With 2015 fast approaching, it's natural for people, in all aspects of their lives, to look ahead and think about what change they hope to see come the turn of the calendar. It's no different for those in the manufacturing industry, who aspire to even greater heights than they reached in 2014, when the industry enjoyed its first significant boost in production in years. So what do those in the manufacturing businesses wish to happen? Andrew Ward of Daily Finance wrote a recent article outlining some goals for next year. 

• Greater diversity: Ward first expresses his desire to see more gender diversity in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math, as well as manufacturing. With women making up less than one third of the STEM work world, there is obviously room for improvement in this department.
• Keep it up: Manufacturing experienced a big bump in output this past year, and the obvious hope for everyone in the trade, and really everyone in the country, should be for that trend to continue. Expansion of the manufacturing economy can only be a good thing.
• Larger millennial presence: The millennial generation is starting to become the dominant force in the American economy, and as such, should manufacturing hope to stay on the upswing for the foreseeable future, gaining a stronger foothold in the youth of today is a must. This is especially important considering the labor shortage that economists project to happen as the baby boomer generation leaves the workforce.
• Engage in remanufacturing: "Referred to by some as the ultimate form of recycling, remanufacturing has seen a resurgence in the past decade," says Ward. Can anyone argue with measures that both save money and the environment, without (optimally) sacrificing quality?

As the new year approaches, we're reminded that time goes on and that the manufacturing world will continue to evolve around us. How do you keep up with it? Installing top-notch manufacturing software is a start, and Accent Software is the place to go for your business management software solutions.