Manufacture Smarter Blog

1/4/2019 - THE CENTER
If manufacturers were to look back five or 10 years, most manufacturers would realize their companies have changed so tremendously, that they are unrecognizable compared to how they once were. These transformations in processes, products, staffing and innovations have altered how their businesses appear and operate. This begs the question, what will manufacturing look like in 2019?

12/7/2018 - BY: DEB JOSEPH
Here’s the good news: the unemployment level in the United States has reached a nearly 50-year low. The bad news is, there are now more job openings than there are skilled people to fill them. Nearly every manufacturer I speak with is feeling the impact of this nationwide talent shortage.

9/14/2018 - BY: ELLIOT FORSYTH
Manufacturing is changing. The industry is entering a new era, with oncoming workforce and technological advancements set to transform manufacturing as we know it. In this emerging age of smart manufacturing, a number of factors are contributing to this evolution.

8/18/2017 - BY: SHELLY STOBIERSKI
Knowledge is power, and it’s truer today than ever before. Simply consider our rapidly-evolving manufacturing environment. Revolutionary new technologies in 3D printing have emerged—shortening the amount of time it takes to develop new products. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has brought more intelligence to manufacturing operations and is enabling manufacturers to improve production processes at an impressive pace.

4/14/2017 - BY: RUSS MASON
With its aging demographic, the U.S. manufacturing sector will have more than three million jobs available by 2025. According to Forbes, millennials are projected to make up 50% of the U.S. workforce by 2020. However, nearly two million of these positions will go unfilled—due to the existing skills gap and the prevailing perception about manufacturing careers.

12/16/2016 - THE CENTER
As 2016 comes to an end, companies within the U.S. manufacturing sector remain optimistic about new opportunities for growth and innovation in the upcoming year, even as competition from overseas continues to increase. Perhaps the most pressing issue facing the industry in 2017, and beyond, is educating and training the next generation of manufacturers.

12/1/2016 - THE CENTER
According to a recent report by Deloitte, the United States is expected to take over the number one position as the most competitive manufacturing nation from China by the end of the year—with Germany holding steady at number three. The United States continues to improve its ranking as technological innovation sweeps across the manufacturing landscape and new opportunities continue to arise.

7/8/2016 - THE CENTER
For years, the retirement of the baby boom generation has been a large topic of discussion and a looming economic threat. Now, that dreaded time is upon us. Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, are retiring in droves – to the tune of about 10,000 a day!  

5/27/2016 - THE CENTER
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there were 12,293,000 employees holding manufacturing jobs, accounting for nine percent of the workforce in the United States in March 2016. These employees earn an average hourly wage of $25.72, equivalent to more than $50,000, not including benefits or overtime pay.

1/29/2016 - THE CENTER
As governmental and consumer demand for decreased emissions, higher sustainability, lower carbon footprint and greater fuel economy increases, the growing trend for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to adopt new materials is impacting manufacturing at all tier levels.