This is among the findings of the 2024 Manufacturing Vision Study released Aug. 22 by Zebra Technologies Corporation, a digital solutions provider that enables companies to intelligently connect their data, assets and talent.
According to the survey, globally, 61% of manufacturers expect AI to drive growth by 2029, up from 41% in 2024. In Asia Pacific, 68% of manufacturers expect AI to drive growth by 2029, up from 46% in 2024. The surge in AI adoption, coupled with digital transformation being a priority for 92% of survey respondents globally and 87% in Asia Pacific, highlights how manufacturers are looking to leverage new technologies to improve data management and increase visibility and quality across the manufacturing process.
“AI is growing rapidly as a technology and encompasses many different types. One of the key areas Zebra is active in is deep learning and machine learning. We are already providing AI solutions such as machine vision for Vietnam's manufacturing industry. Machine vision is an AI solution and some manufacturers, especially in the electronics sector, are already adopting this form of AI,” Kristanto Suriyadharma, sales vice president, Southeast Asia, Korea and Channel APJeC at Zebra Technologies, told VIR at a press conference on August 22.
Christanto Suryadarma, VP of Sales, Southeast Asia (SEA), Korea and Channel APJeC, Zebra Technologies
“Manufacturers struggle to effectively leverage data and realize they need to adopt AI and other digital technology solutions to create agile and efficient manufacturing environments,” he added.
According to Suryadarma, there is an increasing demand for digital transformation across sectors, and there has been a significant increase in requests and interest from Vietnamese customers, especially in the manufacturing sector, to accelerate their digital transformation.
Many companies have already started small but are now looking to scale up. For example, there is an increasing demand for vehicle tracking solutions in the manufacturing industry. Automotive manufacturers need to know where to store or park their vehicles across the manufacturing site once they are ready. This indicates an increasing demand for more advanced solutions.
Moreover, we are seeing a similar trend at one of Vietnam's largest coffee producers. The company has a large warehouse and wants to run its operations more efficiently. They are looking to advanced solutions to increase employee productivity, such as digital devices for voice commands and inventory locating.
Yet, while manufacturers say digital transformation is a strategic priority, achieving a fully connected factory remains elusive. Visibility is key to optimizing efficiency, productivity, and quality on the factory floor, yet significant visibility gaps exist. While only 16 percent of global manufacturing leaders report having real-time, in-progress work monitoring across the entire production process, this is true for more manufacturing leaders in Asia Pacific (25 percent).
In addition to these obstacles, 86% of global manufacturing leaders admit they struggle to keep up with the pace of technological innovation and securely integrate devices, sensors and technology across their facilities and supply chains, with 82% of manufacturing leaders in Asia Pacific also agreeing. With Zebra solutions, companies can harness data to achieve higher levels of security and control, and improve business performance with new analytics.
The survey also found that manufacturers are shifting their growth strategies by integrating and extending AI and other technologies to their workforce to transform manufacturing and build a skilled workforce over the next five years. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of global manufacturing leaders plan to reskill their workforce to increase their skills in using data and technology, while seven in 10 plan to augment their workforce with technologies that enable mobility. These opinions were shared by 76% and 75% of manufacturing leaders in Asia Pacific, respectively.
Technology tools being adopted by manufacturing leaders include tablets (51% globally, 52% in Asia Pacific), mobile computers (55% globally, 53% in Asia Pacific), and workforce management software (56% globally, 62% in Asia Pacific). Additionally, six in 10 manufacturing leaders (61% globally, 65% in Asia Pacific) plan to leverage wearable mobile computers to empower their evolving workforce.
In Vietnam, the government has consistently set ambitious targets for the manufacturing sector, which is expected to contribute 30% of the overall GDP. The manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP is expected to grow by more than 8.5% annually, while labor productivity is projected to grow by 7.5% annually.
To achieve these goals, Vietnamese businesses must embrace the need to reskill and retrain their workforce to stay competitive. Implementing AI and other advanced technologies, such as Zebra's enterprise mobile computers (ET60, MC9400, TC53e), data capture solutions (DS3600-XR, DS4678-XD, DS55), and fixed industrial scanning and machine vision solutions, is essential to boost productivity, improve quality and streamline operations.
Manufacturing leaders' technology adoption plans will address these challenges: Over the next five years, many companies plan to adopt robotics (65% globally, 72% in Asia-Pacific), machine vision (66% globally and Asia-Pacific), radio frequency identification (RFID) (66% globally, 72% in Asia-Pacific), and fixed industrial scanners (57% globally, 62% in Asia-Pacific).
Most manufacturing leaders agree that a range of factors are driving these automation solutions, including the need to provide employees with higher-value tasks (70% globally, 75% in Asia Pacific), the need to meet service level agreements (69% globally, 70% in Asia Pacific) and the need to increase flexibility on the factory floor (64% globally, 66% in Asia Pacific).
“Technology innovations such as machine vision and deep learning OCR solutions are opening the door for manufacturers to gain an advantage at a time marked by rapid technological advancements and increasing demands for speed, safety and accuracy,” said Tan Aik Jin, Asia Pacific Solutions Leader, Manufacturing and Singapore ZEC, Zebra Technologies. “Beyond adopting technology, companies must be ready and equipped to continually exceed their current capabilities. The future of manufacturing requires a symbiotic relationship between technology and human expertise to redefine the very nature of manufacturing.”
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