5 factory technologies to look out for in 2022

Smart factories are no longer the future. In 2018, when the World Economic Forum (WEF) first began its global lighthouse network, there were just 16 flagship smart factories around the world. Today, four years later, the number of flagship industrial factories is 103. What's even more striking than numbers, however, is the growing catalogue of intelligence-driven, efficiency-boosting and robot-friendly technologies that are spreading further across the value chain. These technologies are getting traction in sectors as far and wide as consumer packaged goods, process industries, pharmaceutical products, and advanced industries including electronics, industrial machinery and automotive.