Across factory floors in Asia Pacific and beyond, a quiet revolution is reshaping how work gets done. Not by replacing people, but by transforming the very nature of their roles.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), is no longer a peripheral consideration in manufacturing but becoming core to how we design, operate, and build modern industrial enterprises.
In a recent conversation with iTNews Asia, Marcelo Tarkieltaub, Regional Director, Southeast Asia at Rockwell Automation, said that for decades, the conversation around technology in manufacturing focused on optimisation: faster machines, leaner processes, tighter margins. But that narrative is shifting. AI is emerging as a strategic response, not just to optimise processes, but to redefine human potential in manufacturing.
This pushes manufacturers to reimagine the very definition of talent, capability, and leadership on the factory floor.
From labour gaps to talent multiplication
Manufacturers are facing a global talent dilemma. Skilled workers are aging out faster than new ones are entering. Meanwhile, digital transformation is demanding new capabilities that traditional roles were never designed to fulfill.
This tension between operational continuity and workforce capability is pushing leaders to ask: how can we do more with less, without burning out the people we have?
Tarkieltaub noted that labour-intensive roles are becoming harder to fill, while the demand for digital competency grows daily. In this environment, AI becomes a multiplier, augmenting human capability rather than replacing it.
On the factory floor, AI enables predictive maintenance, real-time quality inspection, and production optimisation. These use cases free up operators from repetitive tasks and allow them to make faster, better-informed decisions. Workers become interpreters of data, not just executors of instructions.
This shift represents more than just a new operating model, it demands a cultural and strategic overhaul of how companies view talent, he added.
AI is not a tool - it's a strategy
Tarkieltaub said transitioning to this model requires more than just investment in technology. It requires reinvestment in people.
“Organisations must rethink workforce development, not just in terms of training, but in how they recruit, onboard, and incentivise talent for a digital-first environment,” he added.
Critically, this evolution must be led from the top. Change management, digital literacy programs, and cross-functional alignment are now essential capabilities for HR, operations, and executive leadership alike.
Without this cultural shift, even the best AI investments risk underperformance, he warned.
When viewed through the lens of workforce transformation, AI becomes more than a tool for incremental gains. It becomes a strategic lever for resilience, differentiation, and sustainability.
A case in point, shared by Tarkieltaub, is Pharbaco, a leading Vietnamese pharmaceutical manufacturer. The company leveraged AI and smart automation to not only meet stringent international compliance standards but also achieve a 45 percent reduction in energy consumption and improve cleanroom efficiency.
These outcomes weren’t just operational wins, they were talent wins, freeing up human capacity for more critical tasks and improving employee engagement.
These are the kinds of business cases that motivate teams and build momentum for scaled transformation, he added.
But leaders must move deliberately. It’s easy to get stuck in pilot mode or paralysed by choice. To move forward, organisations need a clear vision for how AI will change processes and people’s roles and then invest in systems, partnerships, and training to support that change.
- Marcelo Tarkieltaub, Regional Director, Southeast Asia, Rockwell Automation
Leadership Priorities for the AI-Enabled Workforce
For many manufacturers, the journey with AI begins with pilot projects, yet the leap to enterprise-scale remains elusive. The biggest barriers are rarely technological. More often, they are organisational.
To build a workforce truly ready for AI, Tarkieltaub said manufacturers must:
- Embed AI training into workforce development - Treat AI fluency as a core capability, not a specialist skill.
- Foster collaboration between HR, IT, and Operations - Break silos to align talent strategy with technology adoption.
- Communicate the 'why' of AI - Help employees understand the benefits of AI in their roles, reducing fear and building engagement.
In cost-sensitive markets, this transformation doesn’t have to mean ripping and replacing legacy systems. He believes many manufacturers are succeeding by layering AI onto existing infrastructure through modular solutions and industrial IoT gateways ensuring gradual adoption without disrupting operations.
This isn’t the future - it’s already happening
Tarkieltaub said, what we’re seeing now is a realignment of industrial work itself. In the past, we asked: “How can we make machines more productive?” Today, the question is: “How can we make people more empowered with machines?”
AI doesn’t displace the manufacturing workforce. It redefines it into one that is smarter, more agile, and more engaged than ever before.
“The imperative for leadership is clear. Implement AI to lead your workforce. Because the future of manufacturing doesn’t belong to the most automated factories, it belongs to the ones where people and AI work better together,” he added.
