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Mitigate Trade Risks and Economic Uncertainty with Manufacturing’s Missing Link

By Grace Barton Updated
Mitigate Trade Risks and Economic Uncertainty with Manufacturing’s Missing Link

Change is inevitable. 

This absolute truth might sound scary, but it can also be an opportunity. If organizations take proactive approaches and prepare for the inevitable changes on the horizon, they can reap incredible business benefits. 

But how do you prepare for the unknown? How can you manage change when you don’t know what the change will be? One of the best ways is through a full digital transformation.  

Let’s explore why that is and how an integrated, digital solution can help future-proof your organization. 

Give me a reason 

A new federal administration raises a host of questions about what changes, if any, could be on the horizon.  

While no one knows for sure, it’s important for manufacturing organizations to keep an eye out for: 

Any of these can have a major impact on how organizations operate during the next few years. 

In addition, rapid advances in technology continue to shape industries around the globe. Advances, such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), and others, have changed the way industries operate.  

For manufacturers, not embracing these new technologies can lead an array of issues that may only be compounded by economic and regulatory changes, including:  

  • A shortage of labor. One study projects a shortage of 2.1 million skilled manufacturing workers by 2030. 

  • Human error. A study published in the International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications found that 80% of manufacturing defects are due to human error – costing between 5%-30% of the total manufacturing expenses. 

  • Machine downtime. According to a study posted by the International Society of Automation, the average manufacturing plant loses 5%–20% of its annual productivity to unplanned downtime. 

It’s time to go digital 

With no certainty about the changes on the horizon, how can manufacturing leaders prepare their organizations? They can turn to a truly digital solution that bridges the gaps and links together any current systems already in place (i.e., PLM, ERP, MES) – giving them a fully integrated solution that: 

  • Increases efficiency: Fully integrated systems ensure that all operations have the latest, up-to-date instructions and are running at maximum efficiency, minimizing downtime and rework.  

  • Reduces costs: Integrated, digital systems reduce labor costs by performing repetitive and labor-intensive tasks. This also minimizes the risk of human error, leading to fewer mistakes and lower costs associated with rework. 

  • Improves quality: Digital solutions ensure consistent quality by maintaining precise control over production parameters, ensuring two-way communication, and removing uncertainty in work instructions. Additionally, automated inspection systems can detect defects and inconsistencies more accurately than manual inspections. 

  • Increases scalability, flexibility, and adaptability: With digital, predefined workflows and data models that fully integrate with your current systems, you can easily create new process plans for complex mixed model assembly – allowing you to set up new lines and plants quickly. 

A fully integrated, digital solution can drive innovation and competitiveness, and give organizations a robust, scalable tool to handle unforeseen changes.  

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Manufacturers have a multitude of options when it comes to creating a fully integrated, digital solution. But, as with any software, not all solutions are the same. Leaders must look for solutions that feature:  

  • Process planning: Many manufacturers have made large investments in PLM, ERP, and MES, which are well suited for defining WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE products will be manufactured. However, you also need a solution that helps you determine the HOW. From predefined workflows to part kit list generation, you need a solution purpose-built for mixed model assembly. 

  • Enhanced digital time studies: Eliminate error-prone manual processes with a digital solution that allows you to easily complete, access, and store updated time studies to support lean manufacturing. 

  • Superior Line balancing: Minimize excess capacity, bottlenecks, and frequent downtime by implementing a digital line balancing system. Improve efficiency with a solution that can quickly balance and visualize thousands of tasks, hundreds of models and options, and countless customer orders. 

  • Increased visibility and tracking: Minimize risk and rework by being able to trace or walk part backward in numerous ways, as well as by improving accuracy of mBOMs and kit configurations. 

  • Integration capabilities: With multiple solutions handling different aspects of their business, manufacturers need a solution that can integrate them all, giving them an end-to-end solution. Built in APIs proved for added flexibility and speed to value. 

Organizations should also look for a trusted provider with extensive experience who can also serve as a strategic partner. This partner should continually develop forward-thinking solutions (including APIs, dashboards, process planning, and more) to help organizations scale as the business grows. Because even if you don’t know exactly what changes are on the horizon, being proactive, embracing the digital future, and choosing the right software and strategic partner can help you be ready for whatever may come. 

And, by doing so, they just might discover some unforeseen benefits as well!  

Grace Barton

Marketing Specialist

About the Author Latest Posts

Grace Barton is a digital marketing and competitive intelligence professional who crafts strategic narratives by bridging marketing insights with analytical expertise. At Advantive, she creates engaging, data-driven content tailored to the distribution, manufacturing, packaging, and quality industries. Her goal is to deliver impactful messaging that drives engagement and growth based on specific gap closure needs, whether responding to sales organization requirements, pinpointing gaps in content, or meeting immediate market trends.
She thrives on transforming competitive intelligence into actionable insights for the sales organization. Grace manages Advantive’s competitive intelligence platform, Klue, to equip the sales team with the battlecards and market data they need to stay ahead of competitors. Since launch, she’s built 28+ battlecards across four lines of business, ensuring the GTM strategy stays sharp.
Grace has a passion for leveraging market insights with storytelling to guide strategic decision-making, empower sales organizations, and nurture organizational growth.

Areas of Expertise: Digital Marketing, Competitive Intelligence, Strategic Narratives, Marketing Insights, Analytical Expertise

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