1.2 Intelligent ecosystems will define the next era Transformation timeline: NOW–NEAR–NEXT This report outlines a forward-looking perspective on the evolution of industrial operations over the next decade and the shifts reshaping how value is created end-to-end. Rather than prescribing a single pathway, it frames progress through three “NOW–NEAR–NEXT” horizons (see Figure 2) that help organizations to understand emerging capabilities, anticipate shifts across the value chain and assess how today’s choices may shape tomorrow’s operating models. Transformation timeline FIGURE 2 NOW (0–2 years) Early adoption of frontier technologiesNEAR (3–5 years) Expanding human–machine collaborationNEXT (5+ years) A symbiotic, living, near-autonomous ecosystem where human–machine collaboration reaches its full transformative potential The report incorporates insights from interviews with industry leaders across diverse sectors and leading global companies, along with publicly available information and secondary research. It evaluates manufacturing capabilities based on observed best practices and global case studies. Three layers and 13 functions of industrial operations Industrial operations can be understood through three interconnected layers that span physical production to global coordination: –Factory | Core layer: production-adjacent activities where physical assets, digital systems and human oversight integrate to convert materials into finished products. –Company | Extended layer: enterprise- level capabilities that direct, coordinate and continuously refine how manufacturing operates. –Supply chain network | Ecosystem layer: broader network that synchronizes flows across all stakeholders to coordinate and respond in real time. Collectively, these three interconnected layers frame how operational functions contribute to value creation, emphasizing that operational performance is now driven across the enterprise and broader ecosystem. Figure 3 illustrates this interconnected view, showing operations as integrated networks rather than isolated functions. Intelligent Industrial Operations Outlook 2026 8