Manufacturing is going through some big changes. But you don’t need us to tell you this, right?
We’re sure you’ve already been thinking hard about how to deal with issues like compliance, labour shortages, environmental regulations, and much more.
So maybe you’ve noticed just how much technology figures in all of this. There are thousands of options on the market right now all promising a perfect solution to a specific problem in manufacturing.
That’s why, in this post, we’ll not only help you understand the latest trends in manufacturing technology, but give you practical tips on how to adopt them to your advantage.
In this article you’ll find:
- Challenges affecting manufacturing in 2025
- Key manufacturing technology trends in 2025
- Introducing the mlean Production System (mPS)
Challenges affecting manufacturing in 2025
Let’s start by looking at the major challenges you’ll have to deal with as a manufacturer in 2025, as each of these issues can be handled with tech.
Pace of innovation
Technology is developing so quickly it can be hard to keep track. New tools come around all the time, and new promises along with them.
But here’s the thing: getting left behind in the scramble is bad news for you, and good news for your competitors.
This is where it gets tricky. By rushing to implement technologies without careful planning, these tools of innovation and efficiency can quickly become a drain.
So the first problem affecting manufacturing technology trends is the overwhelming number of technologies themselves.
Vision is critical to success for any digital transformation or technology upgrade. Make sure you have an achievable, measurable goal behind any implementation of technology. Otherwise, you run the risk of failure.
Changing regulations
A multinational supply chain is complicated to manage at the best of times, but with countries and regions all having different regulations that affect the flow of goods, headaches are inevitable.
This has always been the case. However, unexpected events can accelerate these issues, leaving you blindsided if your compliance game isn’t perfect.
Take Brexit as an example. When the UK left the customs union and European single market, it took some time before the new rules for trade and transport were fully understood. Now, firms selling between the jurisdictions must balance the legal requirements of both territories.
Coming down the track are changes to environmental regulations that differ between nations. It’s a key force driving tech adoption, as more firms look to AI and other solutions to help with compliance efforts.
Also, with political shakeups, expect certain markets to be more difficult to sell into, or buy from. If this happens, it might be worth taking a look at how you supply and sell.
So expect a few bumps along the road.
More sophisticated demand
It’s been a theme for a while, and it continues to create conversation across manufacturing: changing consumer demand.
The successful factory of 2025 needs to be prepared to customise products at scale.
As the internet has created niche audiences and led to targeted product messaging (ask anyone in the marketing department), the consumer is now used to finding and buying products that specifically match them.
In other words, the traditional mass market is disappearing for many industries.
This creates a serious problem when your processes are geared towards producing more generic variants efficiently.
And fixing this can feel like manoeuvring a huge vessel through rapid currents.
That is, without properly implemented technology.
Sustainability
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword. Forward-thinking manufacturers view the drive for sustainability as an opportunity to waste less and work more profitably.
After all, which manufacturer wants to produce waste? Moving towards a waste-free industry benefits both the planet and bottom lines.
Combine this instinct to make more from less with stricter penalties for waste production, and you have a carrot and stick to motivate positive change.
On the stick side, add to the equation potential increases in the costs of raw materials, because of legislation, trade imbalances, rising fuel costs, or other factors.
A circular production process, in which recycled materials dominate over single-use ones, and a production line that aims to make efficiency savings wherever possible, will create opportunities for growth that didn’t exist before.
But, to make it possible, you’ll need to consider how your technology will need to change.
The latest manufacturing technology trends
Overcoming all these challenges will require some imagination, and a willingness to adapt or change your processes and technology.
Because of this, instead of listing a series of tech tools, we’ve grouped emerging trends by strategy.
Each of these strategies should be high on the list for any manufacturer in 2025. Time to dive in!
Waste elimination
The ‘Green Transformation’ is an exciting opportunity for manufacturing.
With Industry 4.0, factories became better connected, and data became the currency of a successful plant or plant group.
With Digital Transformation, we saw an entirely software and technology driven factory, cutting reams of paperwork and admin burden from frontline staff.
The Green Transformation will see factories zero in on their carbon footprint and create a more circular production process.
But this will require a tech upgrade too.
Waste will be the number one enemy of green industry. As such, a trend on the up for factories the world over is how to monitor and eliminate this waste.
Keep your eye out for:
- Monitoring and auditing software that highlights waste savings
- AI that designs greener production processes
- Fuel efficiency in transport and machinery
- More renewable energy sources
Process engineering
We mentioned the importance of customisation at scale earlier in this post. This consumer trend will undoubtedly need technology to deal with it.
For example, think about what the end of mass production could mean for your factory line.
With the previous centuries of manufacturing gearing towards producing as much as possible, according to templates, for as little as possible, how is greater customisation going to impact what an ideal process will look like?
Manufacturers are starting to realise that the foundations of process design are changing.
As a result, you’ll need to think about technology that will help you do the same.
It’s time to get back to basics.
Keep your eye out for:
- Production design software and AI
- Advances in material science
- Greater focus on lean and continuous improvement principles
- Adaptive, connected machinery
Problem Solving
You only need to take one glance at the news to understand that the global socio-economic and political situation is in flux.
Events well beyond the reach and control of your production line will have a direct impact on your revenue, positive and negative, and on the market you sell into.
Wars, environmental disasters, global trade shakeups, and unforeseen events create splashes that ripple out to manufacturing. For an example, just look at how the Russian invasion of Ukraine affected fuel prices in Europe.
Economic and political changes can be temporary or permanent; acute, or chronic. For every 1-2 year drastic change, like a pandemic, there’s a long-term shift in market conditions or buying habits, like a trade imbalance or labour shortage.
Many expect a more fractured global marketplace to emerge over the next few years as a result of more protectionist trade policy.
Whether this happens or not remains to be seen, but it can’t hurt to prepare in the best way you can.
And for that, you need a tech boost.
Keep your eye out for:
- Generative AI
- Problem solving technology
- Software and tech adaptive to regulatory changes
- Analytic AI for market logistics
Industry 5.0
Tied to all the above trends is Industry 5.0; a development that aims to change the role of manufacturing in the society surrounding it.
As with Industry 4.0, and its creation of connected machinery and prioritisation of data from the production line, Industry 5.0 will create and prioritise new metrics and outputs.
Industry 5.0 can be defined as a rebalancing of the relationship between the worker, the environment, and the market with the production process itself.
It draws in some of the themes we discussed above, such as the creation of a circular economy, and the redesigning of systems architectures.
It’s a movement in its infancy, so we don’t know yet what its maturity will look like.
However, we do know one thing for sure: in the Industry 5.0 plant, profitability and productivity will share importance with other priorities.
This is because global leaders and institutions are hoping to turn industry into a spearhead for broader positive economic and social change.
Be mindful of the effect this might have on your planning. Get ahead of the curve through the following tech options:
- Training and skills management software
- Smart logistics planning
- Careful AI & Robotics rollouts
- Worker-centric production standards
