Smart Manufacturing Reshapes Global Automotive Production
03rd August 2026
Artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation are moving deeper into automotive manufacturing, delivering measurable improvements in downtime, productivity and overall equipment effectiveness, according to new research.
Rockwell Automation and the Centre for Automotive Research (CAR) have released a new whitepaper, Smart Manufacturing in Automotive: Deployment and Impact, examining the changing role of smart manufacturing across the automotive, tyre and battery industries.
The research suggests the industry has reached a point where the question is no longer whether manufacturers should invest in smart manufacturing, but how quickly and where the technology should be deployed.
Advanced automation is already widely used in areas including body production, paint and welding, but manufacturers are now extending the technology into more difficult areas including electronics assembly, validation, production coordination and logistics.
AI and machine learning are also being applied to predictive maintenance, inspection and existing manufacturing systems.
The report points to potentially significant productivity benefits, with manufacturers reporting reductions of up to 50 per cent in unplanned downtime in selected applications.
Overall equipment effectiveness has improved by approximately five per cent in some operations, while real-time production analytics have generated throughput improvements of between five and seven per cent.
CAR principal mobility analyst and strategy lead Edgar Faler said manufacturers were increasingly using AI and data to manage complexity and improve decision-making.
“Those that move faster are starting to see measurable advantages,” Faler said.
Rockwell Automation vice president global industry – automotive, tyre and advanced mobility James Glasson said manufacturers were being required to achieve more while managing greater complexity.
Automation and AI were helping manufacturers identify problems earlier, reduce downtime and improve plant performance, he said.
The research also identifies a growing divide between manufacturers based on their level of technology adoption, creating differences in quality, uptime and productivity that could ultimately influence supplier performance and long-term competitiveness.
Click here for a full copy of the whitepaper.