September 16, 2025 How Manufacturers Are Rewriting the Rules of Resilience

Manufacturers are combining AI, digital supply chain visibility, and unified manufacturing to transform disruption into a competitive edge.

By Helena Jochberger, VP and Global Manufacturing Lead at CGI

The manufacturing industry is in a period of profound and unprecedented volatility. For decades, manufacturing has relied on carefully balanced supply chains and predictable market forces. Today, that foundation is shifting rapidly.

According to recent research, 66% of executives cite a shift in the global economic order as the top macro trend shaping their decision-making. At the same time, talent shortages, fluctuating regulations, and rising material costs are creating new bottlenecks that strain traditional models of growth and productivity.

Manufacturers who choose inaction run the risk of falling behind in a marketplace that is moving faster than ever. Meanwhile, the industry’s digital leaders aren’t sitting idle. They are seizing this moment to accelerate their digital IT strategies and invest in modernization, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI). The result is a widening digital divide. Research indicates a 38% gap in the adoption of traditional AI between leaders and laggards, as well as a 26% gap in the adoption of generative AI.

Leaders in the industry are strengthening their competitive edge by embracing digital supply chain visibility, replacing what were previously blind spots with panoramic, all-encompassing data ecosystems. They are also leveraging AI across workflows and strengthening collaboration across departments and allowing data continuity across technologies to create a unified approach to IT modernization. The blueprint is out there; it’s now up to the rest of the industry to follow suit.

From Blind Spots to Insights

Manufacturing is dependent on a highly intricate and multifaceted supply chain configuration. These interconnected webs link management, engineering, production, and quality control. In times of stability, this system functions smoothly. However, geopolitical instability, climate disruptions, and trade policies require flexibility to avoid blind spots and maintain a resilient supply chain.

Leading manufacturers are overcoming this obstacle by investing in comprehensive data strategies that provide unified, real-time visibility into processes and operations across supply chain ecosystems. Unfortunately, less than half of manufacturers report having this capability today. The positive returns are undeniable. Companies with holistic data strategies are pulling ahead, outperforming those who haven’t by 28%, underscoring how digital investments translate into a bottom-line impact.

Closing the gap is no easy feat, and it isn’t for a lack of trying. Many enterprises remain hampered by disconnected, siloed systems. Data is often scattered across multiple enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, outdated spreadsheets, and supplier portals. This fragmented environment makes consolidating and analyzing data virtually impossible, leaving decision-makers more reactive than proactive.

Breaking down these silos and digitizing supply chain operations can be complex, but they’re key to sharper decision-making and sustained innovation. Enterprises must build systems that enable data exchange and flow smoothly across teams, tools, and processes through a common platform built on transparency, innovation, and compliance. End-to-end visibility across supply chains enables manufacturers to anticipate and respond to disruptions with greater agility while simultaneously strengthening the consistency of processes and systems.

Beyond resilience, this deeper collaboration among ecosystem players fuels the creation of new solutions that translate into lasting competitive advantage.

Diversification as a Strategy

Even as manufacturers invest in visibility, they are also focusing on diversification to balance liquidity and secure long-term growth. This means moving beyond core products to explore branching into new offerings, value-added services, and untapped markets.

However, diversification requires more than ambition. To turn these strategies into sustainable growth, manufacturers need robust, data-driven insights across all business units. Without a modernized technology stack, diversification may become risky. With it, manufacturers can unlock new opportunities, such as evaluating emerging market opportunities, predicting demand patterns, and optimizing resource allocation. Here again, AI plays a central role, serving as the connective tissue that binds together business functions.

AI as the Connective Tissue

As manufacturers strive for digital maturity, AI is emerging as the unifying thread between operations, talent, and strategy. Forty-two percent of executives who report success with their digital strategies attribute it to modernizing and scaling technologies, such as AI, to boost efficiency and agility. In contrast, those who fail to do so are quickly losing their competitive edge.

