null Skip to main content.
Phelps County Development Corporation Logo
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • X-twitter
  • Youtube
    • Site Selectors
      • Available Properties
      • Iron Horse Industrial Park
      • Location Advantages
      • Target Industries
      • County Profile
      • Community Profiles
      • Major Employers
      • Workforce & Talent
      • Market Research
      • Incentives
      • Why Nebraska?
    • Business Services
      • GO! Programs
      • Workforce Development
      • High Demand Job Scholarships
      • Business Education
      • PCDC Builders Bureau
      • Retail Opportunities
    • Phelps County
      • Why Phelps
      • Relocation Assistance
        • GO! Home Programs
        • Quality of Life
        • Community Guide
        • Community Resources
        • Community Profile: Snapshot
        • Local Media
        • Why Nebraska
      • Workforce & Careers
        • Start your Career
      • Community Guide
      • DG Fuels
    • About PCDC
      • PCDC Strategic Plan
      • PCDC Board of Directors
      • PCDC Professional Staff
      • Contact
      • Accomplishments & Reports
        • Economic Indicators
      • Partners
    • In the News
      • Phelps County Business Journal
      • GO! Newsletter
      • Video/Audio Gallery
      • Sign Up for Updates
    Phelps County, NE In the News
    1. Home
    2. In The News
    3. Advances In Technology Force Changes In Manufacturing
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    • Print
    Advances in Technology Force Changes in Manufacturing main photo

    Advances in Technology Force Changes in Manufacturing

    January 1, 2017

    Smaller manufacturing plants with fewer and more specialized employees will be a trend in the near future.

    That was the message PCDC Executive Director Ron Tillery heard from the recent State Chamber Economic Development Summit.

    Speakers included Jay Moon, president of the Mississippi Manufacturing Association; Jay Tyszko, Executive Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation; and Dr. Ernie Gross, economics professor at Creighton University.

    With technology closing the wage cost disparity, the experts said manufacturers are “reshoring” operations from counties like China and Mexico back to the United States. Those moves will also help manufacturers save on transportation costs.

    Technological advances also mean a different skill set for manufacturing workers. There will be training opportunities for employees willing to learn robotics and technology or new jobs for those already interested or trained in those fields.

    The higher skill sets needed translates into higher salaries for manufacturing employees.

    Here’s a few other predictions from the summit:

    • Manufacturing employment will continue to decline, similar to the agriculture revolution of the past half century, with technology improving productivity. Companies that don’t innovate will evaporate. 
    • Education systems need to re-orient their career education focus. It takes too long to prepare students for jobs in today’s economy, and many jobs are obsolete by the time students obtain their degrees. Also, too many students are dropping out of college, and it may be due to the high costs.
    • Data evaluators will be in high demand in the near future. More than 90 percent of the data generated in the history of the planet has occurred within the last two years. And, the trend is accelerating. 
    • Agriculture data is a rapidly growing sub-category that includes:
      • Diagnostic data – analyzing past performance,
      • Descriptive data – what’s happening now,
      • Prescriptive data – what needs to be done, and
      • Predictive data – what is likely to occur.
    • We’re in the early stages of the fourth industrial revolution, cyber connectivity.
    Fast Fact Photo
    1. Title

    Phelps County Communities

    1. Title
    Fast Fact Photo
    2. Atlanta

    Atlanta

    2. Atlanta
    Fast Fact Photo
    3. Bertrand

    Bertrand

    3. Bertrand
    Fast Fact Photo
    4. Funk

    Funk

    4. Funk
    Fast Fact Photo
    5. Holdrege

    Holdrege

    5. Holdrege
    Fast Fact Photo
    6. Loomis

    Loomis

    6. Loomis

    #phelpshelps

    Contact Us Today!

    Phelps County Development Corporation Icon Nebraska Economic Certified Community
    Phelps County Development Corporation 502 East Avenue P.O. Box 522 Holdrege, NE 68949Phone: (308) 995-4148 pcdc@phelpscountyne.com
  • Contact Us
  • Private
  • Site Map
  • © 2025 Phelps County Development Corporation. All rights reserved. Economic Development Websites by Golden Shovel Agency.
    Add to Report
    View Custom Report
    Sign Up to Receive News & Updates! Click to go to news and updates