One of the major, undeniable buzzwords flying around business communities is the "Millennial." Every sector of business is learning to accommodate themselves to the younger generation, born in the late eighties and consistently inundated with technology, in order to maximize their potential. For such an "always on" population, the appeal of easy-to-use, efficient manufacturing software systems seems obvious enough.

But this industry also represents challenges when it comes to younger workers, as a recent piece in Salon suggests.

The author of the piece, Lisa Alexander, expresses her feelings that today's 20-somethings simply aren't as interested in manufacturing positions, despite the potential for job growth. She argues that there's a fundamental clash between what these jobs represent and what younger professionals want.

"The jobs require skill, some the ability to troubleshoot and problem solve, but they don't offer variety and things can get, well, monotonous," she writes. "And for the generation that thrives on constant change this could be a problem."

So, how does a manager in these industries get around this need? A different opinion piece from Logistics Viewpoints might have the answer: keep operations running smoothly.

In that post, author Dan Dershen talks about the habits of Millennial as virtues rather than handicaps, identifying factors like the inherent drive to see different departments working together or getting information quickly as good things that could lead to better performance.

Thus, the most highly functioning manufacturing software can help make your company fit in more comfortably with the passions of younger members of your company. This isn't an insignificant part of your strategy and could play a key role in the way you plan for the future.