离散（工厂）自动化：技术、规模与工业投资新浪潮

April 2026 Table of Contents •Executive summary•Drivers of automation, impact of key trends and new technologies•Example case studies on discrete automation Executive summary •Automation is a critical success factor for today’s factory processes, enabling high quality, high throughput and low production costs. Based on current trends thismarket is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, providing a range of opportunities for investment and value creation. •While the initial automation and robotics revolution was started by the automotive industry, new industries such as healthcare, food, consumer goods andelectronics manufacturing are increasingly utilising automation systems. In the past two decades, non-automotive industries have increased their automationusage, with evolving application technologies driving strong adoption. •Current automation trends are creating intelligent factories where new and innovative manufacturing technologies are increasing flexibility, quality, security, andproductivity. Main trends in discrete automation include: Industrial simulation and digital twins: Software simulation is evolving from isolated design tools to enterprise digital twin platforms embedded acrosscommissioning and live operations, enabling virtual validation, faster ramp-up and continuous optimisation Strategic productivity to address labour scarcity: Automation has become a strategic necessity as manufacturers address skilled labour shortages, costvolatility and supply chain fragility, driving sustained investment in resilience, throughput and operational stability •Winning suppliers in discrete (factory) automation have high levels of intellectual property (IP), strong innovation capabilities and global aftermarket presence, andthey offer synergistic software-based solutions. System integrators act as the connective link to the end customers for component and module manufacturers and •The global discrete automation market is worth c.$150 billion as of 2025 and is expected to grow by c.6% per annum to reach c.$200 billion by 2030F. •Investors now prioritise automation players that address structural headwinds, such as labour shortages and supply chain volatility. A premium is being placed onplatforms demonstrating high revenue predictability, expanding margins and resilient cash flows. Macro trends are pushing manufacturers towards intelligent factories, where automation and softwaredriven systems improve flexibility, throughput, quality and sustainability Strategic Requirement: Discrete (factory) automation has become a strategic necessity; it is the key enabler for solving the mainproduction challenges of labour scarcity and supply chain fragility while unlocking urgently needed productivity gains through theintegration of AI and digitalisation AI/Smart Factory Tech: Rapid advances in AI, digital twins and software-defined manufacturing are shifting investment from basicdigitisation to physical AI and intelligent robotics, creating a market shift towards software-enabled, data-driven automation platforms Workforce Reallocation and Skill Gap: With over 75% of industrial employers facing skilled talent shortages, companies providingintelligent robotics and advanced automation are attractive acquisition targets as they directly mitigate labour scarcity and stabiliseoperating costs Global discrete (factory) automation marketgrowth over 2025-30F Supply Chain Resilience: The strategic imperative for resilient supply chains is catalysing significant investment in discrete (factory)automation, which is the key enabler for making reshoring viable (in the context of a volatile geopolitical landscape) by offsetting highdomestic labour costs and addressing skilled worker shortages Shift to Recurring Revenues: Growing embedded software and investor demand for predictable cash flows are shifting the markettowards XaaS/RaaS models, boosting demand for remote monitoring, analytics and life cycle monetisation Sustainability and Energy Efficiency: Factory automation is fundamental to advancing energy efficiency across industrial operations;leading firms leverage automation to optimise energy usage, reduce emissions and achieve measurable cost savings, positioningthemselves as high-value partners in the transition to sustainable manufacturing Quality Improvement:Rising regulatory and customer requirements for traceability and first-pass yield are driving widespreaddeployment of machine vision, inline inspection and closed-loop control solutions across discrete (factory) automation industries The global discrete automation market is worth c.$150BN as of 2025 and is forecast to grow at a long-term rate of 6%-7% to reach c.$200BN by 2030 In discrete manufacturing automation, physical AI uses sensing and adaptive intelligence to assemble,move, and inspect parts more autonomously than fixed automation For example, within consumer goods manufacturing and logistics, physical AI can be used t