Not a day goes by without a major news network covering the state of the manufacturing industry. And whether that pertains to job gains (or cuts), factory investments (or closures), supply chain constraints resulting in shortages, tariffs, inflation – the list goes on – it seems to interest, and impact, nearly everyone.
And because of the wide-reaching implications, it’s likely your average American has an opinion on many of these topics. But at IEN, we care more about the opinions of the industry stakeholders who truly live this day in and day out – the boots on the ground who read our magazine and open our email newsletters each day.
We recently sought out some input on a variety of topics with the goal of understanding how manufacturing industry professionals are reacting to the various critical issues that seem to be evolving rapidly. We utilized a flash poll approach on our website – IEN.com – where site visitors were served a one-question survey. Here’s the feedback we received on some recent key topics:
Would you recommend a manufacturing career path to your children or grandchildren?
A recent poll asked manufacturing and engineering industry professionals, "Would you recommend a manufacturing career path to your children or grandchildren?" In 24 hours, the poll received nearly 350 responses, with the overwhelming majority, 78.24% (233 respondents), indicating that they would recommend such a path to the younger generations in their family.
IEN Takeaway: There’s been a lot of talk about the negative perception of manufacturing jobs and how these views inhibit the growth of the industry. It seems the way to address that is to actually experience a manufacturing workplace.
Will manufacturers ever close the skills gap?
Within 24 hours, this poll received 173 responses, and a majority (63%) said manufacturers will never close the skills gap. The remaining 37% believe manufacturers will be able to achieve the steep feat.
IEN Takeaway: The manufacturing workforce is no doubt fatigued by the “revolving door” they see within their own companies. As an issue we often hear about anecdotally, businesses are struggling with retention and retirement at once, resulting in critical knowledge gaps.
Is OSHA good for the manufacturing industry?
The poll received more than 200 responses, and an overwhelming majority, about 82%, said OSHA is good for the industry. Approximately 18% of respondents believe OSHA isn't beneficial to the industry.
IEN Takeaway: Despite the current administration’s tone on deregulation, manufacturers see this federal agency as serving a necessary purpose, one that’s not viewed as an abstract concept, rather, one that supports their well-being in the workplace.
How will tariffs impact U.S. manufacturing?
Some 56% of respondents believe tariffs will hurt U.S. manufacturing, and 44% of industry professionals think tariffs will help.
IEN Takeaway: A recent analysis suggests that factory costs could increase by roughly 2% to 4.5% and many in manufacturing take a downbeat tone due to concerns over input costs and slimmer profit margins that could result in higher prices or job cuts.
While our flash polling results gave us a lot to think about, IEN also embarked on a more comprehensive survey project this summer, in partnership with RH Blake – a marketing firm with an array of clients in the industrial space. In this case, we sought to uncover how B2B buyers were making their purchasing decisions.
The study drew on more than 250 interviews with manufacturing leaders responsible for long sales cycle purchases, and the findings aim to understand when and how opinions are formed during the purchasing process.
And while the report reveals a lot of detailed information about the B2B buying process (we recommend you download your own free copy for full access to the findings), you might consider these high points in the meantime:
- Operational urgency: Asset aging and technology obsolescence are the biggest triggers for purchasing action.
- AI in the buying journey: human expertise matters more when the vast majority don’t quite trust AI.
- Trusted early-stage channels include trade publications, peer recommendations, and sales engineers
- C-level priorities: Reliability, TCO, and support matter more than brand name.
- Winning factors: Technical expertise and clear differentiation close deals faster.
Market research can be time consuming for outlets like us as well as for those being tasked with sharing information. Believe me, I know nobody wants to complete yet another email survey or pop-up poll. But I will stress just how valuable it is for each and every voice to be heard so we can take that information and share it with the world. Because opinions on manufacturing industry issues are everywhere, but they matter most when they come from the individuals who are actually spending their days on a factory floor. That’s the kind of data that’s worth the effort to uncover.
For more detail on the IEN-RH Blake study on buyer behavior, visit IEN.com/RHBlake for a free download.
