Rockwell Survey Shows 90% of Manufacturers See Digital Transformation as Essential

TL;DR: 90% of manufacturers view digital transformation as essential, while 59% now run smart manufacturing at scale and 46% faced a cyber incident in the past year.

Manufacturers have moved past debating whether to go digital and are now focusing on how to make it work. The shift reflects a broader industry consensus that technology adoption is no longer optional for staying competitive.

Rockwell Automation's 2026 State of Smart Manufacturing Report surveyed 1,560 decision-makers across 17 countries to capture this change. The study captures attitudes and adoption levels at a point when many firms claim to have left the pilot phase behind.

Early debates about the value of the Internet or basic automation now feel antiquated to industry veterans. Today, the conversation centers on scaling intelligent systems and protecting them from threats.

Ninety percent of surveyed manufacturers say digital transformation is essential to remain competitive. This figure marks the first year the industry has labeled the shift as a business requirement rather than a strategic ambition.

Fifty-nine percent now use smart manufacturing technologies at scale, up from 56% piloting a year ago. Only 18% remain in pilot mode, showing a rapid move from experimentation to full deployment.

Forty-six percent reported experiencing a cyber-incident in the past year. The incidents ranged from ransomware attacks to data breaches that halted production lines.

Additionally, 34% of operations are currently AI-augmented, with projections to reach 54% by 2030. AI and machine learning rank as the top outcome driver for 48% of respondents.

The data show that execution, not technology, is the main hurdle for manufacturers aiming to scale AI and smart systems. Many firms possess the tools but struggle to integrate them into daily workflows.

Forty-three percent of collected operational data is used effectively, indicating a gap in turning information into action. Improving data governance could lift that share and unlock further efficiency gains.

Workforce reskilling is evident, with 40% of the manufacturing workforce having undergone training last year to support intelligent systems. Companies are redesigning roles around real-time analytics and autonomous decision-making.

Looking ahead, firms will likely invest in cybersecurity upgrades and data-governance practices to protect expanding digital footprints. Such investments aim to reduce the frequency of incidents that currently affect nearly half of the sector.

Watch for how companies balance AI expansion with resilience measures over the next 12 months. The next wave of reporting will reveal whether execution gaps narrow as spending shifts toward people and processes.