Good analysis! I think the order is wrong #3 Big Data Analytics in Manufacturing Will Emerge is priority number one. It will help drive the decision making at different levels to alleviate number #2. The prediction on the workforce is correct, but can be changed by leveraging technology to ease the education burden. The obscurity of plant process and operations needs to match the times. 20 year old line changes procedures (SOP's)still written in a manuals no one reads is not going to improve line efficiency. A smart device in their view leading them from points a,b,c on the other hand will. Robotics will reach the tipping point in the next decade once the MFG re-tool and build intelligent automation into their production environment. "Big Data" is the key and you have to connect the unconnected in order to get at the data to make real time decisions versus operating using only a rear view mirror!