GENERAL NEWS
Manufacturers highlight cybersecurity
Analyst, ABI Research, recently completed its semi-annual‘ Manufacturers’ Technology Adoption & Attitudes Survey’, a survey of 458 manufacturing decision-makers across the United States, Malaysia and Germany. Key findings from the survey were presented in‘ The State of Technology in the Manufacturing Industry’ report.
“ 63.5 % of manufacturers surveyed now say that improving their cybersecurity posture is the top investment necessary for improving productivity. When asked in the first wave of the survey in 2024, that number was only 21.9 %. The recent CrowdStrike update, which caused a massive IT outage that crashed millions of Windows systems, brought security vulnerabilities to the fore. Increasing geopolitical tensions certainly play a part as well,” explained Michael Larner, Distinguished Analyst, ABI Research. Other high-level findings include:
■ 84 % of Germany’ s Greenfield facilities have achieved‘ Modern Factory Maturity’. Malaysian Brownfield facilities lag behind other regions at 31 %, which reflects Malaysia’ s heavy investments in advanced areas with fewer investments in traditional or legacy areas, said ABI Research.
■ Manufacturers are increasingly embracing cloud solutions. 79 % of the manufacturers surveyed agreed that cloud solutions offer clear benefits around decision-making, remote monitoring and supply chain coordination.
■ 44 % of manufacturers are devising an implementation programme, or are already rolling out private 5G, proving that Private 5G is beginning to take hold in the manufacturing space.
■ 66 % of respondents surveyed believed that Generative AI can help to optimise their production lines, and 74 % believe that Generative AI can accelerate the creation of worker instructions.
■ 78 % of respondents surveyed believe in the industrial metaverse’ s ability to fuel Research and Development( R & D) in conjunction with strategy, but belief in onboarding capabilities may be waning.
■ 76 % of Malaysian manufacturers surveyed agree that private cellular technology enhances connectivity, ensuring reliability and secure communications.
■ 78 % of U. S. manufacturers surveyed see operational efficiencies and productivity as a strong benefit, reflective of labour savings and reduction of input costs, whether components or raw materials.
■ 53.9 % of manufacturers surveyed are increasingly prioritizing QMS systems as a priority investment to improve quality levels.
■ 48 % of manufacturers surveyed view the lack of expertise to fully grasp the potential of new technologies as a primary barrier to digital transformation.
“ Innovation is the cornerstone of success in the manufacturing Industry, and making a robust technology strategy is essential,” Larner concluded.
Download the survey findings on bit. ly / 441GcnL n
www
. abiresearch. com
PMA elects new Chairman of the Board
The Precision Metalforming Association( PMA) has elected Gene Lambert as its 2025 Chairman of the Board. Lambert is VP, Sales, at Batesville Tool & Die, Inc. in Batesville, Indiana( USA). Chris Zuzick, VP of Waukesha Metal Products in Wisconsin( USA), will serve as Vice Chairman and Treasurer. Both Lambert and Zuzick will serve one-year terms. Lambert succeeds outgoing PMA Board Chair Gregg Boucher, group chief operating officer of Wallingford, CT-based Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals.
“ I am excited to be elected chairman and thank Gregg Boucher for his outstanding leadership this past year. I look forward to carrying forward Gregg’ s mission for PMA to help its community of member companies evolve to meet the needs of the next generation of leadership,” said Lambert.
“ I believe that our industry will continue to pursue and integrate more automation into its processes to enhance quality and efficiency, while coping with rising costs and workforce shortages. Employees shouldn’ t see automation as a threat but rather embrace it
Gene Lambert. Chris Zuzick.
as an opportunity— to develop new technical skills that will, in turn, strengthen job security. PMA can play an important role through its robust educational training tools. PMA must continue to evolve with its community— member companies, their management and executive teams, down through all levels of management. We need to assess and address the interests of the younger leaders in our industry,” he added.
Last year, under Boucher’ s leadership as Chair, PMA assembled a team to survey its members and identify key areas that the association should address. To guide these efforts, PMA brought on strategy consultant Paul Kessler, managing director of the Altus Group, in 2024. Kessler’ s ongoing work in 2025 continues to support the PMA management team in developing a strategic approach to better serve its members and ensure the organisation’ s longevity.
Now, Lambert picks up the strategy initiative where Boucher left off. While expanding PMA’ s membership remains a key objective, he is particularly focused on increasing member engagement and participation.
PMA is the full-service trade association representing the US $ 137-billion metalforming industry of North America— the industry that creates precision metal products with stamping, fabricating, spinning, slide forming and roll forming technologies, and other value-added processes. Over 900 member companies also include suppliers of equipment, materials and services to the industry. n
www. pma. org
6 | ismr. net | ISMR May 2025