Manufacturing is an industry that is filled with successes, with massive potential and of course, with challenges. Because everything in manufacturing is interconnected, it is critically important to streamline as many processes as possible and push for efficiency to help things run smoothly. In this article, we are going to discuss three of the top challenges faced by manufacturers in a post-pandemic landscape.
Skills Gap and Lack of Skilled Workers
There is a definite gap between the skills of younger generations and those of generations nearing retirement. That skills gap is one of the great challenges faced by manufacturing leadership. It is made worse by the bad reputation that manufacturing often gets with up-and-coming generations. 
Yet, the perception of the industry isn’t accurate. What used to be an unclean environment that wasn’t conducive to growth and opportunity is now the opposite. There are great opportunities for growth and advancement in the industry and what used to be strictly physical labor has become a desirable career path in an environment filled with technology and technological advances. Technology requires special skillsets, and those skills are in great demand. For those educate themselves in areas needed within manufacturing, the sky is the limit in terms of potential for growth.
Educating young students about the potential of a career in manufacturing can be as simple as attending job fairs or as complicated as a focused recruitment plan for an operation. Depending upon the specific needs of the business, many long-term recruitment strategies with students can yield rewards.
Inventory and Supply Chain Management
Managing inventory and dealing with supply chain struggles have presented new and worsening challenges within manufacturing. Where operations formerly had an abundance of what they needed to operate, they now struggle with basics. Managing inventory efficiently has never been more critical.
For some, automating inventory management has yielded rewards. In some instances, adopting ERP software can help automate inventory management. In some operations, automated material handling systems such as Swisslog AutoStore can control costs and efficiencies. Adopting some form of automation to manage inventory processes can help businesses focus on growth instead of having to manage basic processes manually.
Increasing Leads and Sales Revenue
Rounding out the top 3 challenges in manufacturing is business growth. Increasing leads and sales revenue are both mission critical to any operation. 
The best way to increase leads isn’t necessarily straight forward. If an operation can generate and publish original content, it can drive traffic to a website. Once traffic is driven to a website, using marketing tools such as landing pages, can direct traffic where you want it to go and generate leads. Content can be anything that is helpful, relevant to your desired audience, and useful for potential leads. Things like blogs, resources, podcasts, and white papers can all help drive website traffic and generate leads.
Analyzing inventory and process improvement can help maintain efficiency, even as sales increase. Efficient operations can be one of the most important ways your operation builds trust with customers and with potential customers to increase sales.
Yes, there are plenty of challenges, but the good news is, there are many ways to address the most common challenges within the manufacturing industry. One important facet to manufacturing is the strength of its community. Using community connections can be a great way to learn from the mistakes of others while also sharing successes. By sticking together, manufacturers can resolve their struggles, one challenge at a time.
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