Future Outlook for U.S. Manufacturers: 2017 and Beyond

What is coming up for manufacturers in 2017 and beyond? It’s an uncertain world with the stock market fluctuating wildly and people concerned about the direction the economy might take in the coming years.

There are quite a few reasons to be optimistic about the future of manufacturing in the United States. Manufacturers’ economic prospects are looking up, and let’s discuss why that’s the case.

Manufacturing Jobs

A number of businesses are either talking about bringing jobs back to the U.S. or have already started the process of doing so. These companies include big names like Ford and Apple. Evolving relationships and trade deals between nations could create more incentives for U.S. manufacturers to do most of their business within their home country. With millions of men in the prime of their lives out of work at the moment, this couldn’t have come at a better time. The need for hard-working, low-skilled laborers is on the rise.

Oil Boom

It’s looking more and more likely that the oil and natural gas boom that has taken place in Rust Belt states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, as well as North Dakota, will continue well into the future. With the increasing demand for sources of energy both inside and outside the country, there will continue to be pressure put upon oil and gas producers to boost supply. And they have the natural reserves, manpower, and equipment to meet demand.

Infrastructure Projects

All sorts of national infrastructure projects, along with new oil pipelines, are on the cusp of becoming a reality. We’ll wait and see how many of them turn into a reality, but if even a small percentage of them come to fruition, they will translate into more demand for manufacturers, construction companies, and workers.

Building a Great Future

Whatever the future brings, whether it’s a lean season or a bountiful harvest, you can be prepared for it all by using a powerful manufacturing solution, such as Fishbowl Manufacturing. Fishbowl Manufacturing has all sorts of features that will benefit you as you ride the economic tide:

• Integration with numerous solutions, including SolidWorks, QuickBooks, and Xero.
• Automated work orders for custom, batch, and repair jobs.
• Part tracking by serial numbers, lot numbers, and more.
• Production stages.
• Available-to-build calculations.
• Bills of materials with multiple levels of production.
• Multiple-location inventory tracking and analysis.
• Automatic reorder points on all parts and products.

These features will help you plan ahead so you’ll always have enough inventory on hand to meet demand, whether sales go up or down. When times are good you’ll be able to keep up with demand while when times aren’t so good you’ll have automated processes in place to be as efficient as possible and keep costs down. No matter which way the economy goes, you’ll have the tools to stay in business and enjoy competitive advantages.

Sign up for a free trial of Fishbowl Manufacturing, so you can see for yourself how its features can help you make your future even brighter!