Few industries define American manufacturing as ubiquitously as metalworking. Whereas not too long ago it conjured up images of a shop floor welder bent over a wild spray of fire, metalworking is now more readily identified by a neat and tidy assembly floor filled with sparkly clean parts rolling in soldier-like fashion as robotic arms nip, tuck and zip them into finished form.
Automation has created a dramatic shift in labor and skillset needs, but as GLS Managing Principal Woody Hydrick points out in this Trade & Industry Development feature story, predicting the future of America’s metalworking industry is complicated. Offshoring, IoT, and an increasing demand for key resources all play a part in determining where manufacturers and suppliers locate.