Between the pandemic and the evolution of technology, we have seen vast changes to the manufacturing industry in the past few years. 

Global manufacturers need to be ahead of the curve when it comes to trends and creating action plans to make the most out of them. We’ve listed our top four trends for the manufacturing industry in 2022 here.

1) Smart Factories

Digital transformation has become a key part of manufacturers’ growth strategies. If you avoid it, you’re giving your competitors the opportunity to digitize their processes and take over before you even get started. 

Since technology has become more financially accessible, there are many more options for each stage of production to become smart. We’re predicting that 2022 will see more companies embracing entire production environments that are smart and driven by AI, robots, and big data.

2) Sustainability

Sustainability is a becoming more important throughout all industries, and manufacturing is no exception. 

In fact, Deloitte reported that cost of capital can be tied to ratings on environment, social, and governance (ESG) factors. This makes sustainability a priority for competitiveness and growth.

With firms around the world committing to offset carbon emissions, or even become carbon-neutral, sustainability is something that must be woven into business strategies.

3) Mobile Solutions for Young Workers

As of April 2021, 96% of young American workers had personal access to a smartphone—so it makes sense to integrate mobile technology solutions into different parts of the production process. Not only does this provide additional data collection potential, it also allows you to engage younger workers and can help ensure less friction when onboarding and in the typical day-to-day. 

By taking note of technology trends among employees and integrating these into your processes, your business will be set up for success with future-proofed systems that ensure growth.

4) Robust Supply Chains

The pandemic taught many industries that having a robust supply chain is of the utmost importance. 

Though things are looking better than they did earlier in the pandemic, supply chain issues are still widespread. In fact, over 60% of the manufacturing companies are still experiencing supply chain disruption in some form.

By employing more digital supply networks and using data analytics, businesses can enable flexible responses to supply chain disruptions.

If you would like help tapping into the trends that we’ve discussed on a global level, our manufacturing specialists can help with everything from technical document translations to website and app localization and e-learning course translation.

Contact us today to kickstart your global strategy now.