North America Leads Industry 4.0, Extensive Adoption Remains Low

Automotive OEMs have been big adopters of both innovative technologies (such as robotics) and management practices, yielding more efficient operations and a competitive edge.

Written By
David Curry
David Curry
Published: May 13, 2020
Updated: May 24, 2020
2 minute read
North America Leads Industry 4.0, Extensive Adoption Remains Low

A new report by IoT Analytics reveals North American manufacturers are ahead in Industry 4.0 deployment, with General Electric and Boeing considered leaders of their respective industries.

The 286-page report, titled the Industry 4.0 & Smart Manufacturing Adoption Report, details overall adoption for North America, Europe, and Asia, alongside regional and industry differences, leaders, and specific use cases.

SEE ALSO: Why People Are Key to Industry 4.0 Success

North America, specifically the United States, is currently ahead when it comes to deployment. 36 percent of respondents said they have extensively adopted these technologies, compared to 27 percent in Europe and 20 percent in Asia.

The automotive industry is far ahead of other industries in Industry 4.0 adoption, which includes 3D printing, 5G, AI, AR, robots, cloud, edge, and IoT. 36 percent of respondents in the automotive industry said they have seen the extensive rollout of these technologies, six percent ahead of the electronic components industry, which came second.

“Competition has been driving innovation in the automotive industry for decades,” said IoT Analytics in a summary of the report. “As a result, automotive OEMs have been big adopters of both innovative technologies (such as robotics) and management practices (such as TPS) which yield more efficient operations and thus a competitive edge.”

Tesla, BMW, and Toyota were all recognized as adoption leaders in their respective regions.

German conglomerate Siemens received overall first place for leading Industry 4.0 adoption. IoT Analytics said Siemens is at the forefront of new digital business models, with extensive deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies in its own factories.

However, American businesses General Electric and Boeing came second and third. IoT Analytics praised both Digital Twin approaches, while also complimenting the roll-out of new Industry 4.0 technologies inside factories.

Deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies varies depending on the industry’s needs. For example, the use of drones is far more common in mining and energy projects, while the automotive industry utilizes 3D printing more.

David Curry

David Curry is a tech journalist and analyst with over a decade of experience writing for established outlets. He holds a master’s degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and has covered the technology sector since the early 2010s. His work focuses on B2B technology, data journalism, mobile apps and app markets, artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and emerging technologies. He earned a BA from the University of Lincoln and an MA from the University of Leeds.

Featured Resources from Cloud Data Insights

Why Zero-Copy Architecture Is the Next Frontline for Enterprise AI
Thomas Lejars
Nov 5, 2026
Journify Raises $12M Series A Amid 5x Growth
TechnologyWire
Nov 3, 2026
Real-time Analytics News for the Week Ending October 31
Why AI Is Exposing Your Company’s Biggest Knowledge Problem
Nithin Mummaneni
Oct 29, 2026
RT Insights Logo

Analysis and market insights on real-time analytics including Big Data, the IoT, and cognitive computing. Business use cases and technologies are discussed.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.