operations in an era of volatility
At Rockwell Automation Fair 2025 in Chicago, Tessa Myers delivered one of the most grounded and strategically important messages of the week. Her focus was not on technology for its own sake but on the behaviours, investment logic and scaling discipline that separate genuine transformation from well-intentioned stagnation. The contrast with the previous days at […]
Factories that learn shaping the next era of industrial autonomy
At Rockwell Automation Fair 2025 in Chicago, Cyril Perducat set out a vision for industrial operations built on adaptive intelligence rather than fixed instruction. The convergence of software defined automation, embedded AI and robotics is becoming the foundation of modern production, reshaping architectures, workflows and expectations across global industry. The setting helped underscore the moment. […]
