The evidence behind our view.
Every independent figure we use, with its source and date. Observed facts, kept separate from our opinion and our results.
How we use evidence
Four kinds of statement, never mixed.
Observed fact
Independent evidence, published with source and date.
North Axiom view
Our interpretation of that evidence.
North Axiom methodology
How we approach the issue.
North Axiom outcome
Something we have demonstrably achieved, with evidence.
Evidence ledger
Independent market evidence cited across this site.
| Theme | Finding | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AI adoption | Organisational AI adoption reached 88% in 2025, and gen AI used in at least one function at 70% | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| Agentic maturity | Agent deployment remains in single digits across nearly all functions | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| AI investment | Global corporate AI investment more than doubled in 2025, and private investment increased 127.5% | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| AI productivity | Research summarised by Stanford reports 14–15% support, 26% software and 50% marketing-output improvements in studied settings | Stanford AI Index 2026 |
| AI value gap | More than 80% of respondents report no tangible enterprise-level EBIT impact from gen AI | McKinsey 2025 |
| Material EBIT | 17% say at least 5% of recent EBIT is attributable to gen AI | McKinsey 2025 |
| Workflow redesign | Only 21% of gen-AI users had fundamentally redesigned some workflows | McKinsey 2025 |
| AI maturity | Only 1% of executives in a complementary developed-market survey called their roll-outs mature | McKinsey 2025 |
| AI risk | 47% reported at least one negative consequence from gen AI | McKinsey 2025 |
| PE AI focus | 76% of PE firms in EY survey cite AI/automation/data infrastructure for increased portfolio focus | EY PE Pulse Q2 2026 |
| PE margin | 62% focus more on margin improvement/cost transformation | EY PE Pulse Q2 2026 |
| PE cash | 52% focus more on cash/liquidity/working capital | EY PE Pulse Q2 2026 |
| PE deployment | 72% expected deployment activity to rise over the subsequent six months, and 56% expected exits to accelerate | EY PE Pulse Q2 2026 |
| PE model | Bain says easy multiple expansion and cheap debt cannot be assumed and calls for sharper operational value creation | Bain Global PE Report 2026 |
| M&A | EY says integration strategy and value-driver identification should begin early | EY-Parthenon |
| Industrial robots | 542,000 industrial robots installed during 2024 | IFR World Robotics 2025 |
| Robot geography | Asia represented 74%, Europe 16%, Americas 9% of 2024 installations | IFR |
| Smart factories | Latest Lighthouse cohort averaged 40% greater labour productivity | WEF GLN 2025 |
| Lead time | Lighthouse cohort averaged 48% reduction | WEF GLN 2025 |
| Quality | Selected Lighthouse impacts included 41% reduction in defects | WEF GLN 2025 |
| Energy | Selected Lighthouse impacts included 28% lower energy consumption | WEF GLN 2025 |
| Cycle time | Selected Lighthouse impacts included 44% lower cycle time | WEF GLN 2025 |
| Manufacturing priority | 90% of surveyed manufacturers say digital transformation is essential to competitiveness | Rockwell State of Smart Manufacturing 2026 |
| Scaling | 59% actively using smart-manufacturing tech, and 18% remain in pilot mode | Rockwell 2026 |
| Industrial AI | 34% of operations reported as AI-augmented | Rockwell 2026 |
| Data utilisation | Respondents say only 43% of manufacturing data is used effectively | Rockwell 2026 |
Figures come from different studies, populations and dates. Each is shown with its original source.
Fill in: check each figure against its source before launch. These came from the ChatGPT research document and have not been verified
External benchmarks
Published results from leading factories. Industry evidence, never North Axiom results.
| Site | Published result | Relevant subject |
|---|---|---|
| Haier Shanghai | Production up 37%, delivery efficiency up 40%, conversion cost down 33% | Smart-factory economics |
| GlobalFoundries Singapore | Labour productivity up 40%, prototyping time down 30% | Digital manufacturing |
| Tongwei Solar | Defects down 41%, conversion cost down 37%, CO2 down 33% | AI process optimisation and quality |
| Tüpraş | Delivery reliability from 85% to 95%, truck-loading time down 75%, forecasting productivity up 48% | Supply chain and decision intelligence |
| Yunnan Baiyao | Raw-material returns down 78%, inventory days down 38%, stock-outs down 30% | Forecasting, supply and inventory |
| Schneider Electric Evreux | Single-use plastic down 40%, energy consumption down 18% | Digital operations and circularity |
Source: World Economic Forum, Global Lighthouse Network 2025.
Fill in: check each figure against its source before launch. These came from the ChatGPT research document and have not been verified
Primary sources
The research base we draw on first.
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Stanford HAI, 2026 AI Index, Economy | AI investment, adoption, agents, productivity and robotics trends. |
| McKinsey, The State of AI, March 2025 | Enterprise EBIT impact, workflow redesign, governance, scaling and AI risks. |
| Bain and Company, Global Private Equity Report 2026 | The changed private equity value-creation environment and Day One execution. |
| EY, Private Equity Pulse Q2 2026 | Private equity focus on AI, automation, data, margin, working capital, deployment and exits. |
| International Federation of Robotics, World Robotics 2025 | Industry statistics for industrial and service robotics. |
| World Economic Forum, Global Lighthouse Network 2025 | Measured manufacturing transformation and large-scale digital and AI use cases. |
| Rockwell Automation, State of Smart Manufacturing 2026 | Manufacturer survey on transformation priority, AI augmentation and data use. |
| EY-Parthenon, Tech M&A Quick Takes | Early integration strategy and value-driver identification. |
Links open the original publication.
Fill in: check each figure against its source before launch. These came from the ChatGPT research document and have not been verified
Information on this website is provided for general information only and does not constitute investment, legal, tax or accounting advice.
Forward-looking statements, scenarios and estimates involve uncertainty. Actual outcomes may differ materially from those described.