ABDI / SPI (Brazil)

Brazil's industrial sector faced a widening competitiveness gap against global peers due to slow adoption of smart manufacturing technologies. The Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) identified that companies across automotive, chemical, food and beverage, and other industrial segments lacked practical access to advanced automation, IIoT, and digital tools — not just awareness. Without hands-on exposure and business-case support, manufacturers couldn't justify the investment risk. This structural barrier kept Brazilian industry operating below its potential productivity and left it increasingly exposed in a competitive global manufacturing economy.

ABDI and SPI Integração de Sistemas launched MetaIndústria, a public-private consortium providing more than 100 companies with free consulting, training, and immersive access to advanced manufacturing technologies over a two-year period. Two physical laboratories were established in São Caetano do Sul (SP) and São Leopoldo (RS), connected to a central data processing center enabling remote, real-time participation. The labs featured digital twin capabilities, IIoT dashboards, robotics, augmented reality, and AI-driven analytics. Rockwell Automation contributed ThingWorx IIoT platform and PlantPAx® distributed control system as core technology components. A 'try before you buy' model allowed participants to pilot solutions at their own facilities before committing to full deployment, directly reducing implementation risk.

Within the program's first phase, MetaIndústria planned to serve more than 100 Brazilian companies across 24 months, spanning industries from pharmaceuticals to metals. Early results included:

• Multi-industry reach: Participants spanned automotive, cement, chemical, food and beverage, mining, and pulp and paper sectors
• Manager training launched: A three-day decision-making program was piloted with a Brazilian pharmaceutical manufacturer, helping cross-functional teams identify and scope digital transformation projects
• Remote access enabled: Lab connectivity to ABDI's data center allowed companies to observe live demonstrations without on-site travel

The program shifted the adoption barrier from awareness to actionable implementation, with outcomes from each cohort shared as resources across the full participant base.

• Government-industry-vendor collaboration can de-risk adoption at scale — MetaIndústria succeeded by combining ABDI's institutional reach, SPI's integration expertise, and Rockwell Automation's technology portfolio into a single program.
• Hands-on access converts skeptics — Providing real equipment in working labs, not just demos, gave manufacturers tangible proof of ROI before any capital commitment.
• 'Try before you buy' reduces implementation risk — Allowing pilots at participants' own facilities directly addressed the hesitation manufacturers face with unproven technology investment.
• Cross-functional training is a prerequisite — Engaging managers from multiple departments early ensures technology selection maps to actual operational challenges rather than IT preferences.
• Shared learnings amplify impact — Publishing outcomes from each cohort creates a compounding knowledge base that benefits all participants, not just those who piloted first.