Introduction
The manufacturing sector or industry has been an incredible strength in the establishment & the speedy rise of the United States of America. The manufacturing sector is answerable for the massive production of machines, technology, food, building, and even specific parts that will be factory-made to finish a car or plane later. With the current industrial revolution throughout the 18th & 19th eras, manufacturing enterprises came to be, ultimately substituting hard hands-on work with comfort by introducing machinery motorized by oil. With the speedy growth of the economy, there is usually an increasing demand for goods; the manufacturing enterprises are in requirement for more workers, therefore, increasing the cash that they have left over so that they can pay workers. The U.S. manufacturing industry could be controlled for a rebound & an overhaul, with a substantial impact on the country’s general economy (Tyler et al., 2022). In the United States, the manufacturing sector accounts for about $2.3 trillion in gross domestic product, hires 12,000,000 workers & supports 100’s local economies. Though this represents about 11% of the U.S. gross domestic product & 8% of immediate employment, the manufacturing industry has an unequal economic influence, comprising 20% of the country’s capital investment. Plus 35% of productivity development, 60% of exports & 70% of business research and development spending (Tyler et al., 2022).
In recent years, the U.S. is at risk of losing its rank as the world-leading manufacturing financial system. In this context, though total production had grown throughout the 21st century, the United States’ shares of worldwide manufacturing gross domestic product & gross sales have significantly dropped. In the actual real-value caption, development in the industry has slackened dramatically through the previous 3 business rotations from 4.9% (the 1990s) to 1.4% every two years. Moreover, most of this recent development is driven by services, design & software activities instead of physical manufacture. The sum of manufacturing plants & manufacturing firms in the U.S. has dropped approximately by 25% since 1997, showing a rise in closures & a stoppage in start-ups (Tyler et al., 2022)
There are numerous reasons why individuals are beginning to choose American-manufactured products over imported products or merchandise. Several individuals gradually go out of their way to buy products, mostly clothes (garments) labeled “Made in the United States of America.” The actual question here is why this tendency is becoming very popular among consumers. Can the motives be due to the quality & a particular class of consumers that can pay for these items? Or is it having self-importance in the United States of America? Or is it due to occupations coming to America? Regardless of this case, the reality is that American manufactured products are gradually becoming more popular and significant among the people of the United States of America. One aspect possibly causing this snowballing trend is that individuals comprehend that purchasing American items is generating American occupations. In an article on “Why buy American? Havahart, a company supporting only made-in-the-United States of America job opportunities and products, claims, “If each American individual paid an additional $3.33 on the United States made, it could generate about 10,000 new job opportunities. Plus, if each manufacturer utilized only 5% more American items, it could generate about 220,000 job opportunities (made in the U.S.A.). The numbers mentioned above might sound unachievable, untrue & outrageous, but some authors believe that jobs are generated through networks and marketing products in our communities. According to the article “Why buy American? There are numerous reasons Americans stand with their country when it comes to supporting their manufactured goods, but it narrows down to health conditions of 3 critical aspects of daily life. These aspects include the environment, the individual, and the economy. These mentioned aspects must be well-maintained for upcoming generations to appreciate the undamaged lifestyle we struggle to give them (Havahart, 2022).
Thesis statement: The industrial revolution guaranteed that the manufacture of products or goods stirred from home skills and established in the factory manufacture by machinery usage, the massive inflow of immigrants from every part of the world absconding political and religious oppression took place & the administration contributed by offering grants to entrepreneurs.
Body
However, the biggest problem facing manufacturing in the United States is managing high client expectations. With the rapid rising of e-commerce opportunities & snowballing availability of finished goods & information available, end users are not only challenging an advanced convenience of goods, but it is also a more modified experience. These factors put an extra burden on producers to deliver/ offer the highest quality & customized goods speedily & at a lesser cost. Furthermore, McDowell (2023) argues that customers are turning out to be more socially & environmentally conscious, necessitating manufacturers to implement sustainable performance & prioritizing social accountability. Meeting such expectations needs substantial investments in technology & inability to do so can result in reputation damages, reduced market shares & lesser profits for manufacturing industries.
