Yokogawa Survey Finds Two-Thirds of Process Industry Companies Are Anticipating Fully Autonomous Operations by 2030
16.9.2020 10:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) today revealed the results of a global end-user survey on the outlook for industrial autonomy*, which shows that 64% of respondents from companies in process industries are anticipating fully autonomous operations by 2030. The survey provides an in-depth view of future trends in automation and autonomy, business priorities, and technologies being deployed in key process industries including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, petrochemicals, and power generation.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200916005058/en/
Technology investment over next 3 years (Graphic: Yokogawa Electric Corporation)
Key Insights
Companies are moving to fully autonomous operations by 2030, and will invest in technologies that aid decision-making
Sixty-four percent of respondents stated that they expect to reach autonomous operations in their primary operations by 2030. Eighty-nine percent said their companies currently have plans to increase the level of autonomy in their operations. Regarding their current status, 64% said that they are conducting or are piloting semi-autonomous or autonomous operations, while 67% expect significant automation of most decision-making processes in plant operations by 2023.
Cyber security (51%), cloud, analytics, and big data (47%), and artificial intelligence (42%) are three key areas in which companies are planning significant investment over the next three years. These will enable organizations to make better decisions across a greater span of control.
COVID-19 has put the brakes on economic growth in 2020 but will be a catalyst for the medium- to long-term growth of industrial autonomy.
COVID-19 has arguably presented a great impetus for industrial autonomy moving forward. A higher priority is now being placed on the ability to continue running operations without workers needing to be present. A majority of respondents are expecting to increase their investment in autonomous operations as a direct result of COVID-19.
Respondents were also asked to rank the top four applications in which they were directing investment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unsurprisingly, remote operations and remote servicing came out as two of the key applications for which priorities have increased, with a respective 36% and 30% of participants selecting them. The ability to conduct work without the need for workers to be present in a hazardous environment provides significant safety and cost benefits.
The survey also uncovered significant differences across industries in post-COVID-19 investment priorities. For example, compared with other industries, conventional power generation and chemical/petrochemical participants placed a greater focus on investments in worker safety.
Regional trends
The survey revealed regional differences in investment in new technologies and the push to industrial autonomy. Relative to other regions, Asia-Pacific is the most engaged in the shift to industrial autonomy. The survey found that the proportion of companies in Asia-Pacific that are prioritizing investment in autonomous systems for operations is 18% to 27% higher than other regions. This is a key statistic and shows that funding is being directed into autonomous operations in the region. Seventy-one percent of respondents in Asia-Pacific felt that they would attain fully autonomous operations in ten years' time, compared with just 58% in North America and 56% in Western Europe.
“From this research study, we have confirmed our perception that the shift from industrial automation to industrial autonomy, which we call IA2IA, is going to gain momentum over the next decade. As COVID-19 will accelerate this trend, and companies' interest in introducing related technologies continues to be strong, Yokogawa can support customers in strengthening their competitiveness step by step based upon our roadmap to autonomous operations,” said Tsuyoshi Abe, senior vice president and head of the Marketing Headquarters at Yokogawa.
Yokogawa believes the digital transformation of companies’ manufacturing and production operations will lead towards autonomous operations; the results of the survey demonstrate that companies are prioritizing and investing in the technologies of tomorrow in order to make this a reality.
The survey highlight report can be downloaded from the following website.
https://www.yokogawa.com/special/ia2ia/outlook/
* The “Global End-user Survey on the Outlook for Industrial Autonomy” was conducted on behalf of Yokogawa by research company Omdia among 504 decision-makers in process industry companies between June and July 2020.
About Yokogawa
Founded in 1915, Yokogawa engages in broad-ranging activities in the areas of measurement, control, and information. The industrial automation business provides vital products, services, and solutions to a diverse range of process industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, and pulp and paper. With the life innovation business, the company aims to radically improve productivity across the pharmaceutical and food industry value chains. The test & measurement, aviation, and other businesses continue to provide essential instruments and equipment with industry-leading precision and reliability. Yokogawa co-innovates with its customers through a global network of 114 companies spanning 62 countries, generating US$3.7 billion in sales in FY2019. For more information, please visit www.yokogawa.com.
