So, you've decided you want to take steps to increase your manufacturing activities locally. With so many costs and needs to meet, how can this be done, and in a way that keeps your business enterprise's ship from sinking?

The reality is that if we as a country are going to commit to galvanizing our manufacturing, we need to stop beating around the bush and invest in the technology to make this happen. So says a Scientific American blog post by Larry Greenmeier, which recently examined the relationship between the national desire to improve upon this front and the tools we will need if we hope to do so.

For some, this means going all the way to incorporate automated systems and factory robots: in addition to the recent announcement from Amazon that it will be looking to use drones in product deliveries, Google has been investing in robotics, which has potential long-term implications not just for manufacturing and labor but other, more consumer-facing industries as well.

This should make the need for manufacturing ERP software seem pretty apparent, but just in case it isn't, Greenmeier makes the connection between automation in production and planning software.

"Looking ahead, companies should realize that workers are still needed to design, build and program that robot—and that humans can perform certain tasks more cost effectively," he writes. "Similarly, computer software may streamline a supply chain, eliminating redundant workforce, but people are responsible for writing, testing and implementing that software."

By taking on manufacturing software that could potentially lead to innovation, you might be working in concert with similar initiatives in multiple industries.

There's no shame in having a long and complex supply chain if you can manage it correctly. It's when expansion and development are undertaken without a clear plan or system of management that mistakes can happen, and problematic gaps emerge.

Consumers understandably may be afraid to look too closely at the truth of the places where they get their clothes, electronics, and other assembled goods, but this can lead to revelations that are important and result in constructive criticism, as opposed to revulsion or fear. NPR's Planet Money has started an investigative project that follows the path of a single shirt from its creation into the marketplace.

The point of this series is to broaden the minds of modern consumers, but it can also serve as a wake-up call to the way your company runs and handles its supply chain management, which may or may not include some appropriate manufacturing business software to go with it.

The target audience for this series might be amazed to find out the amount of different facilities and machines that go into the making of just the basic materials that go into clothing items like T-shirts, but a major company needs to know these things inside and out, and look for ways to make them better. This can not only be used in making conditions better for workers but keeping efficiency as a goal.

Investigate an inventory management software system today that will open up the areas of your business that may have seem previously mysterious before, because the fewer surprises you have, the more you can focus on doing the work that your company does best.

Automaker Ford has a big event coming up, and in preparation for the sale of the 2015 Mustang, it is trying to build awareness of this new car across the internet and in multiple countries. In anticipation of these kinds of major launches, your own business might look to see how its establishment makes it more or less ready to handle increased production, even if you don't manage a plant for this particular brand.

Riding a wave of nostalgia, marketing  and internet memability, this 2015 Mustang won't be available to purchase for some time, but will represent the latest creation of J. Mays, a designer who has been with the company for more than fifteen years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

With manufacturing ERP software, your company can get to the real work behind such flash. Major launches like this can be so involved and high-profile they disguise the amount of labor that needs to be put into a major car assembly on a grand scale, especially if the company really goes through with its six-city launch plans, as it seems to be interested in.

If you run a car company in Indiana and have concerns about meeting the sort of schedule such a demanding campaign requires, you can take some of the burden off of you by upgrading to the manufacturing business software that is most appropriate for you and keeps you in line with modern expectations.

It doesn't have to be a brand as notable as Mustang to demand real precision in arranging manufacturing operations.

There's another potential source of manufacturing jobs and industry faith coming soon, according to a recent press release that's made its way through the business news grapevine, and this might be a source of interest for those wondering about the relationship between automakers and this part of the country.

The company in question is OMCO, an outfit that processes metal for transportation companies, and the release states that it will be expanding its existing Pierceton plant to accommodate a bigger operation and more staff members.

If these planned developments take place, then this facility will be upgraded to be roughly 127,000 square feet in total size, which could be a great improvement for the amount of output that it is able to generate and a benefit to the companies that do business with this partner and are interested in investing in the Indiana area for this kind of manufacturing.

The company's CEO, Gary Schuster, claimed that out of all its facilities, this plant seemed to be the most logical for making an expansion.

"At the top of that list [of plants to expand] was the highly committed and talented workforce available to us in northern Indiana, along with the outstanding support we receive from the Pierceton community, its governing bodies and the state of Indiana," he said.

How can your company make similar decisions when it comes time to delegate your resources? Software for business manufacturing can help you greatly if used correctly, and for that, a business software solutions provider can step in when you need the help. 

The manufacturing strengths of Indiana have been discussed on this blog many times, but if there really is a burgeoning improvement in domestic production, then the role of transportation companies in the Hoosier State can't be completely ignored. 

Although a recent article in the Goshen News by Marcus Morton suggests that transportation is not at the level it once was, it notes this area as a particular sector of focus for this state economy in most other conditions. And speaking generally of the state's economy, he also states that Indiana's rate of available jobs within manufacturing have been higher than the national average by about 3 percent.

But lest you think that the glory days of this state are completely behind us, a recent announcement from the Rolls-Royce company might serve as hard proof of the role that transport manufacturers are looking to play in investing in Indiana.

The company has, as of this month, officially established a plant in Indianapolis, reportedly the latest of 12 other such facilities created by the company in that state, which will reportedly bring 100 jobs by sometime next year.

This plant, which will focus on jet parts, received support from Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly, who praised this new building in the release.

"I congratulate Rolls-Royce on opening another advanced manufacturing facility in Indianapolis," he said. "These high-tech jobs will help strengthen our state's economy by providing opportunities for Hoosier workers and demonstrating that Indiana is a great place for manufacturers to do business."

High tech-jobs, it stands to reason, will require high-tech business manufacturing solutions that don't leave your company under-prepared when a development boom is evident.