ARLINGTON, Va. – Nov., 9, 2026 – Shop floor networks are becoming a bottleneck for manufacturing AI, according to new research from Manufacturers Alliance Foundation. In a recent survey of 130 leaders at U.S. mid- to large-cap manufacturers, 92% said they had a network capacity issue in the past year that caused operational friction, delayed data, or stopped lines, often before AI had been fully deployed across production. The top barrier to fixing it isn’t technology: 59% of manufacturers point to friction between IT and OT teams, more than double the share citing capital spending.
“Manufacturers aren’t short on AI ambition. They’re short on alignment. Our research shows IT-OT friction holds back connectivity upgrades twice as often as budget does. The companies that get IT and OT planning together now will be the ones ready to scale AI on the shop floor,” said Stephen Gold, President & CEO of Manufacturers Alliance.
Key Findings:
Manufacturing networks are carrying more automation every year, and much of it never stops running.
- Automation is now standard on the shop floor. Ninety-nine percent of manufacturers run at least one type of stationary automation, such as robotic arms, connected conveyors, or smart CNC machines, and 63% of companies run three or four.
- Mobile robots are being added to that existing load, not replacing it. Sixty-eight percent of manufacturers with stationary automation are now adding autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) or automated guided vehicles (AGVs), so mobile traffic sits on top of a network that is already busy.
- Plants are already operating at scale. More than half of manufacturers run 1,000 to 4,999 connected endpoints at their most advanced facilities, and 25% exceed 5,000 endpoints.
- Planning has not yet produced confidence. Sixty-eight percent build capacity planning into every upgrade, and 75% into every new build. Yet only 7% are very confident in their network's three-year readiness.
Are manufacturing networks ready for AI?
For most manufacturers, not yet. Seventy-eight percent expect substantial or exponential growth in connected endpoints on the production floor – but only 7% are very confident their wireless networks can support the next three years of planned AI growth. One in five manufacturers already can't deploy additional devices because their networks have reached capacity. Among companies with more than 5,000 endpoints, that figure rises to 33%.
What is putting the most strain on shop floor networks?
Device mix, not device count. Tablets and headsets are nearly universal on the shop floor and add little strain on their own. The heavy load comes from continuous-traffic assets: 89% of manufacturers have deployed or plan to deploy industrial robotic arms, and 85% have done the same with high-definition computer vision systems. Because these assets generate constant traffic, 87% of manufacturers name peak production hours as their worst connectivity-congestion window.
Why are mobile robots a connectivity challenge for manufacturers?
Mobile robots must move between access points, so any gap in coverage can stop a vehicle on the floor. AMR adoption rises from 29% among manufacturers expecting moderate endpoint growth to 82% among those expecting exponential growth. When manufacturers add AMRs or AGVs, the share unable to deploy new devices doubles from 12% to 25%.
What is the biggest barrier to upgrading shop floor connectivity?
Fifty-nine percent of manufacturers cite organizational alignment, specifically friction between IT and OT teams over ownership, priorities, and funding as their top barrier. That is more than double the next-highest challenge, capital spending, at 28%.
READ THE REPORT
