McKinsey Talks Operations Winning the Race to Rewire in 2026: Capturing operational advantage
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Mar 5, 2026 Ruth Heuss, McKinsey senior partner known for AI, robotics, and manufacturing transformations; Dan Swan, McKinsey senior partner focused on manufacturing, supply chains, and tech-enabled change. They discuss rewiring operations for 2026. Topics include end-to-end process transformation, agentic AI and service adoption, automation and reskilling, regional approaches, and how to capture operational advantage.
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End-to-End Rewires Deliver Transformational ROI
- Rewiring end-to-end processes unlocks disproportionate value compared with point solutions.
- Dan Swan stresses that tackling full end-to-end processes with AI, automation, and capability building delivers transformative ROI, not isolated pilots.
Robotics And Agentic AI Will Scale In 2026
- Physical automation and robotics will scale as costs fall, while AI expands beyond pilots.
- Dan Swan expects robotics in manufacturing and agentic AI in planning to become more affordable and more widely deployed in 2026.
AI Offers A Once In A Generation Process Reset
- AI and automation are now a once-in-a-generation chance to rethink processes beyond cost cutting.
- Dan Swan highlights that AI across planning, procurement, and service functions can fundamentally redesign workflows when applied end-to-end.