Australia’s small and medium businesses are accelerating their adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) but manufacturing, including parts of the semi-trailer industry, still trails leading industries.
New research from National Australia Bank (NAB) shows 42 per cent of SMEs are already using AI, with a further 14 per cent planning adoption.
However, manufacturing sits behind sectors such as property and finance, with only 35 per cent uptake – suggesting room for productivity gains across trailer fabrication, assembly and logistics operations.
For Australian semi-trailer manufacturers, where margins, compliance and turnaround times are critical, AI is increasingly being used in practical areas such as operations, logistics planning and quoting – areas directly relevant to fleet builds and custom trailer orders.
NAB Group Executive for Digital, Data & AI, Pete Steel, said the shift is moving from experimentation to day-to-day use.
“We’re seeing a clear shift from curiosity to practical use, with more businesses using AI to save time, reduce admin burdens and make better decisions,” he said.
Across SMEs already using AI, key applications include marketing and sales (51 per cent), operations and logistics (39 per cent), and customer service (25 per cent).
For trailer manufacturers, this aligns with streamlining order pipelines, optimising material flow and improving customer communication.
Despite transport and storage (21 per cent) and manufacturing lagging overall, early adopters within the industrial space are reporting tangible benefits – particularly time savings and improved decision-making.
With more than 98 per cent of Australian businesses classified as SMEs, the slow uptake in manufacturing presents a clear pathway for trailer builders to lift productivity, particularly as government-backed programs such as the National AI Centre’s ‘AI Adopt’ initiative aim to support practical implementation.
