LAS VEGAS – July 15, 2025 – Rockwell Automation is out with its 10th annual “State of Smart Manufacturing Report” for 2025. Among the findings are the fact that “workforce pressures are now the most urgent challenge for automotive companies,” according to reporting by Lurah Lowery of Repair Driven News: 

More specifically, the top challenge is:

“Automotive and tire manufacturers predict that their top workforce-related challenge over the next year will be change management (37%), ensuring employees and departments effectively adopt new technology and processes.”

And that’s followed by: 

“Employee retention (33%), the rising cost of skilled workers (36%), and difficulty finding new employees (31%) were also listed as top concerns.”

For this year’s report, the company polled “130 managers and executives at automotive and tire manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), engineering procurement companies (EPCs), and system integrators across 15 countries.”

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