Fluke Corporation has released survey findings revealing a significant acceleration in digital maturity across manufacturing, propelled by a year-on-year increase in predictive maintenance adoption.

Rising investment in generative AI (36 per cent) and industrial AI (35 per cent) underscores this transition, as organisations move beyond pilot programmes toward production-scale impact.

The research, conducted by Censuswide, surveyed over 600 senior decision-makers and maintenance professionals in the US, the UK, and Germany. The findings show that within one year, reactive maintenance remained flat at 36 per cent.

Proactive maintenance fell from 55 per cent to 45 per cent while predictive maintenance adoption doubled from nine per cent to 18 per cent, signalling a shift from traditional preventive models to data-driven execution.

The findings indicate this transition is being reinforced by increased capital allocation.

Over the next 12 months, manufacturers are prioritising technologies that deliver measurable operational impact quickly.

The data shows a clear shift toward pragmatic investment: nearly eight in ten (72 per cent) organisations now allocate 16 to 30 per cent of their maintenance budgets to new technologies, with investment moving away from exploratory AI (44 per cent in 2024) towards operational priorities including cybersecurity (37 per cent), data management (36 per cent), Generative AI (36 per cent), and industrial AI (35 per cent).

However, the data shows a growing disconnect between technology adoption and workforce readiness.

The results point to a deeper issue, with skills-related challenges accounting for approximately 78 per cent of all reported obstacles, including lack of expertise (23 per cent), knowledge shortages (18 per cent), skilled labour gaps (19 per cent), and broader workforce skills shortages (17 per cent).

As manufacturers move from experimentation to execution, respondents show that expectations around Industry 5.0 are resetting accordingly.

Confidence in near-term achievement has declined: the share expecting completion within six months fell from 33 per cent to 22 per cent, while 40 per cent now anticipate a one- to four-year timeline.

Instead, the data suggests manufacturers are concentrating on what is achievable now.

Nearly half of respondents (49 per cent) plan to advance connected reliability initiatives within the next 12 months, signalling reliability as the practical bridge between near-term operational needs and longer-term Industry 5.0 ambitions.

 Parker Burke, President of Fluke Corporation, said: “Manufacturers are continuing to invest in digital technologies, but progress depends on how effectively those technologies are applied.

“Our findings show that reliability and workforce skills are now the critical factors in converting technology spend into measurable operational improvement.

“We need a solution to the skills shortage to supplement technology investment for the best results.”

Vineet Thuvara, Chief Product Officer, Fluke Corporation, added: “The progress is encouraging, but it’s not enough yet.

“Predictive maintenance is no longer a future ambition: it is the baseline.

“Manufacturer’s next challenge is scaling adoption and integrating it across the organisation, ensuring these capabilities work in harmony across the organisation, not in isolation.”

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