About this session

The autonomous factory is no longer a future ambition, it is already emerging inside real manufacturing operations. But the real shift is not technological. It is about control.

As AI, machine learning, robotics, and real-time production data converge, factories are beginning to self-optimize in real time, changing how decisions are made, where accountability sits, and how performance is managed on the shop floor.

This raises a critical question for leaders: what happens when systems begin to make operational decisions that were once human-led?

In this session, Marcelo Varreira, Manufacturing Engineering Director – North America at Electrolux, explores where autonomous manufacturing is already delivering measurable gains in OEE, cost efficiency, and resilience and where it is introducing new layers of risk, dependency, and governance complexity that leaders must confront.

Ultimately, it challenges a deeper shift in mindset: how must leadership evolve when factories begin to think and act in real time?

Discussion Points:

• What truly defines an autonomous factory in 2026 and how is it different from advanced automation?
• Where should the line be drawn between system-led decisions and human control?
• How are AI, real-time data, and connected production systems reshaping factory operations and governance?
• Which manufacturing processes are becoming self-optimizing today and which remain resistant to autonomy?
• What are the biggest barriers to scaling autonomy beyond pilots and into live production environments?
• How is the role of plant leadership evolving from operational execution to system orchestration?
• What new cyber-physical, governance, and accountability risks emerge as factories become more autonomous?
• Can autonomy simultaneously improve OEE, cost efficiency, and resilience and what separates successful adopters from those stuck in experimentation?