Manufacturing needs to be future-ready

The robots are taking jobs. Robots are replacing workers. You will be replaced by a robot within the next 10 years. Factories will all be run by robots. All these various statements I’ve heard repeated throughout the years have yet to come to full fruition. Yes, robots and cobots are in use throughout manufacturing and a range of other industries and for purposes beyond manufacturing, but they aren’t the only technology changing the manufacturing landscape – although they are growing in use as I noted in my October 2024 editorial. But it’s not the technology that’s going to be a challenge as much as the workforce.

In “Preparing the Manufacturing Workforce: A Ten-Year Outlook,” Gary Fedder, faculty director of the Manufacturing Futures Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and founding president and former interim CEO of ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute, begins the forward with a blunt, yet true statement, “The biggest challenge faced by advanced manufacturing is not technology, it’s how that technology can best be used by people, and what skills people need to use future technologies.”

Earlier this year the report was first released to ARM Institute Members and then to the public, and it details best practices and the actions required to build a sustainable, resilient U.S. manufacturing workforce. It’s noted that robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI) are the main advanced technologies changing the nature of manufacturing careers, but they aren’t replacing them.

Advancing technologies occur to improve manufacturing, not hinder it, but these disruptive technologies do often change the nature of manufacturing work. The report notes that “New skills and different types of training are needed to prepare workers for the future of work, as the entry criteria for manufacturing workers vary wildly from what they did even a few years ago.”

Putting emphasis on this was Lisa Masciantonio, ARM Institute chief workforce officer, who noted, “The integration of robotics and AI into manufacturing environments poses a significant opportunity to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. However, a collective effort is needed to ensure the manufacturing workforce has the skills needed to take on new roles created by these technologies. The ARM Institute plays a key role in preparing workers by making information about training and jobs more accessible and by raising awareness about robotics career opportunities in manufacturing.”

The 74-page report is a wealth of knowledge on how different organizations are making a difference to prepare future workers and fill skills gaps currently impacting manufacturing. Case studies that highlight “approaches to training and filling the pipeline of manufacturing workers...[are included] for their successful outcomes and their inclusivity of underrepresented communities.” Everyone in manufacturing should give this report a read as we all need to work together to keep manufacturing strong.