Emergence of intelligent ecosystems1 Compounding structural shocks are forcing industrial operations to shift from efficiency-led models to adaptive resilience. In its June 2025 publication, From Shock to Strategy: Building Value Chains for the Next 30 Years, the World Economic Forum identified eight key forces reshaping global manufacturing and steering strategic decision-making over the next three decades. Table 1 aligns each global driving force with a corresponding strategic imperative, illustrating how industrial leaders can translate disruption into long-term advantage. Together, these strategic imperatives define a new industrial paradigm that is rooted in digital resilience, adaptive ecosystems and sustainable value creation for the decades ahead. These forces form the broader strategic context for the transformations explored throughout this report, shaping how industrial functions evolve across the ecosystem.1.1 Eight key forces driving strategic imperativesIndustrial operations are at a decisive turning point. Economic volatility, climate pressures, rapid technological advances and geopolitical fragmentation are intensifying the strain on traditional efficiency-led models of competitiveness. In this evolving landscape, resilience, adaptability and ecosystem-level collaboration are becoming essential capabilities for navigating increasingly complex and interconnected operating environments. Intelligent Industrial Operations Outlook 2026 6