OEMs prioritise resilience, recovery & security in design

Rockwell Automation has published new global research on how original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are changing operating practices in response to more volatile industrial conditions, including workforce churn, supply chain disruption, and tighter customer expectations.

The study, titled the OEM Advantage Playbook, draws on insights from more than 500 OEM leaders across 17 countries. Respondents represented businesses with revenues ranging from USD $100 million to USD $30 billion, across sectors including automotive, energy, life sciences, metals, high-tech, and food and beverage.

Rockwell frames the findings around resilience and consistency rather than maximum machine specifications. The report points to a shift from pure performance metrics to recovery speed, repeatable outcomes, and decision-making based on operational data.

"The next era of OEM leadership won't be defined by who builds the most advanced machine," said Evan Kaiser, Vice President, Global OEM and Emerging Industries, Rockwell Automation. "It will be defined by who builds a business that delivers consistent performance despite workforce turnover, supply disruptions and relentless market pressure."

Downtime economics

The research puts a monetary figure on disruption: average outages last 40 hours and cost USD $3.6 million. Against that benchmark, it highlights a group it describes as leading OEMs, whose customers recover in 24 hours or less.

The report attributes the gap to earlier fault detection and faster restoration of normal operations, linking recovery time to customer confidence and the financial impact of unplanned stoppages.

A 40% improvement in downtime recovery is presented as a lever for profitability. Recovery is framed as an operating discipline rather than an engineering afterthought.

Workforce turnover

Workforce instability emerges as a structural issue in the survey results, with turnover reaching 47% in some regions. The report describes this as a persistent constraint that changes how OEMs need to design machines and services.

In response, higher-performing OEMs embed expertise into machines and workflows, reducing reliance on individual experience. The approach is also linked to faster onboarding and more consistent performance at customer sites.

The report also describes an environment where skills gaps sit alongside rising expectations for uptime and delivery, increasing the emphasis on standardised processes and reusable engineering practices.

Changing metrics

The findings point to a broader mix of performance measures. High-performing OEMs track traditional indicators such as production yield, while prioritising metrics tied to customer outcomes and business performance.

These include cost of goods sold, lead times, and downtime recovery. The research also notes emerging people-centred measures, including safety and satisfaction.

This shift suggests OEMs increasingly compete on delivered results across the equipment lifecycle. Measurement is described as shaping resource allocation and design decisions.

Targeted automation

The research suggests many OEMs are becoming more selective about where they deploy newer automation tools. Top performers adopt digital twins, autonomous mobile robots, and collaborative robots strategically, linking those choices to building quality into machines and improving consistency across multiple sites.

The report also highlights the use of field insights in the design process. Leading OEMs feed operational data back into future designs rather than treating problems as isolated incidents, reflecting a closer connection between engineering, service, and customer operations.

It also points to a more iterative model for machine development, where deployment results shape subsequent versions and standard options. This can affect how OEMs structure commissioning, maintenance, and upgrade programmes.

Security by design

Compliance and cybersecurity feature as areas where OEMs try to differentiate. Leading OEMs integrate cybersecurity into product design from the outset, treating security with the same discipline as safety.

The report links this approach to market access and delivery timelines, and frames cybersecurity as central to customer trust, particularly as connected equipment and data-driven features become more common.

Rockwell's findings arrive as industrial firms weigh digitalisation against rising operational risk. The study suggests recovery speed, standardisation, and security are becoming core parts of equipment value, alongside throughput and quality.

The full findings in the OEM Advantage Playbook expand on how machine builders apply resilience-first strategies across design, deployment, and ongoing support.