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The state of Industrial Intelligence in DACH 2026-2027

How DACH industrial leaders are moving AI from pilots to production and where the next two years of investment, capability and value will be won or lost. The first comprehensive research report on the state of industrial intelligence across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

CNC machine labeled FARRUKH carving circular patterns on a flat wooden board in a workshop.

The DACH industrial baseline, on the record

What you’ll find inside

45

Pages of primary research, analysis and benchmarks

+ 5000

Companies surveyed across Manufacturing, Packaging, Logistics and Energy

35

In-depth interviews with DACH industrial leaders

6

Thematic sections covering the full picture, from macro pressure to the CEO agenda

Six themes. One comprehensive view.

The Manufacturing Landscape in 2026

Where the sector actually stands and why the pressure won't ease on its own.

Strategy & Adoption

Where DACH industrial companies are on the AI adoption curve, how strategy is set and who owns the agenda inside the organization.

Legacy Infrastructure & Modernization

What DACH manufacturers are really running, and what they intend to do about it.

Data Foundations & Connectivity

The layer on which everything else depends, and why it determines the outcome.

Automation & Operational Excellence

What's running on the shop floor today and what's driving the next wave.

Investment Priorities & Agenda of a CEO

Where the money is going over the next 24 months and what sits on the executive agenda.

Findings from Benchmarking DACH industrial intelligence

Adoption without scale

78%

78% use AI in some form · only 10% run it broadly or embedded.

10%

Trying AI is easy, depending on it is not. Almost every DACH manufacturer has run a pilot, but only a handful have built something the business would miss if it were switched off tomorrow.

Capital goes digital

60%

60% plan to increase digital and IT spend. The machinery stays, the money moves. With most core equipment already five to twenty years old, manufacturers are betting on software over steel.

The instrumentation gap

63%

Digital where they plan, analogue where they produce. That single split explains why office AI adoption runs above 63%. The shop floor isn't poorly understood, it's poorly instrumented.

Data stays home

83%

83% keep core production data on-premise or hybrid. This isn't a technology gap, it's a decision. Production data is the one asset a competitor can't copy, so sovereignty is a deliberate strategy here.

Founder Quote

Smiling middle-aged man with short hair and light stubble wearing a white shirt.

We built Cadran because the factories and power plants keeping Europe running deserve technology partners who take the time to understand their world. The real work is learning how a specific plant actually operates and that only happens by asking, listening and staying close to the people who run it. Every plant works differently, so we start with questions and build from the answers.

Claudiu Abrudan

CEO, Cadran
CNC machine cutting detailed patterns into a wooden board in a spacious workshop.

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The report is only the start of the conversation. If you’d like to talk through what the findings mean for your operation or explore where Cadran might support your industrial intelligence agenda, we’d iove to hear from you.