制造业的近期和长期未来都将由一系列不断发展和突出的趋势的发展来决定. These trends are poised to have a significant impact in 2021 (and, in many cases, beyond), 因此，对于制造商来说，对它们是什么有一个敏锐的理解是至关重要的, how they will grow over time, and how they will impact the industry and the customers it serves.

With that in mind, let’s look at 5 manufacturing trends to watch in 2021:

COVID-19 and Employee Safety

毫无疑问，随着2021年的到来，工作场所的安全和遵守CDC指南和OSHA法规(以及当地的安全措施)将继续成为制造商的首要考虑因素. With COVID-19 cases on the rise in many parts of the world, 组织需要继续保持警惕，努力保护员工. Doing so, however, 这需要公司领导投入大量的时间、精力和资源.

虽然有效推出有效的COVID-19疫苗对制造业最终恢复正常是一个好兆头, the impact of such a rollout won’t be felt for some time. In the interim, organizations will need to continue practicing social distancing in the workplace, restricting visitors to facilities, 鼓励员工保持良好的卫生习惯，确保员工身体健康，适合工作，然后才允许他们上岗.

It’s been nearly a year since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the U.S.这对全国乃至全世界的制造商来说仍然是一个重大挑战. While companies do have plans and protocols in place to combat the virus, 遵守这些原则，确保员工的健康和福祉，现在是——而且将继续是——一项艰巨的任务.

Connected Workforce

长期以来，为工人提供能够保持联系和远程协作的技术的愿望在制造业中一直呈上升趋势. 随着老一辈人陆续离开职场，取而代之的是年轻员工, and the rise of the big data era in manufacturing takes shape, 寻找工具和技术，使日益分散和远程的员工尽可能高效，是当今公司的首要任务.

As a recent article from McKinsey explained, 持续的COVID-19大流行导致越来越依赖数字协作来建立和维持一支互联的制造业劳动力队伍. An increased emphasis on safety and changes to work processes, in an effort to maintain social distancing and minimize physical contact, 领导各种类型和规模的组织采用尖端的方式，允许员工进行虚拟交流和互动.

虽然大流行病的广泛影响导致这一趋势(以及相关工具和技术的采用率)增长, 对于制造商来说，为员工提供培训和资源仍然至关重要，因为他们试图最大限度地提高远程生产效率. Why? Because doing so is poised to pay off over time. According to McKinsey, 通过数字化流程来改善设备管理和优化实物资产, 数字协作工具为制造商提供了在提高质量的同时提高生产率的方法.“那些最先做到这一点的人——而且做得好——将获得显著的竞争优势.

Internet of Things (IOT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) has long been a trend to watch in manufacturing, and this year is no different. As it continues to grow in prominence and becomes more and more widespread over time, 物联网技术将通过允许组织进行衡量，从而为行业带来价值, 利用实时数据做出明智的决策，努力提高效率并积极影响他们的底线.

According to a recent study conducted by the MPI Group, 目前，大约31%的制造业生产过程采用了智能设备和嵌入式智能. Furthermore, 超过三分之一的制造商已经制定了在其流程中实施物联网技术的计划, while 32% plan to embed IoT technology into their products.

物联网技术提供远程监控和预测性维护功能(有关预测性维护的更多信息，请参见下文), 对于那些希望保持远程设备性能可见性的组织来说，这更有价值. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact the industry in 2021, 物联网技术将继续成为寻求保持效率和生产力的制造商的首选.

Localized Production and Near-Sourcing

定制化和个性化的兴起为制造商提供了巨大的机会——也许更重要的是, able to succeed in a localized economy. By rethinking the way products get out to the public, organizations can craft an ecosystem of smaller, flexible factories located near existing and prospective customers.

Manufacturers are used to thinking on a global level. However, shifting their focus to a local level, they may be better able to meet the ever-changing needs, wants and preferences of the markets they serve. Consumers are making it abundantly clear that authenticity matters, 事实证明，本地化生产方法是组织做出相应反应的最有效方法之一.

The impact of COVID-19 also cannot be discounted. The pandemic has led manufacturers to reevaluate and reconsider sourcing, 主要是由于供应链中断(特别是在COVID-19的早期). As a result, 制造商们已经齐心协力，使他们的业务更接近他们产品的销售地, 而且，许多公司越来越希望从国内供应商那里采购原材料. 所有这一切都是为了避免与大流行有关的中断，并支持美国的行动.S. economy during these uncertain times.

Predictive Maintenance

众所周知，制造商预测即将发生的设备故障的能力，更重要的是，防止设备停机对他们的底线产生了难以置信的影响. 现在，技术的进步使组织能够做到这一点(以及更多)。.

The benefits, according to a recent blog post from EAM-Mosca Corporation, showcase why predictive maintenance (PM) is so valuable to organizations today. PM helps companies:

• Reduced costs
• Fewer failures
• Minimize scheduled downtime
• Optimize parts delivery

Effectively conducting predictive maintenance is no easy task, however. 采用(成功的)预测性维护模型要求制造商深入了解他们正在收集的变量，更重要的是，了解这些变量在工厂车间出现的频率. Therefore, 制造商必须掌握有关其设备的准确和相关知识. They must know what previous failures have taken place, and they need to make decisions around lead time. Because, as the closer to failure a machine is allowed to go, the more accurate the prediction will be.