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Atlanta, GA | Posted: November 5, 2014
2014 Georgia Manufacturing Survey
Innovation, advanced technology, and balancing competition and collaboration play crucial roles in helping manufacturers thrive today and prepare for the future. Manufacturers increasingly must not only use efficient and productive technologies but also continuously adapt and innovate in the context of finite resources and greater awareness of environmental impacts.
The 2014 Georgia Manufacturing Survey looks at how Georgia manufacturers deploy information, quality management, and production technologies. It also examines the benefits of competing on innovation rather than on low price and indicates the extent of engagement of manufacturers in innovation. The use of outsourcing and in-sourcing is depicted and workforce and training practices are presented. The 2014 Survey also highlights the top concerns of Georgia manufacturers.
Key Findings
STRATEGIES – 14% of Georgia manufacturers chose low price to compete in the marketplace compared to 6% that compete through innovation or new technology.
PROFITABILITY – Profits of Georgia manufacturers generally increased between 2012 and 2014, by 13% on average.
OUTSOURCING – In 2014, 11% of manufacturers were affected by outsourcing, that is, work transferred from a Georgia facility, and 13% gained from in-sourcing, or work transferred to a Georgia facility. These percentages are below those reported in the 2012 survey.
EXPORTING – Nearly half of Georgia manufacturers had export sales, with 20% of manufacturers increasing their export sales in 2013 over 2011 levels. These percentages are below those reported in the 2012 survey.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT – Georgia manufacturers who conducted R&D compare well with manufacturers across the country. However, only 27% of Georgia manufacturers conducted R&D in-house. Only 2% used public loans or grants to pay for R&D and only 16% used R&D tax credits.
MANUFACTURING CONCERNS – 32% of the respondents identified marketing and sales as their top concern. Concerns about the lack of basic and technical workforce skills show the most growth over 2012 levels.
SUSTAINABILITY – Only 9% of Georgia manufacturers have produced a carbon footprint inventory of their facility. While nearly half of large manufacturers produced an emissions inventory, just 2% of small manufacturers have tracked carbon emissions.
TRAINING – More than a quarter (28%) of respondents said technical skills were a top concern. Yet, 29% reported not spending any funds on employee training, whether it involved routine tasks or new capabilities.
INVESTING IN TECHNOLOGY – More than half of manufacturers reported using enterprise resource planning, computer aided design, and preventive/predictive maintenance. Plans for investing in new technologies were most common for bar code readers (15%). Plans to invest in new technologies were below 2012 levels.
Overall, as the economy has improved, Georgia manufacturers are reaping current benefits in higher profitability levels but they are not yet expanding innovation, training, and manufacturing technologies.
