AI-Powered Factories Are Rewriting the Rules of Global Manufacturing

AI-Powered Factories Are Rewriting the Rules of Global Manufacturing

PR Newswire

BOSTON, May 28, 2026

AI-Driven Factory of the Future Unlocks Productivity Gains of Up to 60%Factory Transformation Can Now Determine Competitiveness Upgrading Factories Can Outperform Offshoring—Even in High-Cost CountriesWithout the Factory of the Future, as Much as $1.03 Trillion of Manufacturing Value is at Risk of Relocation out of Western Europe, and another $440 Billion out of the United States BOSTON, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- AI-enabled factory of the future technologies are fundamentally reshaping the economics of manufacturing, with the potential to unlock productivity gains of up to 60%. These shifts are driving a new logic of competitiveness, in which performance is determined by how effectively production setups are redesigned and deployed. For the first time, upgrading to factory of the future capabilities in a high-cost country can be a more competitive option than offshoring, even if lower-cost countries also upgrade. However, without upgrading to the factory of the future, roughly $1.03 trillion of manufacturing value is at risk of relocation out of Western Europe, with another $440 billion at risk in the United States.