For generations, factories have represented some of America’s most iconic ideas and images of the “workplace” – from “punching a clock” to working on an assembly line to adapting concepts of modern management like Six Sigma and Lean Operations, lots of the ideas that become widespread in the rest of the business world originate in the manufacturing industry.

But the future of manufacturing is changing fast. According to this analysis from Deloitte, the future of manufacturing will look less like an assembly line and more like a tech startup. With the rise of the “smart factory,” manufacturing companies are integrating digital technology into parts of the manufacturing process where it never existed, and are making more aggressive use of data than ever before. What can your company learn from this?

1. Data is everywhere. But are you getting the insights that you need?

Manufacturers are adopting “smart supply chains” and “smart factories” to have complete visibility into the manufacturing and inventory supply processes. Companies in the manufacturing industry are using data to get exact details about inventory, parts, shipping and logistics, design, and other aspects of making products. No matter what industry you’re in, you can probably do more with data to reduce waste and capitalize on opportunities. But don’t assume that just because you’ve got data, that you’re getting the most out of it.

Think hard about what questions you want that data to help you answer – are you trying to get more efficient, reduce costs, boost productivity, or grow sales? For example, in the world of sales, lots of B2B sales organizations could be doing a much better job of doing data analytics on sales processes and their sales funnel – even at the simple level of understanding what percentage of prospects are converting at each stage of the sales process. If you’re not measuring the right things, you won’t get better results. And if you let yourself get overwhelmed by too many numbers and too few insights, you won’t make progress.

2. Build resilience into your processes.

One of the interesting applications of Big Data for the future of manufacturing is that it makes it easier for companies to operate a “just in time” supply chain, while building resilience into their supply chain in case of disruption – such as a natural disaster or a shipping delay. Manufacturers know that they’re only as strong as the weakest link in their (global) supply chain – if a supplier in Asia has a power outage or a shipment from Latin America gets delayed, that can cause the manufacturer to lose money. With the future of digital manufacturing, companies are going to get smarter and more precisely detailed at understanding when and where supply chain disruptions happen and have backup plans and workarounds built into the system to avoid costs and delays.

Even if you’re not in the manufacturing industry, you can benefit from adopting this approach of resilience as well – in all of your business operations, not just your supply chain. What happens if you encounter a disruption or delay in your business processes? What if you suffer higher-than-expected employee turnover and you suddenly need to hire lots of new talent? What if a key client goes silent? What if you lose a vendor or supplier? Smart manufacturers are getting more sophisticated at managing these risks with the power of data. Your business can do the same.

3. In the future, most good jobs will be “tech jobs.”

One of the challenges that the manufacturing industry in the U.S. is facing right now is that there is actually a shortage of workers. This might sound crazy, because it seems like on the news, we’re always seeing stories about the loss of manufacturing jobs and factories closing – but the truth is, the next few years are going to see significant job growth in U.S. manufacturing as existing workers retire, and not enough young people (for now) are stepping up to take those new jobs.

The manufacturing industry faces a few challenges in recruiting new workers – one is that many young people have outdated or inaccurate impressions of what a career in manufacturing looks like. People often think of factory jobs as being dangerous, dirty, and low-paid – but the manufacturing jobs of the future are going to be more like “tech jobs.” Smart factories and digital manufacturing companies are going to need people who are creative problem solvers who can adapt to meet various challenges and who love to use advanced technologies. The factory of the future will not look like a conventional “assembly line” – it will look more like a tech startup or a design studio.

What’s the lesson here for your company? Make sure that as your company is recruiting new workers, you are conveying a sense of your workforce as being a tech-friendly, future-looking place. Lots of today’s new employees want to work at places where they can learn and develop new career skills and work with advanced technology; especially with the recent labor shortages that many industries are facing, the most talented and in-demand workers often have a choice of jobs, and they don’t want to feel like they’re stuck in a declining industry or a dead-end position.

Final Thoughts

Perhaps the biggest lesson from the rise of the “smart factory” is that the workplace of the future – in all industries – is going to look very different from even a generation ago. It’s not just the technology that’s changing, it’s the expectations of what the jobs entail and it’s a broader concept of how each company is connected to its supportive network of suppliers, partners, and customers. Even though companies in manufacturing (like every industry) are facing increasing pressures to cut costs and innovate, they are also doing exciting new things to transform the way they do business. Using data, getting smart insights, solving problems in creative ways, and working as a team of talented, tech-enabled people is the foundation for a more successful future in any industry.