The study, titled OEM Strategy Handbook, is based on insights from 500 leading OEMs in 17 countries. It highlights that, while OEMs continue to navigate workforce instability, supply chain volatility, cost pressures, and rising customer expectations, many are adapting their operations to perform more consistently when conditions are less predictable. Rather than relying solely on machine performance, leading OEMs are focusing on faster recovery, operational consistency, and data-driven decision-making.
“The next era of OEM leadership will not be defined by who builds the most advanced machine,” said Evan Kaiser, vice president of global OEM and emerging industries market at Rockwell Automation. “It will be defined by who builds a business that delivers consistent performance despite employee turnover, supply disruptions, and relentless market pressure.”.
Key findings of the study:
• Rapid recovery is the new profitability lever: With outages averaging 40 hours and costing $3.6 billion, leading OEMs are enabling their customers to recover in 24 hours or less. These organizations are designing machines to detect problems early and quickly restore performance, helping to protect revenue and customer confidence.
• Staff instability is now permanent, and winners are designing around it: With turnover reaching 47% in some regions, leading OEMs are integrating their expertise into machines and workflows to reduce reliance on individual expertise, while enabling faster onboarding and consistent performance.
• Performance measurement is evolving: High-performing OEMs prioritize profitability and customer outcome metrics (cost of goods sold, lead times, recovery of unproductive time) alongside traditional production performance and emerging people-centric measures such as safety and satisfaction.
• Technology is applied with a more targeted intent: Top-performing OEMs strategically adopt digital twins, AMRs, and cobots to design machine quality and improve deployment consistency, applying field insights to guide future designs rather than solving isolated problems.
• Compliance and cybersecurity are becoming differentiators: Leading OEMs are integrating cybersecurity into product design from the outset, treating protection with the same discipline as security to support market access, reduce delays, and foster customer confidence.
