Revalize, a worldwide leader in CAD, CPQ, and PLM software solutions for manufacturers, has officially published the results from its new research, which focused on gauging the priorities of manufacturing organizations for the year 2025, the challenges they’ll face, and how the future of this industry will look moving forward.

Named as “Smart Manufacturing 2025: Trends Shaping the Digital-First Era and Beyond,” the whole exercise facilitated the survey of more than 500 CPQ, PLM, engineering modeling, and simulation software decision-makers across United States. Furthermore, it would go on to identify three key themes where manufacturing organizations will focus during 2025 and beyond. These themes were tools and talent; data security; and keeping up with new tech and the skills shortage.

The survey’s findings, all in all, expect organizations to double down on investments in software, manufacturing, and engineering teams.

You see, the manufacturing sector is set to play a major role in the future success of wider economy, with the industry accounting for 13.6% of the global employed population and approximately 16% of the global GDP.

Having said so, despite this predicted growth; Revalize’s research found that manufacturing-focused organizations are also going to face several challenges in the next year as they navigate the rapidly changing technological landscape. We get to say so because technologies like AI, advanced robotics, and IoT are likely to change the dynamics of competitive advantage in multiple ways.

Apart from that, companies will also need to retrain, as well as upskill their workforces to adapt to new tools and conditions.

Talk about the survey’s results on a slightly deeper, they begin by revealing that more than 91% of organizations plan to adopt new technologies, tools, or software over the next 12 months.

Next up, the report reveals a significant uptick in the context of budgets and organizational headcount, as an estimated 70% of respondents reported an increase in their organization’s software budget, if compared to last year. On the other hand, 57% of all respondents also said they have increased their team’s headcount.

Another detail uncovered by this survey is rooted in a mix big of AI prospects. Basically, even with its perceived challenges, 28% respondents tipped AI to have major impacts on the industry by 2050, which is also the most of any trend or technology surveyed. The stated belief is only reinforced by the fact that nearly 43% of respondents already have plans in place to adopt AI-powered quality control solutions.

Rounding up highlights is the projected increase in sustainability measures. Here, almost 29% of respondents claimed that their organization plans to adopt sustainable technology during 2025. On top of that, 21% predicted enhanced sustainability and green manufacturing to have the biggest impact on the manufacturing industry by 2050.

Founded back in 2021, Revalize’s rise up the ranks stems from supporting businesses who design, model, develop and sell, serving them with a portfolio of industry-leading CAD, PLM, and CPQ solutions. The company’s excellence in what it does can also be understood once you consider it serves, at the moment, more than 15,000 customers across the globe.

“The manufacturing industry stands on the brink of a transformative era driven by advanced technologies such as AI, Industry 4.0, and cloud-based solutions,” said Mike Sabin, CEO of Revalize. “While that’s exciting, we also recognize that manufacturers will continue to face challenges including supply chain disruptions, skilled labor shortages, and increasingly sophisticated security threats. We are committed to empowering businesses with the tools and insights they need to navigate this landscape, which is why we’re releasing this report to help shine a light on what the future of manufacturing will look like and what challenges organizations should prepare for.”