• Highlights

• In 2022, 84.9% (8,134) of the 9,586 industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons made use of at least one type of advanced digital technology.
• Cloud computing was the most common type (73.6%), followed by the Internet of things (48,6%), robotics (27.7%), analysis of big data (23.4%), additive manufacturing (19.2%and artificial intelligence (16.9%).
• Most companies investigated (31.5%) made use of two technologies and 27.7% used only one. Only 3.7% of the companies made use of all the technologies investigated.
• The highest percentages of use per field/function were obsereved in: development of projects for the use in analysis of big data (78.8%); in production for the use in cloud computing (71.2%), artifical intelligence (84.8%), the Internet of things (76.7%) and additive manufacturing (88.2%); and in commercialization, for the use in robotics (84.3%).
• All the technologies recorded high percentages of encompassing use in the field/function of administration, with the highest percentage observed in big data technology analysis (45.7%).
• The most common benefit mentioned in the use of advanced digital technology was the biggest flexibility in administrative processes (89.8%), followed by the increase of efficiency (87.6%).
• Among the factors to adopt technologies in companies, the biggest proportions were those of the autonomous strategy of the company (87.0%) and the influence of suppliers and/or clients (63.0%).
• The main factors causing difficulty in the use of technologies were the high costs (80.8%), the lack of qualified persons in the company (54.6%) and excessive economic risks (49.5%).
• Almost half (47.8%) of the industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons implemented work from home at some level.

In 2022, 84.9% (8.134) of the 9,586 industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons used at least one type of advanced digital technology, with cloid computing as the most commonly observed one (73.6%). The unprecedented data come from the thematic module Advanced Digital Technologies, Work from Home and Cybersecurity, from Semiannual PINTEC 2002. The other technologies investigated were: the Internet of things (48.6%), robotics (27.7%), analysis of big data (23.4%), additive manufacturing (19.2%) and artificial intelligence (16.9%).

“The objective is to look at the use of this automated digitization within industrial companies and how that affects the production process and business vision. The integration of technologies into production processes leads to intelligent and decentered production systems, to reach new productivity levels, flexibility and management in these companies, thus generating new business models,” the manager of thematic surveys, Flávio José Marques Peixoto, explains.

As for sectors, the activities using most advanced digital technologies in their business fields/functions were: Manufacturing of machinery and equipment (94.5%), Mining and quarrying industry (92.2%), Manufacturing of miscellaneous products (92.0%) Manufacturing of fabricated metal products (91.9%) and Manufacturing of beverages (91.6%). The activities using advanced digital technologies the least were: Manufacturing of other transportation equipment (68.2%), Manufacturing of wearing apparel and accessories (71.6%) and Manufacturing of wood products (72.2%).

Of a total 8,134 industrial companies that used at least one of the technologies, the majority (31.5%) made use of two technologies and 27.7%, of only one. On the other hand, only 3.7% of the companies made use of all the advanced digital technologies surveyed.

In addition to that, the use of the use was widespread among the business fields/functions approached in the survey, with all results above 50% of occurence in companies adopting those technologies. The survey details five business fields/functions: development of product projects, processes and services, logistics, administration, commercialization.

The highest percentage of use by field/function were: development of projects for the use in analysis of big data (78.8%); in production for the use in cloud computing (71.2%), artifical intelligence (84.8%), the Internet of things (76.7%) and additive manufacturing (88.2%); and in commercialization, for the use in robotics (84.3%). All the technologies recorded high percentages of use in the field/function of administration, with the highest percentage observed in big data technology analysis (45.7%).

“As a result, we can see the integrated use of these technologies. This use enables new applications and functionalities in technologies, working in a systemic and synergetic way among the many business fields/functions of companies,” the manager says.

This experimental survey, rconducted in partnership with the Brazilian Agency of Industrial Development – ABDI and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ, investigated medium and large sized companies – with more than 100 employed persons – in manufacturing and mining and quarrying industries. The Semiannual PINTEC is an annual survey (as it refers to the year prior that of data collection) with two semiannual inquiries. In the first semester the investigated data encompass alternating thematic indicators and, the second one, basic innovation and R&D indicators. Its objective is to complement the traditional IBGE’s Innovation Survey (PINTEC) - which is still being conducted and, since 2000, has had seven full editions taking place every three years.

All the universe of 9,586 companies made use of digital information in at least one of their business fields/functions and more than 90% of them had some type of digitization in their different business fields/functions.

Administration and commercialization fields with highest use of big data analysis

Analysis of big data was used in 23.4% (2,239) of the medium and large sized industrial companies. This technology refers to the use of techniques or software tools to collect, process and analyze mega data obtained from the company itself or from any external sources.

The fields of administration and commercialization are the one with highest use of big data analysis, with percentages of 87.7% and 84.8% of the total companies using analysis of big data in at least one of their fields/functions. They are followed by production (81.9%), development of product projects processes and services (77.7%) and logistics (75.4%).

“This level of use, equals to or above 75% for the several business fields, indicates a widespread presence of technology in the company or a relatively more integrated use, in such a way that all the areas/functions somehow benefit from this tool, the manager says.

More than 90% of the companies used cloud computing in the administration field

Clouding computing was used by 73.6% (7,055) of the industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons, having been the most commonly used technology among those investigated. It refers to information technology services used on the Internet to access a group of shared configurable computing resources, such as networks, servers, softwares, computing power, storage capacity, among others.

The use of cloud computing was equals to or above 70% in all the business fields/functions of companies that reported having used that technology. Administration (93.5%) and commercialization (79.3%) were the ones making most use of these services, followed by the areas of development of product projects processes and services (75,4%), logistics (71.2%), and production (70.0%).

