A Rockwell Automation report released October 1 found that 90 percent of life sciences manufacturers consider digital transformation necessary, while nearly 58 percent already run smart manufacturing technology across all or part of their operations. Grand View Research projects the Pharma 4.0 market at $17.7 billion in 2026 and $61.7 billion by 2033. The source profiles five vendors — DXC Technology, Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Cognizant and Accenture — active in pharmaceutical manufacturing and process automation. Rockwell's survey also shows only 32 percent of manufacturers successfully use more than half the data they collect, and 54% reported cyberattacks in the past year.
According to Robotics & Automation News, drug companies are pressing for faster launches without loosening quality standards, and that pressure is landing on both the shop floor and the software layer above it. A October 1 report from Rockwell Automation found that 90 percent of life sciences manufacturers consider digital transformation necessary.
The same survey found that nearly 58 percent are already using smart manufacturing technology across their entire operation or in portions of it. Grand View Research projects the global Pharma 4.0 market at $17.7 billion in 2026, rising to $61.7 billion by 2033.
The source selected five firms for their relevance to pharmaceutical manufacturing, documented automation work and activity over the past year: DXC Technology, Rockwell Automation, Siemens, Cognizant and Accenture.
DXC Technology
DXC approaches pharma manufacturing from the IT/OT side. Avasant named it a Leader in its Manufacturing Digital Services 2026 RadarView, a report that covers manufacturing broadly rather than life sciences specifically.
The source points to Manufacturing Insight Cloud, which gives multiplant visibility across IT and OT data, and to VisionIQ, a digital twin platform for real-time monitoring. DXC also works with Wandelbots and NVIDIA on robot-agnostic programming and physical AI for smart factories.
In September, Arrive AI said DXC is expected to connect its autonomous delivery points — where drones, robots and couriers hand off materials — to the IT and operational systems of large plants. On the life sciences side, its FirstPoint RIM.AI suite has more than 500 clients. In a July article on eCTD 4.0 readiness, DXC reported digital twin pilots that cut document quality check time by 40 percent.
Rockwell Automation
Rockwell works on the machines and the data around them. At INTERPHEX in April it showed OTTO autonomous mobile robots next to its PharmaSuite MES and PlantPAx control system.
On April 29 it launched Figurate SCADA with Cytiva. The open system oversees unit operations from different equipment vendors through one interface. On October 8 Rockwell became a founding member of the Digital CMC Consortium.
“It is not just about technology adoption.” — Matt Weaver, Vice President, Life Sciences, Rockwell Automation
Siemens
Siemens ties execution software directly to equipment. Opcenter Execution Pharma connects the MES with the distributed control system layer, and can run both manual steps and operations controlled by the automation layer.
The 2605 release in June added a modular weighing and dispensing framework, a wider web-based operator experience and AI-assisted design. In August, Nucleus Research named Siemens a leader in its 2026 MES Technology Value Matrix.
Cognizant
Cognizant‘s manufacturing group, built on Zenith Technologies and TQS Integration, handles batch automation, MES and lab automation under GMP rules.
On October 8, Seeq named it a lead collaborator on an OEE solution for pharma. The tool compares equipment performance across lines and sites and supports continued process verification.
Accenture
Accenture‘s February report, Reinventing Biopharma from Lab to Line, includes robotic high-throughput process design and real-time analytics with AI. It attributed 64 percent of the launch delays analyzed for 2024 to chemistry, manufacturing and controls issues.
Just 35 percent of executives surveyed reported that their companies are “connected organizations” in the manufacturing industry. Accenture also made an investment in Iridius, a startup developing compliance-ready AI, in April.
What comes next
If the data behind robot and control systems is not usable, those systems are not helpful. Rockwell’s survey revealed that only 32 percent of life sciences manufacturers are successfully using more than 50 percent of the data they gather.
The same survey found that 54% said they experienced cyberattacks in the last year, underscoring the exposure that comes with connecting plant-floor equipment to enterprise systems.
Source: Robotics & Automation News
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
