Paul Miller
VP, Principal Analyst

Author Insights
Blog
The Robots Are Not Coming — They Are Already Here: The Future Of Physical Automation Will Be People-Driven
Physical automation is sneaking into many workplaces and customer experiences. Learn more about the trends that will drive adoption of 10 critical physical automation categories.
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Volkswagen’s Woes Remind Us That Combining Hardware With Software Is Hard
The Volkswagen Group bet big on a new software division called Cariad, committing billions to building the software meant to power in-car experiences for Audi, Porsche, VW, and other group brands. Software delays hit the launch of new cars, and Cariad lost $2 billion in 2022. A “structural and personnel realignment” sees new leadership for […]
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Hannover Messe 2023: It’s Back
Hannover Messe 2023 was bigger than last year, with lots of ChatGPT and metaverse, but also a welcome dose of pragmatism.
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Responding To Today’s Global Uncertainty With Sustainability
Last year, a number of Forrester analysts discussed how manufacturers are responding to the challenges their industry faces right now. As I wrote at the time: “Energy prices are scary. Supply chain disruptions are scary. Workforce modernization and empowerment are hard. Budgets are tightening. Hardware upgrades are expensive, slow, and painful. Aligning the competing (or, […]
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Help Forrester Evaluate The Use Of Smart Manufacturing Maturity Assessment Tools
Forrester invites feedback on the current state of smart manufacturing maturity assessments by completing this short survey.
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Responding To Today’s Global Uncertainty With Smart Manufacturing
“If you want to get there, I wouldn’t start from here.” It’s easy to present beautiful visions of a digitally augmented future, full of shiny new machines (all from the same manufacturer, of course), empowered workers, and AI magic. It’s easy, but it’s often a long way from the reality facing most manufacturers today. Energy […]
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Industry 5.0? No Thanks!
Industry 4.0 has been a big idea in manufacturing for the past decade or so, but moves are unfortunately afoot to prematurely crown a successor: Industry 5.0. While the ever-shorter refresh cycles for smartphones have apparently become an unfortunate fact of consumerist life, industrial revolutions really should come along with a lot less frequency! Industry […]
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Prévisions 2023 : Smart Manufacturing
Découvrez les prévisions de nos experts Forrester sur les tendances du Smart manufacturing pour l'année 2023.
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Predictions 2023: Smart Manufacturing
The coming year will see manufacturers double down on existing technology initiatives to weather uncertainty and set themselves up for success.
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People And Automation Work Side By Side In Modern Factories
Automation has been an important tool in a manufacturer’s toolbox for centuries. From steam-powered looms to cutting-edge industrial robots, hardware automation arrived first and continues to expand. Over the past decade or so of Industry 4.0, software automation has also grown, with machine learning and artificial intelligence embedded in more and more processes. But my […]
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The Future Of Manufacturing
In volatile market conditions, manufacturers must become quicker, smarter, and greener to survive. The transformation of traditional — often conservative — manufacturing firms involves more than just making existing physical processes more efficient. Business and technology leaders increasingly work together to build future fit organizations that are adaptive, creative, and resilient, unlocking more sustainable and […]
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Emerging Technology: Sustainability’s Friend Or Foe?
Business and technology leaders are increasingly concerned with reducing their firms’ impact on this planet’s finite resources. Join us at Technology & Innovation EMEA to learn more.
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In-Car Subscriptions Must Align To Mobility Moments If They Are To Succeed
Instead of offering monthly or annual subscriptions to in-car features, align them to customer mobility moments in ways that address customer pain.
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Future Fit Manufacturers Evolve Their Platform Strategies To Scale
The launch announcements for Siemens Xcelerator and Hexagon Nexus show how platforms are evolving in the manufacturing sector.
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Hannover Messe 2022: Smaller But More Focused
For the first time since 2019, exhibitors and visitors returned to the Hannover showground this month for the Hannover Messe industrial trade fair. It was great to be back. According to the organisers, the 2019 show attracted more than 215,000 visitors. This year was much smaller — about 75,000 — and you could tell. More […]
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Gaia-X And The Sovereign Cloud: From Unicorns And Rainbows To Storm Clouds
Gaia-X launched to great fanfare in 2019 as a joint initiative of the German and French governments to reclaim data sovereignty from non-European public cloud providers. Despite hefty promises, production-ready services have not been delivered to the market, with customers continuing to wait like poor Godot. While the hype around Gaia-X has fizzled out, the […]
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There’s A Role For 3D Printing In Your Manufacturing Operations
It's not just for prototypes and low-quality models. Learn about three areas where 3D printing already delivers real value.
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Proposed EU Data Act Places Industrial Platforms At The Heart Of Europe’s Technology Future
Europe’s proposed Data Act places the continent’s industrial firms at the heart of a plausible digital renaissance.
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Prognosen 2022: Smart Manufacturing
Lieferengpässe. Nachhaltigkeit. Innovation. Finden Sie in unseren Prognosen für 2022 heraus, was führende Hersteller planen.
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Predictions 2022: Top-Tier Manufacturers Will Prioritize Creativity And Sustainability
Supply shortages. Sustainability pressures. Geopolitical tensions. Find out how manufacturers will respond to these unique challenges in our 2021 manufacturing predictions.
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