Did you know the manufacturing skills gap in the USA may cause 2.1 million jobs loss by the year 2030? It can lead to a loss of $1 trillion with these missing jobs in the year alone.
A Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute study revealed this eye-opening prediction.
Already the pandemic is affecting the industry. According to the research by National Association of Manufacturers (NAM):
- 78% of manufacturers think that the manufacturing sector is having a financial impact.
- 53% of manufacturers expect a change in the operations.
- 35.5% of manufacturers are experiencing disruption in supply chains.
Automating manufacturing software can solve these problems. It enables the manufacturers to run smoothly with more productivity. But it has upfront costs!
Although the cost of automation is a challenge faced by the businesses, the benefits outweigh the cost.
Implementing automation brings efficiency to the manufacturing industry. It also minimizes risks and boosts customer satisfaction.
Before going gaga over the magic of automation and robotics, let’s dig deeper into the problems of the manufacturing industry how this duo can help to overcome the same:
Manufacturing skill gap
Growing skills gap is the biggest manufacturing challenge U.S. businesses are facing. A country with an aging workforce has a desperate need for young and skilled workers. Around 22% of existing skilled workers will retire by the end of 2025 in the manufacturing sector of the country. Unfortunately, the country presently doesn’t have enough skilled workers to fill the gap.
How can we solve this skill gap:
- As a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) consultant we help to adopt automation technologies to cover the redundant tasks with bots.
- Upskilling the existing manufacturing workers to fill the gap.
- Eliminating the bottlenecks with better operations.
Supply chain and inventory management
Inventory and supply chain are two key manufacturing departments with a lot of challenges. In the time of agile manufacturing, digitizing both these key areas is important. The supply chain is becoming more complex in the large manufacturing companies. They need a huge team to take care of all the activities. However, automation can reduce error and pace up the redundant activities.
Robotic and automation implementation is the baby step in the digital transformation journey.
- You can use RPA bots to handle redundant tasks.
- You can see all the supply chain activities in real-time on an integrated platform with more visibility
- Simplify compliance regulations with process automation
Holding too little inventory and keeping a large inventory are difficult for the manufacturing companies. It creates a need to adopt the right software or tools to track as well as manage the inventories. This can save time and money.
Machine Intelligence
Many manufacturing companies use the Internet of Things to gather data. Smart machines help the companies to collect data for enhancing productivity and bringing predictability. Collecting data is easy, but analyzing is critical.
For example, a large scale manufacturing company generates a huge chunk of data and analyzing the same is critical. Here automation contributes a lot. Implementing robotics and automation can speed up the analytics. The computer can analyze the data faster where no human intervention is required.
Reduce downtime and understand lead time
The manufacturing companies can reduce downtime with devices to monitor inventory materials. When you can see the run time of the equipment, you can adjust the workflows to decrease the downtime. The ability to track equipment performance enables you to know about maintenance. You can also make smarter operation decisions and informed business decisions by implementing automation.
As a manufacturer, you can understand the lead times with real-time data and offer accurate estimates and timelines. Overall, automated monitoring provides a predictable model to build decisions while facilitating transparency for all stakeholders.
Automate with us
At Katpro Technologies, we use the innovative Nintex Process Platform to manage processes and automate workflows as per specific business needs. We offer you a dedicated team to take care of your process and workflow automation. Nintex is a powerful solution for procurement management, factory inspection, and supplier onboarding.

- It helps build a flawless end-to-end process for purchasing order requests & approvals. It helps to speedup the purchase-to-pay cycles and optimize the whole supply chain.
- It keeps machinery running and ensures safe and compliant production facilities. Easily approve and assign tasks to create detailed work orders.
- It optimizes supplier operations with digital forms by managing all communication online with automated renewal and approval to cut down the labor cost.
Talk to an expert to leverage the benefits of Nintex with us.
If you like this article and want to know more, check out:
- Nintex: Process Management and Workflow Automation for Manufacturing Industry
- How workflow automation is changing the manufacturing sector?
About Katpro Technologies
Katpro Technologies is an advanced technology firm offering specialized services in Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Sharepoint Consulting, Microsoft .NET based IT development and mobile app developments. We work on emerging technologies in the Microsoft Platform, providing customers with high performance and comprehensive solutions. We adapt ourselves to change business needs and deliver our customers with high-performance solutions that are relevant, futuristic & scalable.
Author, Kothand Rajangam
Founder and CEO with a passion for technology is providing Microsoft Suite of solutions to mid-market and enterprises on Nintex, SharePoint and Cloud. Kothand drives excellence in designing and delivering solutions backed by client success. His strong focus on Azure Suits and AI helps to complete enterprise turnkey projects with deep skill in quality delivery and business strategy. With more than 15 years of experience, Kothand and his team migrated over 500+ customers to the cloud.