New report reflects optimism among manufacturers mixed with some caution
Digital transformation among manufacturers is healthy, and the Industry 4.0 era is well underway, but automated processes and upgrading the factory floor through technological advancements still face notable hurdles going into 2025, according to the results of the late summer and early fall Smart Industry audience survey that formed the basis of the State of Initiative Report 2024, our latest whitepaper.
Download and read the State of Initiative Report for 2024
See also: State of Initiative Report for 2023
While last year’s SoIR cited “a return to optimism,” optimism reflected in this year’s survey was tempered by some big unknowns heading into 2025—the economy and U.S. government instability, for starters, now that Donald Trump is taking up residence in the White House again.
In our survey, a third of the respondents—33.94% to be precise—felt “general economic uncertainty” was a significant challenge to advancing their businesses and digital transformation projects.
Open to responses up until Nov. 1, 2024, almost until Election Day in America, respondents to SI’s survey answered the 20-question poll amid the heated federal campaign, which returned Trump to power and handed total control of the U.S. government—the House and Senate joining a Supreme Court tilted in Trump’s favor—over to his Republican Party.
But the survey also showed digital transformation advancing further compared to a year ago. The responses do reveal noticeable barriers that persist when it comes to financing, support from the C-suite and—maybe most glaringly—the ability of the manufacturing workforce to understand and operate new technology.
