As we turn the page on 2025 and I think back on the last year, one key theme stands out to me above all others: uncertainty. For manufacturers, many decisions in 2025 were shaped by uncertain macro factors including fluctuating tariffs, shifting labor availability, rising consumer prices, and the ongoing instability of the global economic environment. In moments like these, uncertainty doesn’t just slow progress, it amplifies risk. And when risk increases, manufacturers need partners they can trust to provide stability, clarity, and forward momentum.

That is why, for ACE, 2025 was a year of continued steadiness, successful project execution, and deepened customer partnerships. In a time when stability is rare, that is a success worth recognizing. Remaining strong in an uncertain market takes intentional work that requires discipline, foresight, and the ability to adapt quickly when conditions shift. Below are my reflections on how this uncertainty, along with a few other notable trends, shaped the industry, our customers, and ACE throughout the past year, and how their impact will only continue to grow as we look forward to 2026.

A Focus on Doing More with What You Already Have

Industry-wide, many capital projects were paused or delayed, not because they lacked value, but because manufacturers aren’t confident in what tomorrow will bring. Instead, organizations concentrated on extracting more value from their existing assets and infrastructure, often by working with a trusted partner such as ACE to uncover ways to make incremental improvements that deliver measurable ROI. As a result, we focused efforts on helping customers with projects that increase output, reduce downtime, improve OEE, or gather the data they’ll need when the next wave of capital spending inevitably arrives.

Being Prepared to Move Quickly

As a side effect of the engrained uncertainty in 2025, if confidence was gained and the green light was given for a project, our team often had to mobilize quickly and work within compressed schedules. Rapid response became essential, and we were able to do this for our customers because we have:

• A deep bench of engineers across multiple regions
• Cross-office collaboration embedded in the way we operate
• Consistent project management
• Clear execution methodologies that scale up or down quickly

Overall, in 2025, our agile way of working was even more important as manufacturers had to make decisions later in their budgeting cycles and needed their integrators to match this pace.

Cybersecurity Continues to Move to the Forefront

If there was another key theme for 2025, I’d say it is that OT cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought. Incidents across the industry continue to rise, and more customers are asking the hard, but necessary, questions about risk, preparedness, and the gaps between IT and OT.

While ACE has helped many manufacturers secure their plant floors over the years, in 2025 we placed increased emphasis on formalizing and elevating those capabilities through a dedicated infrastructure and cybersecurity–focused group. This team is strengthening the way we help customers shore up their networks, harden control systems, and proactively assess vulnerabilities before a disruption occurs. ACE is committed to meeting manufacturers’ cybersecurity needs with clarity, rigor, and hands-on experience.

Workforce Challenges and the Need for Supportive Partnerships

Another trend that remained constant throughout 2025 is the widening skills gap in the industry. As more talented individuals in manufacturing are approaching retirement and graduating classes are expected to peak soon followed by a sustained decline, it’s becoming even more challenging for manufacturers to fill critical roles quickly, if at all, and this won’t be getting any easier in the future.

In 2025, ACE stepped in to support customers in multiple ways including providing:

• Staff augmentation to fill temporary or long-term skill gaps
• Owner’s agent/owner’s representative services for customers needing trusted guidance
• Short-term on-site support and remote engineering
• Guidance on workforce planning as automation systems evolve

We’ve long believed that true partnership means meeting customers where they are, not just where the project plan begins, and supporting workforce needs is an essential part of that relationship.

AI: A Growing Curiosity Rooted in Data Readiness

While generative AI dominated headlines across industries again in 2025, manufacturers are still early in understanding how to apply it meaningfully on the plant floor. We don’t know much for certain, but one thing for which we feel confident is that meaningful incorporation of AI in manufacturing will require data that is clean, contextualized, and trustworthy. With our longstanding expertise in connecting plant floor systems, structuring plant information, and pushing insights to the right people at the right time, we know our team is well positioned to support customers on their AI journeys, whenever that may be.

Investing in Our Own People

ACE also continued investing intentionally in the teams and leaders we have in 2025. Key highlights include:

• Promoting from within to fill several leadership roles
• Supporting employee involvement in professional organizations including leadership roles in International Society of Automation (ISA) chapters and the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineers (IPSE)
• Expanding training and certifications for the platforms ACE supports to ensure we maintain the highest levels of expertise with key partners
• Launching a new internal intranet to increase knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and operational efficiency across all teams

These efforts are not only strengthening ACE today, but more importantly, they are laying a solid foundation for our next decade of growth.

Looking Ahead to 2026

If 2025 was defined by uncertainty, then 2026 will likely be defined by preparedness. Across the industry, manufacturers are quietly positioning themselves for the next wave of capital investment, knowing that once projects receive approval, they will need to move fast.

Preparedness will drive how organizations confront rising OT cybersecurity risks, reinforcing infrastructure and addressing vulnerabilities before incidents occur. It will also influence how companies address ongoing workforce shortages by building skills and securing support to avoid future bottlenecks.

ACE is prepared and ready to enter the new year steady and focused, with our commitment to customers remaining unchanged. In 2026, we are ready to be the trusted partner manufacturers need to maximize their existing assets while preparing for the opportunities of tomorrow. Chat with an ACE expert today to discuss your unique needs.