Manufacturing Trends 2020: What the Future Holds for the Industry
Technology in the 21st century has certainly left its mark and influenced the world of manufacturing. In these changing times, the industry has called for products made at an even better, faster pace. All the while, customers want less waste and lower cost. The following manufacturing trends provide exciting solutions to all of this and more.
1. Industrial Wearables
According to MarketWatch, this manufacturing trend is on the rise and will be worth a whopping $2.6 billion by 2023. We take a closer look at its role in the industry in this section.
Smartglasses, biometric sensors — industrial wearables are accessories your employees can wear in various roles from field service to assembly. Manufacturing trends like this allow for many benefits, such as:
- Easy access to important work documents, like instructions or important product criteria
- Connecting workers to each other as a means of employee communication
- The ability to receive product updates and monitor critical data in real time
New manufacturing technology like this will provide your employees with essential tools and valuable information they need to get their jobs done. These tools can aid in higher productivity and working at a faster pace with less mistakes.
2. 3D Printing & Scanning
The future of 3D printing is bright. And you can bet it will play an even stronger role in 2020’s manufacturing trends. Learn more in this section.
In 2020, 3D printing will continue to allow manufacturing companies to create faster, cheaper prototypes. Why? Manufacturers can use it as a highly cost-effective method of testing and troubleshooting products. This new manufacturing technology helps companies make their prototypes in a faster, cheaper manner, and it has already been embraced by the automotive and aerospace manufacturing industries. Get ready to see even more sectors in the industry adopting this manufacturing industry trend.
But the world of 3D technology isn’t limited to printing. You can also expect to see 3D scanning. Manufacturing industry trends like this will open up endless opportunities like:
- Additive manufacturing
- Quality inspections
- Virtual parts warehouses
- Reverse engineering
3. Artificial Intelligence & Task Automation
Machine learning plays a big role in current and future manufacturing advancements. This manufacturing trend will continue to provide warehouses with speed, scale and convenience.
Programming and autonomous bots are going to play an even bigger role in controlling and monitoring warehouse machines. Years ago, the idea of bots moving materials throughout the production chain may have sounded like science fiction. In this new era, it’s reality.
With the establishment of manufacturing trends like this, your company can see a significant decrease in the time needed to get crucial tasks completed. Rather than needing entire groups to manage designated tasks, AI can help you reduce the number of people while speeding up the process.
4. The Internet of Things
According to Forbes, “the Internet of Things” is the idea of connecting any device to the internet with the switch of button. In this section, we take a look at what makes this one of the latest new trends in manufacturing.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is quite a revolutionary concept. The manufacturing industry will certainly experience its impact in the present and future. This manufacturing industry trend offers a window of opportunity for connecting operations in and out of the warehouse. Expect to see the transformation of processes, as well as the evolution of materials and the production chain.
Gartner predicts that 20.4 billion devices will use IoT by 2020, and that number is only looking to grow. With highly anticipated fifth-generation technology (5G) also arriving in 2020, IoT will have a more stable connection. This will allow for an ecosystem of smart manufacturing and increasingly digital-first manufacturing trends. a more stable connection. This will allow for an ecosystem of smart manufacturing and increasingly digital-first manufacturing trends.
5. Predictive Maintenance Technology
Find out how your business can benefit from this manufacturing trend in 2020 and long after that.
Thanks to this new manufacturing technology, we’ll see a more advanced and effective mode of monitoring valuable equipment. Manufacturers can have a better understanding of how various systems are processing the work, and they can also see predictions on when equipment may fail. Predictive maintenance technology uses performance metrics to provide alerts on the best times to carry out maintenance. Ultimately, this manufacturing trend is a great way to:
- Prevent equipment breakdown
- Save valuable company time
- Spend less money on machine repair
Let Span Tech Help Your Business Adapt to the Latest New Trends in Manufacturing
The future is now! Span Tech is here to help your company embrace new manufacturing technology and continue to prosper in 2020 and beyond.
As a company that thrives on innovation and testing, Span Tech recognizes the value in new manufacturing technology. We keep one eye on best practices of the present and the other on manufacturing trends of the future. Whether you’re looking for specialty conveyors or would like more information on the latest in the manufacturing industry, Span Tech is here to help. Contact us for excellent customer service, expert knowledge and products you can count on.
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Learn more about manufacturing trends and see how Span Tech can help your business adapt