Issues related to the identified problem in the manufacturing industry include: First, the manufacturing industry faces the problem of identifying clients’ needs from user-generated content. I understand user-generated content to be issued information that amateur contributors provide to an internet site. The information may be illustrated as a video, photo, discussion forum post or blog, comment, or poll response designed through a social media platform or cyberspace. Firms/ industries conventionally depend on focus groups and interviews to identify consumers’ product development needs and marketing strategies. However, firms must acknowledge that user-generated content is an encouraging substitute for identifying consumers’ needs. Though, established approaches are neither effective nor efficient for large user-generated content corpora because most of its content is repetitive or noninformative. Issues associated with depending on focus groups and interviews for customers’ information is that these approaches are expensive compared to field surveys. This is because focus groups expect a researcher to give them compensation for them to participate in a discussion. Henceforth, a researcher spends more cash preparing tools like questionnaires, plus extra payments must be given to participants and researchers (Timoshenko & Hauser, 2019).
These research tools come out as limiting because manufacturers conducting research among their customers expect to gain better and enhanced insights about a particular product. Henceforth, user-generated content results in approximately 29% higher adaptation rates than marketing campaigns that do not utilize it. Additionally, about 70% of consumer brands believe that user-generated content helps them associate better with consumers on their social media handles. This is major because U.G.C. (user-generated content) acts as dependable social proof that a manufacturer’s products are worth purchasing. For example, once most of my peers see other individuals using or wearing a particular cloth or garment, this automatically influences them to purchase the goods.
Secondly, another issue related to dealing with high customer expectations in the manufacturing industry is changing user needs & motivations towards a product they are used to. From the moment individuals are birthed, we become powered and active by our innermost selves to grow, develop, explore, and learn from our surroundings. As a young adult, I was fueled by my inner being to be playful, curious, and intrusive without any exterior rewards. Therefore, I developed intrinsic inspiration from inner forces that made me behave in particular ways based on my values, interest, and life principles. Henceforth, over time my purchasing or consumer behind to a considerable extent was influenced due to trends, social media & people that I was associated with that made it difficult to change user needs and motivation towards a particular product.
According to Brandtzaeg & Følstad (2018), on average, individuals gradually spend more time online or messaging podiums. Facebook Messenger, for instance, is described to have over 1.2 billion energetic users every month from 2017. This is because more individuals spend most of their time on messaging podiums like chatbots to reach most customers. The introduction of Chatbots on e-commerce platforms potentially increased customers’ flexibility to purchase their products of preference and expanded opportunities for learning and information retrieval & compensating for restrictions in digital competence. On the negative side, chatbots have difficulty designing open-ended conversations due to their ability to capture the numerous ways a customer might choose to engage. This trend creates more chances for customers to buy the same product over and over again, affecting the manufacturing industry because one product is moving.
Thirdly, current information over the years has been empowered by the growth and development of computing technology and semiconductors, but it has widely been powered by the increase of the L.L.B. (Lithium-ion battery). From the introduction of the Lithium-ion battery in 1991, Lithium-ion battery attained widespread usage in personal electronics & the previous decades in electrified transportation. The development of this product had its roots way back in 1960 & signifies they had for years focused on their research & development department (Masias et al., 2021). Studies show that research and development during the manufacturing process make it probable for businesses to decide on the products they will manufacture, how much to manufacture & for which customers to manufacture in the production areas. Research and development are also marvellous tools that can help manufacturing industries set up optimal inventory levels and quality controls. According to Masias, Marcicki, & Paxton (2021), in the progress of the Lithium-ion battery, there were significant numerous technical challenges to meet the upcoming needs of motorized applications. This shows that the manufacturing industry was affected or pressured to ensure they could meet the standards and demand of their already introduced product in the market. Such performance necessities were highly responsible for a 17-year interruption between introducing Lithium-ion batteries versus automotive applications to consumers.
The best possible solution for the identified problem of meeting high customer expectations includes; First, Forbes Business Council. (2021) advises companies to be transparent and honest when handling their business. Honesty & transparency helps to set high-quality businesses apart from numerous other firms. When meeting and managing growing clients’ expectations, it is just as significant to be truthful & share opportunities with clients. Companies that attempt to be the whole lot to every person classically are less fruitful than firms that try to identify the accurate fit for their products or services. For example, Amazon manages high customer expectations by increasing their order-to-delivery speeds by creating a more extensive network of fulfillment hubs, centers, mortar stores, and bricks. Amazon is speedily escalating logistics capabilities and distribution that allow them to transport/ distribute on the promise of Prime. Swiftness has always been the best differentiator for the company because they have created a brand name. Amazon constantly reinvents its shopping experiences with company-designed stores for convenience and speed. These stores or new applications enable customers to register and are charged money for their products when they are in the stores.
