As efforts to revive and modernize local manufacturing accelerate in regions around the world, including North America and Europe, adaptive production could help manufacturers overcome some of their biggest obstaclesâfirstly, attracting and retaining talent. Nearly 60% of manufacturers cited this as their top challenge in a 2024 US-based survey. Highly automated, technology-led adaptive production methods hold new promise for attracting talent to roles that are safer, less repetitive, and better paid. âThe ideal scenario is one where AI enhances human capabilities, leads to new task creation, and empowers the people who are most at risk from automationâs impact on certain jobs, particularly those without college degrees,â says Simon Johnson, co-director of MITâs Shaping the Future of Work Initiative.
Secondly, the digitalization of manufacturingâembedded in the very foundation of adaptive production technologiesâallows companies to better address complex sustainability challenges through process and resource optimization and a better understanding of data. âBy integrating these advanced technologies, we gain a more comprehensive picture across the entire production process and product lifecycle,â explains Jelena Mitic, head of technology for the Future of Automation at Siemens. âThis will provide a much faster and more efficient way to optimize operations and ensure that all the necessary safety and sustainability requirements are met during quality control.â
Download the full report.
This content was produced by Insights, the custom content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by MIT Technology Reviewâs editorial staff.
This content was researched, designed, and written entirely by human writers, editors, analysts, and illustrators. This includes the writing of surveys and collection of data for surveys. AI tools that may have been used were limited to secondary production processes that passed thorough human review.
