Tech Convergence is Driving the Future of Manufacturing

When I first got started in manufacturing most manufacturers were still at some point on their journey to retool their production environments with CNC machines. After all, it was not that long ago that I was individually loading blanks into a lathe to produce a key part of the rearview mirror assembly – initially for a major automaker and then as an aftermarket offering. It kept the facility busy for several years, but it was a very tedious and undeniably manual process. There has always been a population of manufacturers living on the bleeding edge, utilizing their willingness to embrace the latest technology in order to gain a significant competitive advantage. And these firms continue to play a meaningful role. After all they keep the thirst for new technology alive. However, the big picture utilization of technology is evolving considerably. Step into just about any production facility today, and it is easy to see that manufacturing technology has a completely different meaning than it did then. Advanced technology is no longer something that was nice to have. Today, manufacturing technology takes center stage.