TL;DR
In 2026, the automation decisions that matter most fall into three areas: security, staffing, and reliability. Use the Risk / Readiness / Resourcing filter to prioritize what protects production, lightens the load on your team, and reduces long-term operational risk.
2026 is already shaping up as a year when operations and engineering leaders will need to make sharper decisions about where to allocate time, budget, and personnel. Deloitte’s 2026 Manufacturing Outlook highlights the same trend: aging infrastructure, increasing cyber threats, and workforce shortages are driving companies toward more targeted, strategic automation investments.
The “do everything someday” approach is no longer practical. Teams are managing more systems, supporting increased production, and handling greater risks—often with no extra staff. Leaders can’t address every upgrade, but neglecting high-impact decisions can lead to serious operational issues.
A simple filter brings clarity:
- Risk: What could jeopardize your operation if not handled?
- Readiness: What gets more difficult or costly to fix later?
- Resourcing: What can your team realistically manage?
From this perspective, the key decisions for 2026 revolve around securing systems, supporting your team, and maintaining uptime.
Decision Area #1: Strengthen OT Security Without Slowing Production
Security will be one of the top decisions leaders face in 2026. A recent OT/ICS forecast warns that risks are increasing—from cybercrime to nation-state activities—as plants continue to depend on outdated systems, flat networks, and remote access pathways designed for a different era. Security has become a fundamental operational priority, not just an optional project.
Using the decision filter, here’s how to evaluate your security posture:
Every plant has vulnerabilities, but not all pose the same operational threat.
Common sources of exposure include:
Outdated firmware or unpatched devices
Shared or unmanaged credentials
Engineering workstations directly connected to plant networks
Flat or unsegmented networks
Dormant remote-access paths left behind by vendors
Decision point: Which vulnerabilities could realistically lead to disruption or unauthorized access?
Some security improvements get more complicated as your infrastructure evolves. The longer gaps go unaddressed, the more dependencies, network paths, and connected devices you have to manage.
Common “fix sooner” indicators:
Unused connections or legacy routing that will be more difficult to untangle later
Weak access controls or missing MFA become more difficult as teams expand.
Old VPN pathways or vendor tunnels complicate future network updates.
Segmentation changes that have been deferred because they require scheduled downtime to address
Decision point: Which improvements will require significantly more coordination, cost, or outage planning if you wait?
Security work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It competes with production, maintenance, and every other operational priority. Leaders must decide not only what needs attention but also who will do the work and how it fits alongside everything else happening in the plant.
Key considerations:
Does your internal team have the bandwidth for cleanup and documentation?
Are there skills gaps around networking, segmentation, or security hardening?
Will this work collide with major projects, outages, or seasonal production demands?
Would an external assessment or phased approach reduce pressure on your internal team?
Are there quick security wins your team can execute immediately?
Decision point:
What tasks should stay with your internal team, and where do you need outside support to push forward without overloading them?
Decision Area #2: Solve the Automation Staffing Gap Before It Impacts Operations
Talent constraints are tightening rather than easing. Retirements, turnover, and growing system complexity continue to strain internal teams. Deloitte’s 2026 outlook highlights the need for staffing models that balance internal expertise with external support. This isn’t about HR staffing—it’s about operational capacity.
Here’s how to evaluate staffing decisions for 2026:
Many plants are just one resignation or one tough troubleshooting issue away from delays.
Common indicators:
Only one or two people understand critical systems
Deferred maintenance due to bandwidth, not budget
Slow troubleshooting response times
Reliance on tribal knowledge
Project backlogs increase as the team gets stretched
Decision point: Where does limited capacity put production at risk?
Staffing gaps worsen—projects fall behind, technical debt increases, and burnout speeds up.
Signals readiness is slipping:
Growing backlogs of small fixes
Increasing time to diagnose issues
Delayed patching or upgrades
Knowledge gaps as senior staff leave
Decision point: Which roles, skills, or support models need attention before they become bottlenecks?
Not everything should stay internal—and not everything should be outsourced.
Key considerations:
What requires internal ownership
Where external engineering support relieves pressure
Whether you need embedded or project-based help
How to prevent overload while meeting goals
Decision point: What staffing model gives your operation the resilience it needs?
Decision Area #3: Invest in the Reliability Moves That Protect Uptime
Reliability is the third key decision area for 2026—determining which fixes or upgrades are necessary before issues lead to downtime. Plants are increasingly relying on aging systems, and even small reliability gaps now have a disproportionate impact. Most leaders aren’t confronting a technology problem—they are facing a prioritization challenge.
Use the decision filter to focus on what matters:
Small issues often snowball into bigger ones.
Common risks:
Aging PLCs or I/O hardware near end-of-support
Unstable SCADA or noisy alarms
Bad or stale tag quality
Network bottlenecks or inconsistent communications
Known failure points teams “work around”
Decision point: Which reliability gaps are most likely to interrupt production?
Some issues become significantly more complex with time.
Typical “fix sooner” signals:
Controllers or networks nearing retirement
Nuisance or low-value alarms increasing operator fatigue
Tag structures complicating changes
Hardware with long lead times
Deferred fixes turning into technical debt
Decision point: Which fixes will be more complex or costly in 2027?
Reliability improvements require coordination and capacity.
Consider:
Bandwidth for root-cause work
Ability to align with downtime
Need for external engineering
Quick-win fixes that free up internal time
Decision point: Which improvements deliver the biggest payoff with the least friction?
Start With the Decisions That Change Everything
When you look at security, staffing, and reliability together, the pattern is clear: these decisions support each other rather than compete. Stronger security minimizes unplanned downtime. Better staffing allows for quicker troubleshooting. Reliability improvements decrease the fire-drills that overload teams.
A helpful way to prioritize is to ask:
- Where is the biggest operational risk today?
- Which improvements grow more complex if delayed?
- What can your team realistically execute in 6–12 months?
This helps leaders build a roadmap that aligns with outage windows, staffing capacity, and modernization goals.
If you’re unsure where to begin, start with a light-touch evaluation or planning review. Even a short assessment gives you clarity to separate urgent issues from nice-to-haves and build a 2026 plan your team can actually deliver.
2026 will reward leaders who prioritize clarity over volume—those who focus on security, staffing, and reliability. You don’t need to solve everything all at once; just act decisively on what matters most. And when you need a partner with fresh perspective, technical expertise, or extra hands to maintain momentum, Pigler Automation is here to support your team every step of the way.
Get Clarity Before You Commit
Get Clarity Before You Commit
A short assessment is often all it takes to cut through the noise and build a 2026 plan your team can actually deliver.
