More manufacturers in northeastern Wisconsin are adopting “industry 4.0” technologies such as cloud computing, AI and networked devices, a new survey shows.
The NEW Manufacturing Alliance recently released its latest Industry 4.0 Talent & Technology study, building on previous surveys conducted in 2019 and 2021 exploring the use of these technologies. The latest survey was conducted by Appleton’s St. Norbert College between January and March of this year using an online survey instrument, which got responses from 72 business leaders in the region.
Between 2019 and 2024, the percentage of respondents with a “complete plan” for developing industry 4.0 technologies rose from 7% to 15%. And the percentage with a partial plan also increased, from 53% to 58%.
The technology most widely adopted among respondents is cybersecurity, with 94% saying they’ve invested in it to some extent. That’s followed by cloud computing with 84%, and machine/digital integration and industrial internet of things, with 83% each.
While cybersecurity investment has risen from 83% since 2019, industrial internet of things investment has seen an even greater jump, increasing from 59% in 2019.
The survey also found 67% of respondents are investing in AI this year, though there’s no baseline to compare since the technology wasn’t asked about in past surveys. And over the next three years, 58% plan to increase their investment in this technology while 42% say they will maintain current levels of investment.
Current use of AI among manufacturers is split evenly, with 51% saying they don’t use it and 49% saying they do. Major reasons for hesitation about its use include a lack of expertise, the complexity of integrating it into operations and security concerns, respondents said.
“The evolving nature of the technology has created some uncertainty for some company leaders,” report authors wrote.
Still, 56% of respondents expect workforce demand for AI specialists to grow within the next three years. Other jobs projected to see increased demand include project manager with 59%, process engineer 58%, automation technician 54%, application developer 53%, data analyst 53% and IT security specialist, 50%.
The report also illustrates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on where work is being done, with report authors noting “to the extent that remote work has already been adopted, it’s here to stay.”
