Top Problems Facing Industrial Manufacturing
- Attracting and retaining skilled workers, particularly in light of the current labor shortage and an aging workforce. – Business process outsourcing/staff augmentation for fractional and key positions, investments in systems and automation, and proactive recruiting and retention programs have all gained interest in the last two years.
- Increasing costs of raw materials – Sourcing agility has needed to increase as well as product innovation to utilize alternate materials
- Managing and maintaining supply chain efficiency, including dealing with disruptions and uncertainty in the availability of raw materials and components. This presents a constant challenge to schedule and on-time shipments. Supply-side forecasts and an integrated supply chain planning solution have increased in importance.
- Global restructuring – Reshoring continues to gain traction. 2022 US Manufacturing exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Manufacturing starts require process design and systems.
- Keeping up with rapidly evolving technology and innovation including artificial intelligence – It is extremely difficult to focus on servicing Industrial Manufacturing customers and keep an eye on technology trends and their impact on the industry.
- Meeting regulatory compliance requirements, such as those related to safety, environmental protection, and data privacy. ESG scoring and global pressure continue to increase. ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It is a set of criteria used to evaluate the performance of companies and organizations in terms of their impact on the environment, society, and how they are governed.
- Adapting to changing consumer demands, including the need for more sustainable and eco-friendly products.
- Cybersecurity threats, as the manufacturing industry is a primary target for cyber attacks.
- Managing capital expenditures and cash flow in order to continue to invest in growth and innovation. Financial forecasting and solid costing systems and processes are critical in a rapidly changing environment. We need to rethink our approach in an era of inflation.
Adroit North America is uniquely positioned to help with these challenges based on our expertise with the Aptean Industrial Manufacturing ERP solution, our deep bench of the supply chain, operations, and financial consultants, and our staff augmentation programs.