A national survey has found that in order to remain competitive, manufacturers must become faster, less wasteful, more flexible, more efficient and internationally connected.
The survey was conducted by consulting firm the MPI Group and was commissioned by Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers across the country, including Mass MEP, which is based in Worcester.
Results indicate that only a fraction of Massachusetts manufacturers come close to meeting international “next generation manufacturing” standards, and the disparity is more pronounced for small manufacturers.
Too few Massachusetts manufacturers measure company performance in a sufficiently organized or comprehensive way, the survey found.
A majority of all national survey respondents said that less than half of their employees are part of company improvement initiatives, and only about 40 percent of companies have the ability to respond to unexpected customer demands.
Less than 5 percent of New England companies are near “world class” status for energy efficiency, the survey found.
But the survey wasn’t all doom and gloom. New England companies devote more resources to new product development, and launch more new products than manufacturers in other regions. New England companies also generate more revenue per employee than companies in other regions.
