The manufacturing industry has been described as being at the dawn of a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the early stages of an era of technological innovation in production and efficiency. 当然, this was before the days of COVID-19 and the seemingly endless havoc it’s wreaked on our economy. 美国公布的第二季度GDP数据.S. Department of Commerce reported a nearly 33% decline on an annualized basis, 这是100年来最严重的下跌. The coronavirus pandemic threatens manufacturing viability in the most basic ways: factory closures due to exposure or outbreak, 供应链中断, 低需求或低产量, 金融流动性问题. 现在, we’re struggling to find our way amidst a seemingly never-ending sea of uncertainty and left wondering what could possibly help bring us to the other side of the new normal.
The keys to overcoming the present hurdles that face manufacturing will stem from understanding and adapting to those challenges – and the industry’s foremost priority should be the protection of its workforce. 提供安全的劳动环境, some manufacturers are engaging flexible staffing levels or optimized crewing schedules, which take production ramp-ups or slowdowns into consideration, as well as physical distance requirements and necessary cleaning procedures. Slowdowns in production also provide critical opportunities for the design and implementation of digital capabilities and technological resilience strategies. Increasing reliance on digital solutions will augment manufacturers’ flexibility and reliability beyond just the current state of disrupted operations, 但也在无阻碍的操作中. Appropriately mapping out the disruptions that have been created as a result of workforce, supply chain or financial issues will be a crucial step in maintaining and regaining 4IR level agility. Implementing swift and measured solutions will prove invaluable to propelling manufacturing beyond the pandemic.
怎么 is manufacturing currently holding up in the wake of the largest economic catastrophe in decades? 好消息是还有希望. According to a survey by the Institute for Supply 管理 released in August, 全国工厂活动指数达到54.7月份为2个,高于52个.6月份为6(高于50表示增长). 除了增加工厂产量, 九月初, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released updated manufacturing job opening numbers for July. 根据报告, 整个行业的数字高达408,这个月有1000个职位空缺, 增加了百分之六十,000 over June and the best numbers posted since before the beginning of the pandemic.
虽然这些数字看起来很有希望, there’s still a long road to recovery in all industries and sectors. The full impact of this crisis will most likely not be known for years to come and a return to a sense of normal familiarity will likely also take years, but if manufacturing continues to understand the challenges it faces and adapts to meet those challenges, 我们将继续精益求精.