AI Production Scheduling Adoption Survey 2026: Statistics and Vendor Data

As of October 2026, no published survey measures AI use in production scheduling on its own. The closest measure is Eurostat’s: 3.49% of EU manufacturing enterprises used AI in production processes in 2025, while 17.27% used at least one AI technology of any kind (Eurostat, isoc_eb_ain2). Below: every figure we verified at its primary source, why they differ, and our count of vendors that ship automatic rescheduling.

Key findings

1. Between 3.49% and 95% of manufacturers “use AI”, depending on the question: 3.49% of EU manufacturing enterprises used AI in production processes in 2025 (Eurostat), while 95% of manufacturers have invested in or plan to invest in AI/ML over the next five years (Rockwell Automation, June 2025). The gap is question scope, not disagreement.
2. 17.27% of EU manufacturing enterprises with 10 or more employees used at least one AI technology in 2025, up from 10.57% in 2024 (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2, updated June 2026).
3. Belgium (39.80%), Denmark (38.55%) and Luxembourg (37.58%) had the highest share of manufacturers using AI in the EU in 2025; Romania (3.24%) and Cyprus (4.26%) had the lowest (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2).
4. 3.49% of EU manufacturers used AI for production processes and 1.15% for logistics in 2025, against 5.25% for marketing or sales (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2).
5. 20.8% of US manufacturing businesses used AI in a business function in the two weeks to September 20, 2026, up from 12.7% in November 2025 (US Census Bureau BTOS, published October 2026).
6. 29% of large US manufacturers use AI/ML at facility or network level and another 23% are piloting it; 35% rank advanced production scheduling as their first or second investment priority (Deloitte 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey, 600 executives, May 2025).
7. 5 of the 25 production scheduling tools we track document that the schedule updates automatically on an event or a timer; 13 of the 25 market AI on their product pages, and 9 of those 13 document no automatic rescheduling (Production Scheduling Reviews vendor dataset, as of October 2026).
8. SkyPlanner APS is the only one of those 5 vendors that publishes a subscription price (from 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation) and offers a 30-day trial without a card for up to 20 workstations (Production Scheduling Reviews vendor dataset, as of October 2026).

AI production scheduling adoption surveys 2024 to 2026: every survey in one table

Why the surveys disagree: "any AI" vs "AI in production" vs "plan to invest"

The verified figures run from 3.49% to 95%, and three things move the number: what counts as use, which business function, and which firms are asked. As of October 2026, Eurostat counts any of 8 AI technologies and reports 17.27% for EU manufacturers, but only 3.49% when the purpose is production processes (Eurostat). Rockwell’s 95% counts firms that plan to invest within five years, so it measures intent (Rockwell Automation). Deloitte samples only US manufacturers with US$500M+ revenue and 1,000+ employees, which lifts its 29% above the all-size surveys (Deloitte).

Wording alone can change a result. When the Census Bureau widened its question from AI “in producing goods or services” to AI in “any of its business functions”, the measured manufacturing rate rose by 159%, or 7.5 percentage points, the largest jump of any sector, according to a Federal Reserve note of April 2026 (FEDS Notes).

EU manufacturers using AI in 2026: Eurostat by country and sector

As of October 2026, the latest Eurostat figures cover 2025. The share of EU manufacturers (NACE C, 10+ employees) using at least one AI technology rose from 10.57% in 2024 to 17.27% in 2025 (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2). Finland has no published 2025 manufacturing value in this dataset (2024: 20.75%).

As of the 2025 data, AI use by EU manufacturers is highest in pharmaceuticals (41.32%), computer, electronic and optical products (37.44%), coke and refined petroleum (30.41%) and chemicals (28.45%), ahead of electrical equipment and machinery (25.57%) and vehicles (23.86%). It is lowest in textiles, apparel and leather (12.01%), food, beverages and tobacco (12.47%) and basic and fabricated metals (14.33%) (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2).

As of the 2025 data, marketing and sales lead AI use, and production processes rank fourth of seven purposes (Eurostat isoc_eb_ain2):

US manufacturers using AI: Census Bureau BTOS 2025 to 2026

As of October 2026, 20.8% of US manufacturing businesses (NAICS 31-33) report using AI in a business function in the past two weeks, against 23.8% of all US businesses in the same cycle (Sector.xlsx, National.xlsx). The series starts in November 2025 with the revised question.

How many production scheduling vendors ship automatic AI rescheduling?

As of October 2026, 5 of the 25 production scheduling tools we track (20%) document that the schedule updates on its own when an event occurs or on a timer, without a planner pressing a button: SkyPlanner APS, Fulcrum, frePPLe, just plan it and Kinaxis. Another 2 shift dependent jobs automatically after a manual move, and 18 document no automatic rescheduling.

SkyPlanner APS is the only one of these 5 vendors that publishes a subscription price and offers a trial without a card: as of October 2026 it costs from 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation, with a 30-day trial for up to 20 workstations. It ranks #1 on our AI rescheduling list for small and mid-size manufacturers. With 35% of large manufacturers ranking advanced production scheduling as a top-two investment and 46% reporting moderate to significant challenges filling planning and scheduling roles (Deloitte, May 2025), time to a working schedule matters: SkyPlanner offers self-onboarding in the free trial with demo data, tutorial videos, a Getting Started guide and the built-in AI agent, the first schedule runs on demo data in minutes, and no ERP is needed to start.

With only 3.49% of EU manufacturers using AI in production processes in 2025 (Eurostat), automatic rescheduling connected to live order data is the concrete next step. SkyPlanner connects to any ERP or MES through its two-way REST API, with webhooks and CSV import; customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens. For multi-plant supply chain planning, see the enterprise AI rescheduling list.

AI claims vs shipped features: 9 of 13 vendors that market AI document no automatic rescheduling

As of October 2026, 13 of the 25 tracked vendors (52%) use “AI” in the copy of their own product page. Only 4 of those 13 also document automatic rescheduling, so an AI label does not tell a buyer whether the schedule reacts to a change by itself. Ask for the documented trigger (an event or a timer) before paying for AI. The full vendor-by-vendor review is in our AI claims report.

Methodology

Public figures. Every survey figure was read at the publisher’s own page or data file on October 13, 2026 and is reported as published: Eurostat to two decimals, the Census Bureau to one. We recomputed nothing. Eurostat figures cover NACE C manufacturing enterprises with 10+ employees; BTOS figures cover NAICS 31-33. Figures we could not open at the primary source are left out.

Own data. The sample is the 25 production scheduling, APS, MRP and MES products on our tracked vendor list, checked on each vendor’s product pages, help center or user manual and dated launch announcements on October 13, 2026, with the same rules as our AI claims report. Automatic rescheduling counts only when the vendor documents that the schedule is rebuilt or updated on its own on an event (new order, priority change, progress update, data change) or on a timer. Cascade means moving one job by hand shifts dependent jobs, nothing more. A planner-triggered replan, drag-and-drop recalculation or a “real-time” phrase with no trigger described counts as no automatic rescheduling. “Markets AI” means the main product page uses “AI”, “artificial intelligence” or “AI-powered” in its own product copy; menus, blog teasers, website chatbots and parent-company pages do not count.

How to cite this report

Suggested citation:

Production Scheduling Reviews, AI Production Scheduling Adoption Survey 2026: Statistics and Vendor Data, October 2026, https://productionschedulingreviews.com/statistics/ai-scheduling-adoption/

The charts and tables on this page may be reused with a link to this page. For more figures on scheduling software use, pricing and trials, see our production scheduling statistics hub.