Shaping the future 2025
improving END-TO-END PERFORMANCE
The “Shaping the Future 2025” study by Staufen USA offers insights into how U.S. industrial companies are transforming through innovation and digital technologies.
About the study:
For this study, a total of 280 industrial companies in the USA were surveyed in November 2024. The extra chapter in the “Shaping the Future 2025” study provides a comparison between the ASG region (Austria, Switzerland, and Germany) and the USA.
Important insights
Balancing Optimism Amidst Pressure
While 74% of companies report facing significant external pressures and 65% acknowledge an unprecedented range of challenges, overall sentiment remains strikingly positive. The vast majority (92%) see more opportunities than risks in their home markets, driven by robust innovation capabilities. Notably, 96% of respondents rate their innovation performance as “good” or “very good,” underscoring their confidence in navigating future uncertainties.
External Pressures and Workforce Challenges Reshape Priorities
Industrial companies cite a shortage of skilled workers (45%), economic uncertainty (41%) and high energy costs (52%) as their most pressing issues. In response, companies
are focusing on modernization and talent management.
These priorities reflect a strategic pivot to address structural challenges and maintain competitiveness.
Domestic Manufacturing at a Crossroads
More than half of the companies surveyed (56%) believe their domestic facilities are becoming less competitive on a global scale, despite geopolitical shifts that are driving reshoring initiatives. This finding underscores the urgent
need to address productivity gaps. Nevertheless, the vast majority of companies rate their labor productivity as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, suggesting that competitiveness challenges stem from broader operational inefficiencies rather than workforce performance alone.
Prioritizing Process Optimization and Cost Management
Reducing operating costs has become a strategic priority for 58% of companies, with production processes identified as the area with the highest improvement potential (55%). Other areas of focus include R&D (45%) and sales (43%). Companies see increased process efficiency (53%) and people development (48%) as the primary drivers of performance improvement, signaling a shift from broad cost-cutting measures to more targeted operational improvements.
Emphasizing Process Efficiency Over Cost Cutting
Three out of four owners are currently putting pressure on the management to improve performance. Rather than cutting costs indiscriminately, companies are taking a more sophisticated approach. They are targeting specific areas such as operating costs (58%) and prioritizing process efficiency (53%) to drive sustainable growth. Manufacturing, R&D, and sales are emerging as focal points for optimization.
Resilience Through People and Innovation
A remarkable 97% of respondents describe their organizations as “somewhat” or “very” resilient. This resilience is attributed primarily to human capital (72%) and product innovation (64%), underscoring the importance of skilled employees and innovative offerings in maintaining a competitive edge.
Smart Factory Adoption: Progress and Opportunities
The survey reveals strong optimism about digital transformation. Nearly all respondents believe that technologies such as AI will significantly increase productivity, indicating growing momentum for digital innovation. While 83% believe their operations are functioning as “smart factories,” gaps remain. For those not yet fully integrated, supply chain network optimization (46%) and production data monitoring (45%) are key areas for development.
Detailed findings
Initial survey results from the study are shown in the following charts. For the complete results, please download the study.
For a long-term, successful future, it is essential that the strategy be tangible for all employees. The strategy as a gearbox must be broken down into its individual gears, the operational objectives. This way, specialists and managers can jointly measure their own contributions to the company’s success and prove the effectiveness of the strategy. Otherwise, efficiency gains and potential synergy effects tend to vanish.Andreas Hüsers
Lean Expert, Röchling Industrial SE & Co. KG
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Process optimization, workforce development and target cost management as key levers
The “Shaping the Future 2025” study highlights key levers driving performance in U.S. industrial companies: process optimization (53%) and workforce development (48%) are top priorities, alongside targeted cost management (58%). Companies emphasize digital transformation, with 83% operating as smart factories, yet many see room for supply chain optimization. Innovation and AI adoption are viewed as critical for boosting productivity, while resilience through human capital remains a core strength.
Nick Phillips
Nick has over a decade of consulting experience serving many of the largest Automotive, Aerospace & Defense and Energy companies in the world. He specializes in Product Lifecycle Management, Digitization and Operational Excellence.
While working at Deloitte Consulting, Nick founded and led the Model Based Enterprise and Digital Thread service offering, where he received the award for Innovator of the Year in 2021. While working at ABB, Nick helped create a global internal consulting group and was given the Presidential Award for transformation in ABB’s power transformer business. He is a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt and holds an Automotive patent for mechanical engineering.
Nick earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and his Engineering degree from Virginia Tech. He is passionate about enabling efficiency, innovation, and growth in the industrial product sector and about building the next generation of business leaders in the Circular Economy.
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