Secondly, most companies face the biggest challenges of meeting high customer expectations & knowing who they are. Often, companies work under kept assumptions rather than knowledgeable feedback resulting from listening to customers. In this age of texts, chatbots, surveys, videos, email, & social media, there are no excuses for mislaying the mark on clients’ expectations. However, companies can create numerous engagement chances to listen to customers. According to the YEC council post (2020), listening to clients is the central aspect of serving customers to the greatest of your abilities. Every single business should know that clients’ preferences are tremendously dynamic. For example, they might demand warmer clothes in spring compared to the summer period, where they will demand more revealing clothing. Companies need to find a way to calmly communicate with their customers in a way that makes sense to the business. For instance, a manufacturing company knows its customers have numerous questions preventing them from purchasing. This requires the company to break the barriers by answering their customers’ questions unrestricted. Therefore, the company can create a YouTube channel or podcast to make communication with their customers easier. Hence they will find out what their clients prefer and value their products for their sake.
Lastly, companies must be practical about their clients’ successes to manage high customer expectations. To proactively approach the customer’s success, companies go forward with initiatives like reviewing their business quarterly from the past and present and plan for the future accordingly. For example, companies ask for particular feedback about a specific service or product to be ahead of your customer’s needs. Electronic messaging is the most appropriate way to get feedback from clients. Instead of waiting for clients to complain about the product or service, the company should proactively request about their experiences. Hence, this gives an optimistic impression to the clients and assists in building long-lasting relationships.
Conclusion
In conclusion, American manufacturers are the foundation of the entire country’s economy. The United States manufacturing sector faces substantial organizational challenges ranging from the impacts of quickly changing technologies & alterations to the worldwide economy. Emerging a sound approach for the competition of American manufacturing is essential because it helps the companies to stay ahead of their game and best be prepared for any mishaps that can happen along the way. Technological creativities are essential driving forces for increasing productivity in manufacturing. That is why the roles played by talent are essential to the upcoming viability of the United States of America’s manufacturing sector. The manufacturing sector or industry has been an incredible strength in the establishment & the speedy rise of the United States of America. The manufacturing sector is answerable for the massive production of machines, technology, food, building, and even specific parts that will be factory-made to finish a car or plane later. With the current industrial revolution throughout the 18th & 19th eras, manufacturing enterprises came to be, ultimately substituting hard hands-on work with comfort by introducing machinery motorized by oil. Lastly, The industrial Revolution guaranteed that the manufacture of products or goods stirred from home skills and established in the factory manufacture by machinery usage, the massive inflow of immigrants from every part of the world absconding political and religious oppression took place & the administration contributed to by offering grants to entrepreneurs.
References
Brandtzaeg, P. B., & Følstad, A. (2018). Chatbots: changing user needs and motivations. interactions, 25(5), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1145/3236669
Forbes Business Council. (2021). 15 Strategies to manage and meet your customer’s growing expectations. Forbes.https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/10/14/15-strategies-to-manage-and-meet-your-customers-growing-expectations/?sh=47f793f3ecfa
Havahart. (2022). Made in the U.S.A. – Why Buy American? Havahart Articles. https://www.havahart.com/articles/made-in-the-usa-why-buy-american
Masias, A., Marcicki, J., & Paxton, W. A. (2021). Opportunities and challenges of lithium-ion batteries in automotive applications. A.C.S. energy letters, 6(2), 621-630. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.0c02584
McDowell, E. (2023, February 2). 8 Challenges the Manufacturing Industry is Facing in 2023. Austin Nichols Technical Search.https://www.austintec.com/8-challenges-manufacturing-industry-facing-2023/
Timoshenko, A., & Hauser, J. R. (2019). Identifying customer needs from user-generated content. Marketing Science, 38(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2018.1123
Tyler, C. Chewning, E. Doheny, M. Madgavkar, A. Padhi, A & Tingley, A. (2022). Delivering the U.S. manufacturing renaissance. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/delivering-the-us-manufacturing-renaissance
YEC council post. (2020). Give customers what they want: 11 tips on how to listen effectively. Forbes.https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/04/13/give-customers-what-they-want-11-tips-on-how-to-listen-effectively/?sh=29e670b85460
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