The State of Manufacturing: Resilience in Uncertain Times with Willem Sundblad

What is the current state of manufacturing? Who better to ask than Willem Sundblad, CEO and Co-Founder of Oden Technologies, who commissioned The State of Manufacturing 2022 report?

Surveying over 300 manufacturing leaders has highlighted some fascinating food for thought on topics like the labor market, inflation, demand changes, investing in sustainability, and more.

Willem joins Manufacturing Happy Hour again to talk more about the findings and his own personal take on why businesses are increasingly investing in sustainability post-pandemic. He also explores what sets the winners and losers apart in the manufacturing space and what trends he’s most excited to see more of in 2023.

In this episode, find out:

• What the State of Manufacturing report tells us
• The importance of making investments in digitization
• Why there’s a bigger gap between manufacturing “winners and losers”
• Why companies that invest in tech and sustainability are leading the way
• Why companies need to be agile and quick to make decisions in uncertain times
• What global supply chain issues mean for manufacturers
• The most interesting and surprising report findings
• How manufacturers are dealing with COVID aftereffects
• How manufacturers can approach the labor shortage problem

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Tweetable Quotes:

• “I talked to a lot of customers last year who are beating their sustainability targets. A lot of that was because of supply chain issues. It was so hard to get raw material that they had to increase the rate of recycled material in the product.”
• “One of the biggest drivers of the digital investments in automation investments is the challenges in the labor market.”
• “If you can empower people who understand the process and the needs of the day-to-day to make decisions quickly, you become more agile and deal with uncertainty in a much healthier way.”

Links & mentions:

• Oden Technologies, an intelligent industrial automation company that empowers manufacturers to embrace industry 4.0
• The State of Manufacturing Report, insights from industry leaders on adapting to the current trends in manufacturing
• Tunnbrödsrulle, late-night Swedish street food consisting of a hot dog, mashed potatoes, and shrimp salad in a wrap (trust us, it’s amazing)

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.