Digital Manufacturing is a Growth Sector

American manufacturers are investing heavily in digital technologies, pouring 2.6 percent of their annual revenue into digital systems, according to PwC. That investment “is expected to increase to almost 5 percent of revenue in the next five years, an estimated $350 billion,” says the consulting firm.

Venture capital firms have invested $3.6 billion since 2011 in start-ups developing digital technologies for manufacturers. This funding reflects “an increase of nearly 50 percent annually with start-up investment focused on manufacturing software, ERP and inventory software and robotics and sensor technology,” states the consultancy.

Of the manufacturing companies that PwC surveyed, adopting digital manufacturing technologies will lower operating costs by at least 11 percent, “mostly through efficiencies gained by automating processes and production.”

Reprinted with permission from Manufacturing & Technology News.