April 8, 2024 Publisher’s Letter

Volume 27 | Issue 1

A look at several issues confronting manufacturing today including strategies to address workforce issues and women pursuing STEM careers.

As a woman-owned business, we at Industry Today have a particular interest in encouraging greater female participation in the sciences and industry. Alas, as noted in this issue’s feature store, Lab Coats to Leadership: A Celebration of Women in Stem, “Despite the progress we’ve made in women’s education, there’s still a noticeable gap in STEM fields. Women are still underrepresented, and that’s a big deal because we need diverse perspectives to solve the complex challenges we face today.” The good news, however, is that more women than ever are pursuing STEM careers. The article polls a few of these trailblazers about their thoughts on opportunities and challenges for women in STEM careers.

More broadly, we look at several other issues confronting manufacturing today. Overcoming Top Manufacturing and Facility Management Challenges explores top strategies to address workforce issues, aging infrastructure, and downtime. As smart manufacturing technologies continue to transform business processes, industry is also increasingly more vulnerable to cyberattack. NIST 2.0: Safeguarding Manufacturing’s Future examines proposed changes to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework for safeguarding against cyberattack. The core elements provide steps for manufacturers to protect their organizations before, during and after a potential attack.

Supply chain issues continue to confront manufacturers. As we write this, conflict between Israel and Hamas has caused some difficulties in the Red Sea trade routes, but nothing approaching a crisis that might otherwise have arisen. In Supply Chain Reacts to the Red Sea, global transportation data collected from the Infor Nexus supply chain network technology sheds light on the ripple effects of rapidly changing conditions in the Mideast and how they are being addressed.

More generally, supply chains are prone to a number of pressing challenges, stemming in part both from the after effects of the pandemic and geopolitical uncertainties. Supply Chain Disruption Continues to Steer M&A examines how markets and businesses build supply chain resiliency in response to continuing disruptions.

The Biden administration continues to announce initiatives to advance transition to made-in-America electric vehicles and build out a national EV charging network infrastructure. This transition cannot happen without critical minerals required for EV batteries. Critical Mineral Independence Must Be Made in the USA discusses how we can reduce our reliance on China supply chain dominance.

Elsewhere, we look at a region of the U.S. in the forefront of industrial innovation in The Manufacturing Renaissance in Lehigh Valley, PA. More than 700 manufacturers in the Lehigh Valley generate $8 billion in economic output and employ 37,000 people. Manufacturing jobs have grown by 22 percent in the last 10 years, while average annual wages have increased by more than $20,000. Read about why companies are drawn to the area.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Industry Today. Look for the same extensive timely coverage on a weekly basis at industrytoday.com.

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