The manufacturing industry faces challenges in making change a core element of its culture, even as processes are transformed through technology. It is usually people who stand in the way of turning a manufacturing company into a dynamic one that embraces change. - By James Hsu

The manufacturing industry has been undergoing change for a while now, as new technologies enable a host of improvements from streamlined robotic production processes to real-time analytics for decision-making. Almost two decades of change have turned a once somewhat stodgy industry into a high-tech one which has assumed an important role in modern-day challenges like environmental sustainability. Technology has lowered costs, decreased machine size, improved efficiency, and enabled broader globalization.