Automation adoption for US manufacturing is accelerating. Facing persistent labor shortages and rising wage pressures, manufacturers need support. Meanwhile, technology affordability has accelerated, and recently approved policies support capital investment.
Automation is no longer limited to large manufacturers. It is a practical tool for small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs). For Illinois manufacturers, these shifts have arrived at a watershed moment. Long-standing productivity challenges are mixing with new opportunities across reshoring and supply chain resilience.
For SMMs facing an aging workforce and growing skills gaps, automation may be the answer, enabling growth and better productivity to take advantage of these shifts. SMMs who make smart automation moves over the next two years will find themselves more competitive, with improved workforce stability and well-positioned for long-term resilience.
In this executive brief, IMEC takes a look at the wider automation picture for Illinois SMMs, and lays out a phased automation roadmap for high ROI, low disruption use cases and overall automation modernization.
