Ahmet Ö.
Corporate
- Thread Author
- #1
In the last month, Automation.com has published significant content, including 2026 forecasts related to industrial automation and various sectors. In this article, you can explore resilience in manufacturing, physical AI, agentic autonomy, and more.
### Digital Transformation
Three key elements of digital twins are mentioned: complexity (return on investment), connectivity (flow of data from the physical to the digital world), and outcomes (the digital twin continuously providing insights).
For 2026, smart factories are transitioning from passive automation to agentic autonomy. This means the emergence of systems capable of independent reasoning beyond simple programmed responses and real-time optimization.
### Automation and Control
The US aims to create a competitive advantage by adopting the concept of "gray factories" in industry. Funds supported by the "Chips & Science Act" will play a role in human-robot hybrid models gaining an edge against China.
In industrial automation, harmonic drive actuators are replacing traditional harmonic drive reducer and servo motor combinations. These are preferred due to their high positional accuracy, compact and lightweight structures, high torque density, and low maintenance costs.
### Industrial Cybersecurity and Safety
For 2026, there are five predictions in the field of OT operations and cybersecurity. Identity-centric access and strong IT/OT segregation will become critical for operational resilience.
Physical security tests are gaining importance in manufacturing facilities. Threats such as equipment theft, industrial espionage, unauthorized access to control systems, and sabotage can severely impact operations.
### Operations and Management
"Engineer to Order" products provide customers with exactly the product they want. These processes are more complex compared to repetitive manufacturing and require experienced and innovative teams.
In 2026, MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) and MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) will merge to form a data-driven framework, linking manufacturing decisions with corporate strategy.
### Process Automation and Control
The current platforms of industrial automation are not suitable for the new era where IT and OT architectures converge, data-driven decision-making is required, and long-term security requirements increase. Therefore, automation platforms need to be redesigned from the ground up.
Data Historians, on the other hand, play a critical role in transforming "digital landfills" of large data sets into strategic assets.
### Enterprise Architecture and Networks
There are four key predictions for physical artificial intelligence for 2026 and beyond. Today's reactive robots will soon use predictive and task-based AI applications.
AI applications in manufacturing are becoming critical to prevent knowledge loss due to the retirement of experienced labor.
This page of Automation.com Monthly from the February 2026 issue summarizes future predictions for industry professionals.