The names of corporations, organizations, products, services and logos herein are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Yokogawa Electric Corporation or their respective holders.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200916005058/en/
Contact information
Public Relations
Integrated Communications Center
Yokogawa Electric Corporation
Yokogawa-pr@cs.jp.yokogawa.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
DEWA International Launched as a Wholly Owned Independent Subsidiary of DEWA to Develop Global Energy and Water Projects9.7.2026 19:07:00 EEST | Press release
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, announced the establishment of ‘DEWA International’, a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The company aims to develop conventional and clean energy projects worldwide and export Dubai’s successful energy and water infrastructure model to global markets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260709099653/en/ DEWA International launched as a wholly owned independent subsidiary of DEWA to develop global energy and water projects (Photo: AETOSWire) HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “Thanks to the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai has become a global model for achievement and accelerated development. Through its world-class infrastructure, particularly in the energy
Viz.ai Expands into Neurodegenerative Disease with Cortechs.ai Collaboration9.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Viz.ai, the leader in AI-powered disease detection and intelligent care coordination, today announced a collaboration with Cortechs.ai, a global leader in neuroimaging and quantitative analysis solutions, to integrate Cortechs.ai's NeuroQuant and NeuroQuant MS suite into the Viz.ai platform, expanding access to quantitative neuroimaging for hospitals and health systems across the U.S. This partnership marks Viz.ai's expansion into neurodegenerative disease, growing Viz Neuro Suite beyond its already market-leading neuro offerings. The collaboration will begin with a focus on multiple sclerosis (MS), integrating quantitative MRI analysis from NeuroQuant MS directly into Viz.ai's care coordination workflow, giving clinicians both the quantitative precision and the coordination infrastructure needed to identify and manage MS patients at scale. “Viz.ai's core mission has always been to increase access to life-saving treatments. It’s about getting the right information to the right care tea
Orca Security Report: 99.9% of Fixable AI Vulnerabilities Remain Unpatched as AI Moves Into Production9.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Orca Security, a leader in cloud and AI security, today released its 2026 State of AI Security Report, offering a first-hand view into how AI is being deployed across more than 1,200 production cloud environments. The findings show AI is no longer limited to isolated pilots or developer experiments. Organizations are embedding AI into production applications, cloud services, and autonomous workflows faster than security programs can adapt. More than half (56%) of organizations have already deployed AI agents into production, while 51% use AI to build custom applications. At the same time, Orca found that 81% of organizations run vulnerable AI packages, and 99.9% of fixable AI vulnerabilities remain unpatched, highlighting how quickly AI has become operational infrastructure without corresponding security maturity. The report also reveals that AI environments are rapidly becoming more interconnected and business critical. Among organizations adopting AI, 64% now run vector databases, 55
Echodyne Opens New Manufacturing Facility to Meet Surging Global Demand for Advanced MESA® Radar9.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
As governments around the world accelerate investment in counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) and short-range air defense, Echodyne today announced the opening of a new advanced radar manufacturing facility in Washington State, significantly expanding its manufacturing capacity to meet rapidly growing demand from U.S. and allied customers. With millions of drones manufactured and used by both sides in the Russian War in Ukraine, the need for enhanced safety for defense, national security, and critical infrastructure assets grows with every successful strike and interception. The low cost and high utility of drones dramatically alters the need for safety and security sensors. And as the low altitude economy takes off, hundreds of thousands of drones will perform a range of life-saving and commercial missions, requiring a sensor infrastructure to monitor airspace activity. The new 86,350-square-foot facility is a major step in readying supply for multiple, large, global markets. The
SCP Standard Capital Partners AG: Fabian Becker Appointed Chairman of the Management Board and CEO9.7.2026 15:51:00 EEST | Press release
The Supervisory Board of SCP Standard Capital Partners AG (WKN: A12UPJ | ISIN: DE000A12UPJ7 | XETRA ticker: CAP) resolved today to appoint Mr. Fabian Becker as Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective as of 9 July 2026. Ms. Stephanie Schettler-Köhler will remain a member of the Management Board and will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260709982268/en/
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom