Insights from ABB Automotive Manufacturing Survey 2022
Automotive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS) teamed up with automation and robotics expert ABB to gauge industry views on the challenges in the manufacturing sector. The AMS/ABB Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey 2022 dove deep into the supply chain and provided definitive data about the industry. This comprehensive survey received 590 responses from Manufacturing industry experts, 49% from the European Union and 21% from North America.
Some of the key insights that are pertinent to Industry 4.0, Digital Transformation, and IIoT are :
Supply chain was the key theme across responses in the following areas:
Supply chain disruptions were perceived as the main challenge for manufacturing.
When asked for more details about supply chain disruptions, parts shortage and unpredictability emerged as the top challenges.
Raw material costs were the top cost concerns related to the supply chain.
Specialty skills shortage was the biggest concern around labor and skills. The industry could address this with advanced analytics and technologies like AR, and VR, which all need good data.
Supply chain disruption, parts shortages, and unpredictability was the top response regarding manufacturing complexity.
Respondents agreed that Digitalisation & data management are the technologies that will change automotive manufacturing.
Responses were positive that digital technology and electrification could support sustainability goals. There are barriers to sustainability, but respondents were optimistic that it is achievable. Respondents were pessimistic that 100% electrification would happen by the target dates of 2030-2040. Upon pressing for the reasons, cynicism stemmed from limits in supply chain components, especially batteries. Lack of charging infrastructure and high costs of batteries and other electric vehicle components were also cited.
On the question of alternate fuels beyond EV, Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and advanced batteries emerged as the top response.
When asked which technology would advance the most next year, EV reigned first, followed by connected vehicles and then autonomous vehicles
On the question of the current state of the industry, respondents felt that vehicle volumes would continue to be strongly constrained by production, and they didn’t believe production would meet the demand
Finally, regarding the global vehicle production and sales outlook in the next 12 months, most responses said that the production would improve and meet the demand
The detailed report and survey results can be found here.
Ravi Subramanyan
Ravi Subramanyan, Director of Industry Solutions, Manufacturing at HiveMQ, has extensive experience delivering high-quality products and services that have generated revenues and cost savings of over $10B for companies such as Motorola, GE, Bosch, and Weir. Ravi has successfully launched products, established branding, and created product advertisements and marketing campaigns for global and regional business teams.
