NEW YORK – March 26, 2025 – Four in five (80%) industrial manufacturers globally plan to increase their technology investment by 20% or more in the coming years, underscoring the industry’s commitment to digital transformation. While well over two thirds (76%) expect to gain a productivity increase of the same figure (20% or more). These are some of the key findings from Infor, the industry cloud complete organization.
However, the research study, one of the largest of its kind and based on insights from 3,600 respondents across fifteen countries in regions including the US, Europe and the Middle East, has also exposed a ‘value void’ when it comes to technological deployment. Many manufacturers are struggling to translate technology’s potential into tangible business value despite their intent.
This discrepancy is particularly critical in today’s economic climate, where manufacturers continue to face rising costs in energy, labor and materials, alongside supply chain disruptions and skills shortages, creating additional pressures.
“Technology continues to be a key enabler of productivity and efficiency in industrial manufacturing,” comments Andrew Kinder, SVP Industry Strategy at Infor. “However, investing in technology alone is not enough. Our research highlights that the most successful organizations take a strategic approach, focusing on four “Vectors to Value”–optimizing processes, building agility, fostering a data-driven culture and keeping customer needs at the core. By aligning digital transformation with these principles, manufacturers can bridge the value void and unlock long-term competitive advantage.”
“Organizations getting it right today are the ones looking around corners, predicting and anticipating what comes next and proactively tackling opportunities and risks. They’re building resilient strategies that deliver sustainable growth and use technologically optimized processes, cultural agility and focused accountability for customers to differentiate and drive incremental transitions and sweeping transformations.” said Dr Chris Brauer, director of Innovation, Institute of Management Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London.