Industry Spotlight Manufacturing - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

Industry Spotlight Manufacturing - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. Wondering what trends you can expect in the next year working in Manufacturing? If you answered yes, youre in the right place. Well be looking at all emerging trends and technologies that could affect the industry in 2017. Read on to find out what to expect! The Internet of Things Firstly, well begin by discussing a trend that has been impacting almost all industries- the internet of things. The internet of things, is the idea that everyday objects connect to the internet. Our watches, phones, etc, most all have a wireless connection now. Also, most of these devices are tracking, recording, and uploading data. This data can in turn be examined and used to make determinations. While it may not seem relevant, many manufacturing machines now offer these capabilities. Wireless-connected machinery has multiple benefits. Having connected machinery would make it easy to monitor all systems, and to determine where a bottleneck might be occurring, or the origin of a malfunction. Also, this would make it easy to analyze the process for improvements. A logistics coordinator could use that data to make the process more efficient and less wasteful. However, this is only the start of predictions for 2017. New Technologies Of course, automation is another trend that is also affecting the manufacturing industry. In an effort to streamline processes, many companies are moving towards automated manufacturing. This is especially true in areas affected by minimum wage laws. While many workers worry about job loss, there are options. Someone will need to maintain the automated processes, and there will likely be new job openings in this area. This may be a good time to build a skill set in that area for job security purposes. 3D printing has also hit the mainstream manufacturing environment. Many companies are now realizing 3D printing offer a cheap alternative to highly specific modeling. Companies can now craft prototype parts in a digital environment, and print immediately. While it isnt widely adopted, expect companies to begin to adapt. Manufacturing in 2017 With the aforementioned changes, manufacturers should also expect to invest more time and budget into data. With more connected machinery, it will be valuable to pay analysts to pore over the data and find opportunities. It will also make sense to have heightened data security to protect all that information. Despite all these predictions, no one knows for sure what 2017 will hold. Do you have any different expectations we didnt list? Let us know in the comments!