The manufacturing industry could be worth around five hundred billion dollars by 2025, based on a recent study from NIST or the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This growth is partly fueled by an upsurge in advanced technology that bolsters manufacturing efficiency. Technologies that are already shaping the manufacturing industry are predicted to aid human-machine collaboration in the near future.
A diverse range of products can be built with the help of manufacturing technology ranging from communication devices to medical machinery and more. Technology can surely help manufacturing grow.
Eighty percent of manufacturers face a deficiency in finding eligible applicants for highly skilled or experienced positions. Over the next decade, four million jobs are expected to be filled by highly skilled workers, and an estimated 2 million jobs might remain unfilled due to the skills gap. This is one of the main reasons why manufacturers turn to advanced technologies that handle these workforce issues and transform the manufacturing sector.
WORKFORCE EXPANSION
Manufacturing and Technology would be futile together if not for the human element. There is an estimated 2.4 million open positions that require skilled laborers to be filled in the next 10 years for new manufacturing technology. These openings will welcome many people into the manufacturing industry, fuel their professional growth, and further supplement manufacturing technology development.
ROBOT AIDES
Robots have been at the center of manufacturing technology for many years. As speeding up development is a big priority for most manufacturers, product research and development teams are leaning a great deal about robots. The momentum and accuracy that robots provide help achieve this goal. Robotic advancements are helpful in the following areas, such as:
Cobots: These cobots may be customized machines or robotic arms specialized in tackling odd jobs. Cobots (collaborative robots) are robots invented to operate, and help humans in the workplace.
Robotic welding: Welding automation cuts the cost of labor, and production breaks, and it can boost productivity in the factory. These Robots are made to enrich the production process for humans to increase project and produces less waste.
Additive manufacturing: This type of manufacturing aids production and decreases energy costs. Additive manufacturing uses 3D printing to create a product layer by layer.
Materials engineering: Robots can easily handle and improve a task with the help of this technology. Materials engineering refers to the dexterity required in extremely precise particle placement.
AUTOMATION AND AI IN MANUFACTURING
As time goes by, we will continue to see the broadening usage of AI in manufacturing for productivity advancements. Automation is already being deployed in some small businesses, either at their offices or on the factory floor. Artificial Intelligence will power logistics, production scheduling, demand planning, and inventory planning.

Some of the reasons we’re fascinated with robots are because they look and are programmed to think like us. We can see ourselves in them. Using AI and machine learning, robots take on more complex traits to increase skills, be more agile, develop memory, and collaborate effectively with other robots and humans.
The manufacturing industry is increasingly looking to robots to shape their manufacturing floor processes. These cobots are engineered to work in concert with humans and copy the actions of a human workforce, freeing factory workers from dangerous and repetitive tasks.
VR & AR
With the manufacturing sector beginning to explore VR, the potential for this manufacturing technology in maintaining equipment, assembly processes, and improved decision-making is enormous.
With practical scenarios that show trainees how to perform tasks assigned to them or even what to do in an emergency, simulated training using VR (virtual reality) in manufacturing can enhance training sessions. AR and VR make it possible for maintenance technicians to carry out maintenance procedures remotely.
Emerging technologies enhance visibility to the multiple manufacturing processes and improve efficiency by providing more significant insights. But they also have substantial implications for the manufacturing industry both in the present and future.