Indiana's success in the way of adding manufacturing jobs in recent years has highlighted an optimistic trend in the industry. Bringing these jobs back to domestic shores is a sign of strong economic recovery, and Indiana's efforts have established the state as one of the leaders of this initiative. However, one factor may spell long-term doom for U.S. manufacturing, unless significant moves are made to combat the problem.

According to a study from the Manufacturing Leadership Council and Frost & Sullivan, the vast majority of manufacturers have encountered difficulty in finding qualified personnel to fill new positions. The report titled "The Manufacturing Workforce: A Deepening Crisis," found that 80 percent of organizations are having trouble finding the right individuals for the job.

David Brousell, the Global Vice President and Editorial Director at the Manufacturing Leadership Council and lead author of the study, said in a recent press release that this will continue to be an issue until drastic changes are made. 

"The bottom line on the manufacturing workforce issue is that manufacturers will continue to face significant challenges in attracting the people they need to run their production facilities and operations," he said. "Absent major changes and improvements to the educational system as well as the public perception of manufacturing and the career opportunities it can offer, individual manufacturing companies will bear most of the responsibility for providing for their future workforce needs."

Having the right manufacturing software solutions in place, however, can help alleviate the problem. Working with a provider of ERP manufacturing software can help companies obtain the solutions they need to force best practices, which will help bridge the skills and knowledge gap. Doing so will allow manufacturers to continue to grow and add new personnel and mitigate some of the problems that could stem from hiring unqualified individuals.