Manufacturing Innovation: The Theme for 2015

2015 could be a big year for US manufacturing because of projected reshoring, growth, and investment in manufacturing innovation. Recent market research indicates that 2015 may bring manufacturing and production functions for many companies back to the US from overseas. According to a 2014 study conducted by the MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation, “13.5 percent of U.S. manufacturing companies have reported that they have already made a decision to move some manufacturing activities back to the U.S.” The study also showed that another 18 percent are “considering” the prospect. This reshoring is potentially a huge boon for the US economy.

Additionally, recent projections by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) show growth in US manufacturing continuing through 2015. MAPI has also predicted that spending on industrial equipment will rise by 7.6% in the coming year. Where there’s growth and reshoring, manufacturing innovation can’t be far behind.

In fact, the Obama administration has begun a new program to foster US manufacturing innovation. The program’s goal is establishing innovation centers, or “technology testbeds,” for manufacturers to collaborate with university research centers, National Labs, and government departments like the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. These centers would allow a pooling of resources so that smaller manufacturers “can design, prototype, and test a new product or process.” Giving companies access to tools, technology, and research will, hopefully, spur innovations and industry growth.

We’ve proudly manufactured our products in the US for over 35 years, and innovation has been a part of BHS culture since our founding. In that time, we’ve seen many manufacturing innovations. Manufacturers have to meet their customers’ demands for high quality products. Because of this, we constantly investigate new manufacturing methods and ways to improve our products. We are committed to using the most efficient processes to produce the highest quality products.

Our choices for manufacturing revolve around simple principles: precision, quality, durability, and efficiency. We have been early adopters of technologies like corner forming, robotic welding, and CNC sawing for those very reasons. In the past year, we’ve also acquired equipment for sheet rolling and tube rolling and bending and doubled our powder coating capacity. These processes have allowed us to create more-durable products, more precisely and efficiently than ever before. Our manufacturing choices have increased our throughput and ensured that we produce the highest quality products that exactly meet specifications in a lead-time that sets us apart from competitors.

We are eager to see what the projected reshoring and government investment in manufacturing innovation can bring for our industry. This is the perfect opportunity to talk shop, so this month, our blog will focus on the different manufacturing technologies that go into every piece of BHS-fabricated and -manufactured equipment. We’ll pay special attention to CNC machining, laser cutting, and powder coating.