Manufacturing’s Future: Small-Batch for Small Companies?
Demand for low-volume custom orders is increasing, creating opportunities for small companies on their own and in partnership with larger manufacturers. World Emblem CEO Randy Carr explains how:
The rise in adoption rates of just-in-time manufacturing processes places increasing pressure on large and small manufacturers to shorten delivery times from weeks to days—or even overnight. Working with small batch manufacturers can help large-scale producers improve their business agility and compete with smaller, more nimble companies.
A Deloitte Insights report summarizes the manufacturing sector landscape perfectly: “The changing economics of production and distribution, along with shifts in consumer demand and the emergence of “smart” products, are pushing manufacturers to explore radically new ways of creating and capturing value.”
Custom-made products for smaller niche markets are available and accessible with just the click of a mouse or tap on a screen. That raises consumers’ expectations for getting exactly what they want, when they want it. The good news: this creates new business opportunities for manufacturers that can deliver the goods.
