Industry 4.0 and beyond: Addressing cyber, talent and AI opportunities in manufacturing and distribution

Most organisations are not fully ready. Executives identify workforce readiness (36%) and integrating AI with legacy systems (36%) as their top barriers, slowing the ability to realise AI’s full value. Protiviti supports leaders in building the modern data foundations, training programmes and technology upgrades needed to unlock AI‑enabled productivity.

The industry faces a significant talent gap, with a quarter of the workforce age 55 or older and millions of roles projected to open as retirements accelerate. Combined with rising labor costs and skill shortages tied to AI and Industry 4.0, this creates operational risk. Protiviti works with organisations to support workforce transformation, upskilling and change enablement programmes.

Leaders are prioritising business process improvements (44%), supply chain management (42%), and infrastructure modernisation (39%) to reduce downtime, enhance resilience and improve data integration. Protiviti helps organisations modernise core systems, strengthen operations and implement technologies that support long-term scalability.

Executives rank changes in global markets and trade policies as their number-one near-term risk, driven by tariff uncertainty and shifting government policies. These pressures affect production planning, cost structures and supply continuity.

Executives cite customers and competition (45%), markets and economies (41%), and talent challenges (36%) as their top decade-long concerns. These risks signal a shift toward customer-centric models, differentiated offerings and sustained workforce capability. Protiviti supports leaders with strategies and solutions that align innovation, customer experience and workforce resilience.