Field of logistics is the one using least artificial intelligence

Systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) were used by 16.9% (1,619) of the industrial companies surveyed. These systems have an “intelligent behavior” by collecting and analyzing information, thus enabling actions with varied levels of autonomy in order to reach specific objects. The was the least used technology by companies.

In companies that used AI, the fields of administration, development of product projects processes and services and commercialization were the ones using most artificial intelligence, with percentages of 73.8%, 65.9% and 6.1%, respectively, followed by the fields of production (56.4%) and logistics (48.4%).

The Internet of things is mostly used in the production field

The Internet of things was used by 48.6% (4,662) of the medium and large sized industrial companies in 2022. This technology refers to devices or systems interconnected via Internet, which collect and send data and can be monitored remotely via Internet.

Among companies that used the Internet of things, the biggest proportion is in the production field, with 77.1%. In the fields of administration (76.6%), development of product projects processes and services (72.4%), logistics (71.4%) and commercialization (66.9%), the proportions, although lower than those of production, were also high.

Additive manufacturing stands out in the field of project development

Only 19.2% of the total industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons made use of additive manufacturing in 2022. The technology is associated to the concept of 3D printing for the creation of tridimensional physical objects and it is commonly used to test prototypes.

In companies that used additive manufacturing, the area of development of product projects processes and services had the highest percentage of use (90.0%), followed by the area of production (61.6%).

Area of production concentrates application of robotics

Of the 9,586 companies with 100 or more employed persons in industrial companies in 2022, 2,657 (27.7%) applied robotics in their activities. This technology refers to the use of robots based on mechanical structures, sensors, computing units and control units. /p>

The companies making use of robotics did it mainly in the areas of production (90.4%) and development of product projects processes and services (63.1%). The area of logistics was mentioned by 34.1% of the companies that used robotics, whereas 25.8% reported using it in commercialization. The field of administration, responsible by the management of most of these processes, with a percentage of 28.9%.

According to companies, high flexibility was the number one benefit in the use of technology

About 97.9% of the 8,134 manufacturing and mining and quarrying industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons that used some type of digital technology reported some benefit from using it. The most often reported benefit was the higher flexibility in administrative, productive amd organizational services (89.8%). The second main benefit was the increase of efficieny (87.6%) and the improvement in the relationship with clients/suppliers (85.6%).

“If we consider these benefits by size, we see that larger companies were relatively more benefited with the use of these technologies,” says the manager. In corporations with 500 or more employed persons, some aspects stand out: increase of efficiency (96.1%) higher flexibility of administrative productive and organizational products (95.2%)such as products with the highest percentage of companies benefited by the use of technologies.

Autonomous strategy of a company was the most common factor to adopt technology

The survey also investigated the factor causing companies to adopt such technologies. The most common factor was autonomous strategy of the company (87.0%). “That means it was a decision of the company to engage in the use of these technologies,” says the researcher.

The influence of suppliers and or clients (63.0%) was the secoond most reported factor. The comes the influence of competition, a factor reported by more than half (50.8%) of the companies. Only 26.0% mentioned the attractiveness of (public or private) support programs such as the adoption of advanced digital technologies.

On the other hand, among the factors that somehow made it difficult to implement technologies, the most often reported ones were the high costs of technological solutions (80.8%), the lack of qualified professionals in the company (54.6%), excessive economic risks (49.5%) and the limited offer of qualified professionals in the market (48.9%). The first factor is related to costs of implementation of technological operations and to the lack of resources of the company and the supply of support resources.

Of the 9,586 companies with 100 or more emplyed persons, 15.1% did not adopt any of the advanced digital technologies investigated in 2022 and the main cause for non-adoption, by 70.3% of those companies, were the high costs of technological solutions.

Almost half of the industrial companies adopted remote work in 2022

Data on remote work in industrial companoes were another highlight in the publication Almost half (47.8%) of the industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons adopted this type of work at some level. In the administration field, remote work was implemented by the majority of companies whose operations have gone through digitization (94.5%). In the fields of commercialization (85.7%) and development of product projects processes and services (71.4%), there were lower percentages of companies adopting remote work.

The field of production used least this type of work (38.7%). According to the researcher, “The nature of this activity is material, that is, transforming inputs into products. So the physical human presence is important. It is very coherent that the production field will be the least used for remote work,” Mr. Peixoto adds.

When the level of use of remote work is analyzed, the fields of production (90.8%) and logistics (87.6%) lead the ranking of percentage of companies adopting this type of work. That is due to the nature of functions related to these areas, which request the physical presence of employed persons. The areas with highest percentage of companies that implemented remote work in a widespread way were commercialization (35.2%) and administration (31.4%).

The sectors that mostly adopted remoted work in 2022 were: Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals (83.6%), Manufacturing of beverages (8.,2%) and Manufacturing of computer equipment, electronic and optical products (72.6%). The sectors where remote work was less frequent were: Manufacturing of wearing apparel and accessories (28.3%), Preparation of rawhide and manufacturing of leather articles, travel articles and footwear (25.9%) and Manufacturing of tobacco (21.2%).

About 82% of the companies implemented some measure in information security

In 2022, 82.5% of the industrial companies with 100 or more employed persons had at least one measure in information security. The most frequent use was antivirus (98.1%) against malware and phishing). Then come control of access to networks (96.8%), software update (95.0%) and data backup in devices (93.5%).

The least used information security resorces were educational campaigns and training of workers in business cybersecurity (56.9%) for companies.