Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), today announced the findings of the Future-Ready Manufacturing Study 2025. It revealed that global manufacturers are rapidly advancing toward intelligence-driven operations and higher levels of autonomy in manufacturing processes.
While 75 percent expect AI to become one of the top three contributors to operating margins by 2026, only 21 percent say they are fully AI-ready, highlighting foundational gaps in data, integration, and system readiness across plants and supply chains.
The study examines how enterprises are reshaping their data estates, workforce capabilities, supply-chain transparency, and operational frameworks to prepare for the next era of manufacturing performance powered by AI, cloud, and real-time intelligence. Key findings include:
- Agentic AI will emerge as a priority capability, accelerating autonomous decision-making across plants.
- 74 percent expect AI agents to manage 11–50 percent of routine production decisions by 2028.
- 67 percent report improved real-time supply-chain visibility.
- More than 30 percent forecast meaningful productivity gains from AI-led modernization.
- At the factory level, organizations are beginning to embed AI-driven quality and planning use cases, with nearly 40 percent reporting early measurable gains.
- More than 30 percent of manufacturers forecast meaningful productivity improvements from AI-led modernization.
- 89 percent anticipate increased human–AI collaboration on the factory floor.
These shifts indicate a sector preparing not only to modernize, but to operate with greater intelligence, resilience, and agility across the entire manufacturing value chain. As manufacturers deepen investments in foundational capabilities, a clearer pathway is emerging toward real-time decision intelligence and greater operational transparency across plants and supply networks.
