NEW TECHNOLOGY, SUPPLY CHAIN LOGISTICS: THE TOP INDUSTRIAL TRENDS OF 2024 EXPLAINED

Major disruption lies ahead across industries globally throughout 2024 driven by technological innovation, sustainability priorities, and changing consumer behaviors. Automation and artificial intelligence will trigger workplace changes while electrification and renewables transform energy, utilities and transport.

Manufacturing sees accelerating automation using robotics, 3D printing and the Internet of Things to enable customized flexible production. Energy efficiency powers smart sustainable factories with reduced waste as 3D printing builds complex structures. Multinational corporations adapt global supply chains for greater speed and localization. Digitization connects dispersed teams seamlessly. But new skills become mandatory on the factory floor while some roles face declining demand.

Clean renewable electricity booms with solar and wind now cheaper than fossil fuels, aided by battery storage improvements. But transitioning power infrastructure takes substantial investment and risks reliability in some markets. Fossil fuel-reliant communities suffer employment impacts. Electric vehicles enter the mass-market with self-driving functionality, aided by charging infrastructure expansion. Mass transit and transport see new eco-efficient solutions.

Consumer goods from retail to entertainment digitalize further. Automated checkout using biometrics expands alongside cashierless stores. Voice-controlled personal assistants and connected appliances gain adoption into homes for greater convenience. Video streaming crosses over two-thirds of households as entertainment habits shift online, driving media job losses. Social platforms come under pressure to limit misinformation and extremist content.

Demand surges for cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence across infrastructure, healthcare, finance and e-commerce. Quantum computing promises immense processing power to transform logistics, transactions and communications security. But cybercrime threats also swell requiring greater privacy protections and resilience.

Regulation plays catch up on innovations like self-driving vehicles, delivery drones, 3D-printed drugs and advanced robotics with ethical risks around bias, transparency and automation’s impact on employment. Global coordination ramps up on data flows and digital taxation. Overall industry faces growing public scrutiny to ensure technological changes benefit society inclusively while supporting decarbonization for planetary sustainability.