Technology Use in US Manufacturing

This paper examines the technology use of US manufacturing businesses. Results from a 2023 survey of US manufacturers (n=268) show that computer-aided design (CAD), numerically or computer-controlled machines, and programmable controllers / programmable logic controllers have considerably higher adoption rates than Industry 4.0 technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, robots, and AI / machine learning. The most frequently cited barriers to the use of Industry 4.0 technologies are the size and needs (e.g., “products don’t require technology”) of a company more so than concerns about various aspects of technology (e.g., fear of obsoletion). When selecting technologies to use, US manufacturers consider the impacts of the technology on production and the business (e.g., enhance product quality, increase worker productivity) and costs (reduce production costs, costs of purchasing the technology) more so than the skills of workers and recommendations of (or use by) other businesses, industry associations, colleges, or universities. Future research using the survey data will provide a more in-depth analysis of technology use and its broader impacts on businesses and the regions where they are located.