The Wisconsin Manufacturing Report provides recommendations that could help companies nationwide to navigate uncertainties and challenges

The Wisconsin Center of Manufacturing & Productivity (WCMP) recently released its fourth annual Wisconsin Manufacturing Report, a comprehensive overview of the state's manufacturing sector. While the survey is specific to Wisconsin and manufacturing, the 58-page report will be of interest to policymakers across the country for possible replication, critical insights into concerns that manufacturers are experiencing, and guidance to manufacturers in other states to apply to their own situations.

The WCMP, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Manufacturing Solutions (WMEP) and the University of Wisconsin-Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center, commissioned the survey of 400 manufacturing executives and several stakeholder focus groups across the state, with the report highlighting key issues and concerns gleaned from those interviews. These concerns included workforce, technological investments, and economic challenges. The report provides recommendations that will enable companies in Wisconsin and beyond to position themselves to navigate uncertainties and challenges successfully.  

The report’s authors found that while participants noted ongoing workforce shortages as a continuing top concern, these shortages are also transforming the industry by prompting manufacturers to adopt more flexible and creative strategies for attracting and retaining employees. In particular, manufacturers are investing more in employee development and increasing worker engagement. These changes, the authors note, represent a strategic shift towards enhancing workforce capabilities. The report also underscores a significant push towards automacombatAI, with manufacturers leveraging these technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness and combating the labor shortage.

Overall, respondents are optimistic about the economy and their businesses. They have shown resilience since the pandemic, solved their supply chain issues, and aggressively pursued growth through greater investments in marketing and other customer-seeking initiatives. They expect continuing business improvements going into 2025 while also remaining concerned with labor shortages and wage and benefit (particularly healthcare) inflation.

The report concludes with participant recommendations for manufacturers and businesses: invest in the workforce and embrace technology, especially AI, which, as the authors note, businesses can experiment with in low-cost and low-risk ways. The authors also encourage manufacturers to engage in the state’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) network, noting “partnerships are key.”