National Manufacturing Day is an opportunity to recognize the people, technology and infrastructure that keep factories and production facilities moving. It also puts a spotlight on the challenges manufacturers are working through as they prepare their operations for the years ahead.
Workforce shortages, the growing use of AI and the need to modernize factory infrastructure are changing how manufacturers think about their people and technology. Leanne Taylor, CEO of Syspro, and Mark Christie, Field CTO at StorMagic, share their perspectives on how manufacturers can address these priorities while maintaining the knowledge, accountability and reliability their operations depend on.
Leanne Taylor, CEO of Syspro
“National Manufacturing Day is a chance to recognize the people who keep this industry running and to be honest about the workforce challenge ahead. Research from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute found nearly half a million open manufacturing technician roles, with technician employment projected to grow six times faster than production occupations through 2030. That gap doesn't close on its own. Manufacturers need to invest in their people and find better ways for experienced employees to pass their knowledge on.
AI has a real role to play here by helping them work better. Finding the right information faster, understanding what's happening across the business, making better decisions sooner. But the person stays at the center. Teams need to see the data and business rules behind every recommendation, understand what an action will affect, and retain approval where human judgement is required. That transparency is what allows manufacturers to adopt new technology without losing the knowledge and accountability their operations depend on.”
Taylor’s focus on the workforce is one part of preparing manufacturing operations for the future. At the same time, manufacturers are rethinking the infrastructure behind their production environments, where reliability and access to data can directly affect what happens on the factory floor.
Mark Christie, Field CTO at StorMagic
“Manufacturing is often associated with machinery and production lines, but modernization relies on an invisible layer of resilient technology. Behind the equipment, small data centers process the information needed to keep production moving. In high-speed bottling plants, for example, local workloads scan thousands of drink cans per minute to detect defects before they leave the conveyor belt. If this processing happened in a location further afield, even a small delay or network problem could interrupt the checks and affect production.
The need for these systems to respond quickly and continuously highlights a wider challenge that today's manufacturers face. Operational teams often prioritize uptime, aiming to keep factory systems running without changes that could cause disruption. IT teams place greater focus on regular updates and standardized systems. These competing objectives can make it difficult to modernize factory technology without affecting production.
The key is finding a way for operational and information technology to work in tandem, with infrastructure that supports both stability and modernization. Companies that are beginning to replace their heavy legacy hardware with lightweight, self-contained edge infrastructure are simplifying their fragmented server environments and creating systems designed around their own operational needs. By balancing these priorities, manufacturers can modernize with confidence while protecting the continuity their operations depend on.”
Taylor and Christie’s perspectives highlight two sides of the same challenge facing manufacturers. New technology can help address workforce pressures and modernize operations, but its value depends on how well it supports the people and systems already keeping production moving. As manufacturers plan for what comes next, investments in both employees and resilient infrastructure will remain central to maintaining reliable operations while adopting new capabilities.
