The global industrial automation market was valued at 175 billion dollars in 2020, and it is predicted to grow at a rate of roughly 5% each year until 2025.
Consequently, industrial technologies are becoming more prevalent as new instrumentation and control products drive expansion.
Today, industrial automation advancements are mostly centered on strong new technologies that give their workers extraordinary predictive capabilities and real-time responsiveness.
However, the worldwide pandemic has significantly impacted how we work, particularly how industries continue to operate despite reducing their physical presence.
As we start to embrace the new normal, industrial automation will make substantial progress through improved connectivity, autonomous operations, cybersecurity, and sustainability in 2022.
Let us review some of the latest trends in industrial automation that are revolutionizing the way businesses operate.
5G will enhance connectivity
With lightning-fast download speeds and a growing reach thanks to the rising infrastructure of satellites, cell towers, and microcells, 5G is poised to take the world by storm.
Furthermore, thanks to 5G’s higher speed and reliable mobility, small and medium businesses will be able to take advantage of new opportunities in their industry and better meet the demands of their customers.
The potential benefits of 5G connectivity are also persuading several IoT companies to invest heavily in 5G technology research, as they recognize that it has the potential to revolutionize future automated and connected smart factories.
Furthermore, 5G networking offers a wireless infrastructure that allows machines, people, and facilities to communicate efficiently and effectively.
Aside from industrial automation, 5G technology’s numerous potential benefits have enabled it to pioneer revolutionary ways in robotics, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, 3D printing, and other areas.
Adoption of industrial Internet of things
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is the interconnection of devices inside distinct portions of any industrial activity, and it is growing more important in all industries.
By allowing you to collect data for use in Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence, the technology enables you to carry out numerous advanced engineering techniques, such as root cause analysis and condition monitoring.
The IIoT also allows for the use of smart machines and real-time analysis to benefit from data that machines have created in industrial settings for years.
Smart machines are not only better than people at capturing and processing data in real-time, but they are also better at delivering crucial information faster and more precisely, which is the driving force behind IIoT.
In fact, IIoT adoption was estimated at $216 billion in 20202, with an annual compounded growth rate of more than 20% predicted between 2021 and 2028.
Growth in autonomous operations
The term “industrial automation” refers to an automated production system that uses robots and computers to develop and produce products.
For example, the adoption of voice-activated automation systems in the workplace allowed employees to direct important activities and assign different tasks by utilizing their voices.
Such automated systems have improved the working efficiency and helped reduce the number of errors that may arise during various industrial processes.
Furthermore, the global industry’s work-culture transformation prompted organizations to establish resilience and dramatically improve operations, which was made possible by clever business process automation.
Autonomous control systems will continue to be adopted to meet the demand for streamlined plant communications and assistance for the next generation of industrial workers.
More focus on cybersecurity
For businesses that rely on data gathering and analysis, all of this interconnectedness poses a new set of risks. Because growing interconnection makes people more vulnerable to those who want to disrupt production or steal data.
To respond to any alert or threat posed by cyberattacks, improved cybersecurity is becoming increasingly crucial.
The surge in threats and the very real cost of a data leak have prompted machine manufacturers to implement increasingly strict cybersecurity safeguards.
However, cybersecurity implementations are still rudimentary, with many sectors relying solely on firewalls. Moreover, such one-time cybersecurity efforts may prove costly as threats evolve and the target shifts.
This is when the significance of cyber security is highlighted. Because of these factors, the focus on IT and OT security are more intense than ever before.
Sustainability through carbon neutrality
Growing environmental concerns are forcing enterprises worldwide to become more energy efficient.
As a result, manufacturing companies realize that energy efficiency is an important part of cutting costs and expanding profit margins. As a result, a great opportunity for industries will be the adoption of high-efficiency motors that employ renewable energy sources and battery technologies.
Parts recycling is also becoming more popular in industrial automation, as is consumer demand for Right to Repair laws.
