Manufacturing Trends of 2023

Staying on top of trends is crucial for businesses in almost all sectors but is especially important for those, such as ourselves, in the manufacturing industry. There are constant changes happening all the time, and, as leading spring manufacturers, we must look at these changes and consider how we can implement them into our practices.

We understand that trends come and go, and things we thought would stick around may not have lasted more than a few months before something bigger and better came and took their place. However, others start as trends and remain staples in the industry for years to come.

So, today, we’re exploring this idea by looking into the top manufacturing trends of 2023. We’re predicting what we believe will be popular over the next twelve months, as well as what we’re taking with us and leaving behind from 2022.

Which 2022 Manufacturing Trends Will Carry Over Into 2023?

Last year, the industry welcomed a wide range of technology that we have been proud to implement into our processes here at European Springs. Here are a few of the manufacturing trends (technological and not) of 2022 that we believe will carry over into this year and become industry standard in the not-so-distant future:

• Big data. This improves efficiency, streamlines processes, and allows manufacturing companies to better their decision-making quickly.
• Smart factories. Whilst this isn’t an entirely new idea, smart factories developed in 2022, becoming more accessible for those in the industry along with a surge of new cyber-physical technology.
• Carbon neutrality. Again, this wasn’t new to 2022, but the ways in which it developed last year were impressive. Factories, warehouses, and workshops worldwide pledged to change their processes, use greener systems, and decrease their carbon footprint in line with industry standards.

Which 2022 Manufacturing Trends Will Be Left Behind?

2022 saw many significant changes to the manufacturing industry, and most of those developments were revolutionary, as discussed above. Because of this, there aren’t any stand-out trends that were found to be passing fads.

Trying and testing new practices is never a waste of time because it allows us to use an array of skills and helps us gain experience and develop ourselves and the company; however, we can’t help but feel relieved when no trends are left behind. Here at European Springs, this is always great news, as it means no time, money, or other resources were wasted in investing in trends that didn’t last longer than twelve months.

Manufacturing Trends to Look Out for in 2023

As mentioned, today we’re exploring some of the manufacturing trends we believe will significantly impact the industry in 2023. Whether it’s new technology, tech developments, or improved practices, we’re at the forefront of these changes that allow us to improve our services and products for our clients; let’s take a look.

3D Printing

3D printing has been a staple in the industry for years, but we believe that 2023 is when it will become even more popular. Recently, there have been significant advancements in 3D printing technology, with metal being used in the process in place of plastic. This means that items, such as hinges, screws, and other metal components that need to be durable, can be manufactured using 3D printing. This significantly increases the speed and efficiency of the manufacturing process, especially for bulk orders.

Who knows, perhaps one day we will be 3D-printing our compression springs?

Increased Automation

Automation is a broad term used to describe automatic equipment, for example:

• Robotics
• AI
• Sensors
• And much more

It is designed to streamline processes and speed up manufacturing procedures which is beneficial for many reasons. For instance, we could use automation systems for our bulk orders, allowing our technicians to work on other manufacturing areas while AI or robotic technology completes the orders.

In 2023, we believe that advanced automation will be used more frequently across the industry. This is because it means skilled workers can complete more fulfilling roles while AI works on repetitive practices, such as the bulk orders mentioned above.

AI

To further explore the previous point, we believe AI will become huge in 2023. We have already seen evidence of what artificial intelligence can achieve and are excited to see it advance over the year.

With the speed at which AI is advancing, we could use the technology across our company to assist us with spring design, manufacturing, and testing. For example, instead of manufacturing physical products to test for durability, we could program AI with the materials we wish to test and use digital testing. This way, we’re not wasting materials, and, at the same time, we’re speeding up the testing process.

As mentioned, we’re always thrilled to try out new manufacturing technology and see what is trending throughout the industry to see how we could use it to our and our client’s advantage. European Springs is always at the forefront of these industry changes, and it’s exciting to see where technological advancements take us.

To stay updated, please check our blog, where we post the latest industry innovations, and, as always, get in touch with our expert manufacturers for all spring manufacturing queries.