Digital Transformation in Manufacturing

Develop the digital capabilities CIOs and manufacturing leaders need to gain an edge in a hypercompetitive market.

Featured Webinar

Manufacturing Predicts 2026: Digital Twins, AI Agents, and the Race to Autonomous Operations

Live session on January 29, 2026
11:00 a.m. EDT
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Explore the impact of AI on the Manufacturing industry

By 2030, manufacturing will be transformed by semi-autonomous AI agents, software-defined products and closed-loop digital twins. These technologies promise agility, efficiency and resilience — but they also introduce rising IT costs and governance challenges. This session shares Gartner’s key predictions for 2026 and provides actionable insights to help CIOs and manufacturing leaders accelerate autonomy, manage complexity and prepare for the next wave of digital innovation.

Trending insight and tools for manufacturing

Leverage the work of 2,500 Gartner business and technology insights experts supporting manufacturing organizations looking for rapid improvements. Get help making the right strategic decisions so you can drive value across the organization.
  • Top Resources
  • Generative AI

Gain insight specifically designed to support manufacturing IT leaders with these resources

Discover 3 focus areas for CIOs to drive transformation in their industries, and uncover critical steps to accelerate transformation in manufacturing.

Access more than 250 AI use cases, all tailored to your industry and business needs with Gartner's AI Use Case Insights Tool to help your organization achieve tangible success.

Gain insights for Navigating U.S. Federal Policy Shifts: Cross-Industry CIO Perspectives on Impacts and Strategies, and discover how policy changes directly affect IT strategies within Manufacturing.

Explore the most recent edition of the Gartner Business Quarterly for insights on building a future-ready workforce that delivers value as the mix in the workforce changes.

Watch "An Industry Perspective: How to Set Your Pace in the AI Race" to hear from Gartner industry experts as they explore what a tech sandwich is, why you need to build it and the many strange ways AI agents will change human behavior. 

By 2028, 80% of digital threads will start with PLM, with increased investments to adapt PLM as a digital thread foundation platform, up from 45% today. Learn How CIOs Can Use PLM to Generate Value From Digital Threads to solve product traceability issues.

Understand the impact, opportunities and risks of generative AI for manufacturing leaders

Learn how to separate the hype, hope and reality of AI in manufacturing. Leverage The Impact of Generative AI on Manufacturing webinar to help differentiate AI, generative AI and machine learning, while examining functional criteria as you pursue this technology.

 

Related manufacturing resources

Gartner clients: Log in for a complete suite of actionable insight and tools on manufacturing.

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How CIOs Can Use PLM to Generate Value From Digital Threads

Manufacturing CIOs can use PLM software to create, connect and govern product data across the value chain and lay the foundation for a digital thread.
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Quick Answer: Understanding Smart Factory, Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing

Understand the concepts of Industrie 4.0, smart manufacturing and smart factory and their differences in easily understood terms to clearly set expectations.
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Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2024: Machine Customers

Lead construction of the platforms and applications capable of serving machine customers, and build your own machine customers.

Drive stronger performance on your mission-critical priorities.

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