While automation in manufacturing is not a new concept, its application has evolved dramatically. AI is no longer confined to robots on an assembly line. Today, it underpins tasks as varied as:

• Optimizing shipping routes to cut fuel costs and reduce emissions.
• Accelerating product development cycles with AI-driven simulations.
• Streamlining assembly line operations by predicting maintenance needs and preventing downtime.

Perhaps most significantly, AI is reshaping the workforce by automating tasks that were previously too complex or too expensive to address manually. With 67% of executives reporting difficulties in hiring talent amid an influx of retirees, manufacturers are utilizing AI to address both skill gaps and workforce shortages. With hybrid work models, AI upskilling, and AI-driven knowledge hubs, manufacturers are transforming the way they attract and retain talent. Digital twins and simulation tools, for instance, provide safe hands-on training that accelerates onboarding while reducing risk.

For example, an automotive manufacturer can create a digital twin of its assembly line, allowing engineers to test process changes, predict equipment failures, and optimize output without disrupting operations. These shifts don’t just reshape workflows. They require new ways of thinking, collaborating, and investing in a culture that embraces change.

In the same automotive assembly line, a digital triplet takes the digital twin a step further. Beyond simulating process changes and predicting failures, generative AI continuously proposes novel assembly configurations, energy-saving process flows, or workforce allocations that engineers may not have considered. These options are then processed by explainable AI, which clarifies the trade-offs and impact of each choice: such as cost efficiency, safety improvements, or environmental footprint. Human experts remain in the loop, validating recommendations and selecting the next best action with confidence. This fusion of generative insight, transparent reasoning, and human expertise allows the manufacturer not only to optimize existing operations but also to reinvent them in ways that are both innovative and accountable.

Yet technology alone is insufficient. Success requires a strong data strategy, the right skills, and a culture rooted in learning and discovery. AI and other emerging technologies should be viewed as enablers of modernization and process optimization, not end goals in themselves. Their value lies in augmenting human insight, simplifying operations, and solving real-world challenges. The true measure of success will lie in the outcomes it enables: superior customer experiences, resilient supply chains, and long-term, sustainable growth.

Beyond the Factory Floor

The transformation of the manufacturing industry extends far beyond the assembly line. The success of the digital-first era depends on alignment across the entire enterprise, from engineers to supply chain managers, IT leaders, and customer-facing teams.

Global disruption has made this alignment more urgent. Labor shortages, rising material costs, and complex compliance requirements can stifle innovation if left unaddressed. To counteract these pressures, early alignment is essential. By embedding customer-centric thinking throughout the organization, manufacturers can achieve higher returns on investment, utilize more effective use cases, increase adoption, and deliver value more quickly.

Much like a winning sports team, the best teams can’t win without the right playbook. Likewise, manufacturers that recruit the right talent, provide continuous training, and foster a culture built on trust will not just survive disruption — they will thrive within it.

Designing for Disruption

The future of manufacturing will not be defined by stability, but by resilience. To thrive, companies must design systems, cultures, and strategies that assume disruption as a constant rather than an exception.

For industry leaders, scaling requires more than adopting new technology and tools. It demands:

• Stronger collaboration across business units and ecosystems that is supportive of a shared data strategy.
• Tighter alignment between IT and business strategies.
• Investment in platforms that support enterprise-wide development.

Whether consolidating supply chain visibility, scaling digital twins across the enterprise, or embedding AI-driven insights into everyday workflows, the future of manufacturing will belong to those who design for disruption rather than react to it.

About the Author:
Helena Jochberger serves as CGI’s Global Industry Lead for Manufacturing, guiding the strategic design, development, and direction of the company’s global manufacturing portfolio. She plays a key role in building client relationships, shaping industry strategies at both global and local levels, directing investments in high-growth areas and solutions, and partnering with senior executives to advance CGI’s business unit growth plans. A certified design-thinking facilitator, Helena brings deep expertise in digital transformation and change management and is recognized as a prominent thought leader in the manufacturing industry.

Read more from the author:

 The Unified Manufacturing Industry of the Future | IIoT World, June 10, 2025

Industry 5.0: The Future of Unified Manufacturing | SupplyChainBrain, April 21, 2023

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