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Revolutionise the future of aerospace manufacturing with Hexagon.
Discover the technology behind cutting-edge aerospace production with our latest whitepaper.
Hexagon's precision metrology and digital continuity expertise will transform your production process from start to finish.
Empowering makers with innovative aerospace solutions
We deliver cutting-edge solutions for the aerospace industry that support transformation in aircraft design and accelerate innovation
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This isn't a survey of executives. We asked 511 people working in U.S. manufacturing — entry-level workers, supervisors, senior managers and the C-suite — the same questions about how ready, connected and automated their factories are. The answers diverge sharply by seniority, and that divergence is the story. Confidence in adapting to a major disruption climbs from 62% on the floor to 91% in the executive suite. Nearly a third of executives (31%) say part of their plant already runs lights-out; only 5% of entry-level workers say the same.
The manufacturers closing that distance are the ones treating the shop floor as a source of insight rather than a place to implement decisions made elsewhere. Download the report to see where your own operation sits.
2026 America's state of manufacturing report
Why download this report?
Agility isn’t just an aspiration – it’s the ultimate prize for manufacturers who want to deliver better products, faster, at scale. But nobody ever developed agility by accident. Our report brings you the knowledge, perspective and real-world insight you need to shape success.
- Strategic industry insights: Benefit from the real-world experience of over 1,000 global manufacturing leaders, including C-level executives across all major verticals.
- Agility as your competitive edge: Discover approaches and technologies that increase your business-wide resilience. Spot new opportunities and go from survive to thrive
- Technology meets strategy: Discover how transformative technologies can align with your goals to overcome hidden obstacles.
- Methods to accelerate digitalisation: Spot the opportunity to close gaps, develop a connecting fabric and give your business the tools for success.
- Quick wins and long-term opportunities: Build leaner, faster, more resilient operations with practical tips you can implement starting today.
- Much much more: Gain insights into supply chain, collaboration, automation, quality, shift left and much more.
Insight from industry leaders like you
Backed by insights from 1,000 global manufacturing leaders, this report brings together real experiences from real manufacturing leaders. With a special focus on agility, quality and digitalisation, it is your fast-track to perspective, delivering actionable strategies to help you adapt, innovate and lead in turbulent times.
Accelerate operations, develop resilience across the shop floor and unlock the full potential of your business. Download the report today.
Get your free Advanced Manufacturing Report
Achieve agility and transform your business outlook. Hexagon’s Advanced Manufacturing Report shares all of the knowledge you need to succeed with actionable takeaways. Download it now and accelerate your transformation.
Get your free 2026 State of Manufacturing Report
77% of manufacturers call their operations connected. Only 40% actually are. See where confidence and reality diverge — and what the manufacturers pulling ahead are doing differently.
What 500+ U.S. manufacturing professionals say about the gap between perception and reality
Why download this report?
U.S. manufacturing is growing. Investment is climbing, automation is moving fast, and the fear that AI would hollow out the workforce has largely given way to hiring plans and training programmes. The harder question isn't whether manufacturers can grow — it's whether the systems underneath can keep pace with how fast they're moving. We asked 511 people working in U.S. manufacturing, from the C-suite to the shop floor, and found a consistent gap between how connected operations feel and how connected they are.
The perception gap, quantified: 80% of executives say their data is integrated. Only 33% of entry-level employees agree — the widest single divide in the study.
Where the hours go: Two-thirds (67%) lose six or more hours a week to measurement and inspection bottlenecks. A third lose eleven or more.
Connected on paper, siloed in practice: 77% call their operations connected. Just 40% are genuinely connected across design, production, quality and business systems.
AI's real constraint is people: Only 7% now expect AI to reduce headcount, down from 18% a year ago. But 90% say their workforce needs are not fully met.
What's actually blocking automation: Cost is no longer first. Cybersecurity (27%) and disconnected data together account for 43% of the barriers manufacturers cite.
A reshoring reality check: 58% of reshoring projects are on track or ahead of schedule — but only 29% say they are genuinely feeling the domestic resurgence.
Practical next steps: Five capabilities mapped to five findings, plus a case study on closing the metrology skills gap one apprentice at a time.
Closing the skills gap, one apprentice at a time. Roughly 90% of students in Fullerton College's machining and inspection programmes, developed in partnership with Hexagon, are already employed — many working 35 to 40 hours a week while completing coursework.
This isn't a survey of executives. We asked 511 people working in U.S. manufacturing — entry-level workers, supervisors, senior managers and the C-suite — the same questions about how ready, connected and automated their factories are. The answers diverge sharply by seniority, and that divergence is the story. Confidence in adapting to a major disruption climbs from 62% on the floor to 91% in the executive suite.
Nearly a third of executives (31%) say part of their plant already runs lights-out; only 5% of entry-level workers say the same.
The manufacturers closing that distance are the ones treating the shop floor as a source of insight rather than a place to implement decisions made elsewhere. Download the report to see where your own operation sits.
Insight from industry leaders like you
Backed by insights from 1,000 global manufacturing leaders, this report brings together real experiences from real manufacturing leaders. With a special focus on agility, quality and digitalisation, it is your fast-track to perspective, delivering actionable strategies to help you adapt, innovate and lead in turbulent times.
Accelerate operations, develop resilience across the shop floor and unlock the full potential of your business. Download the report today.
Get your free Advanced Manufacturing Report
Achieve agility and transform your business outlook. Hexagon’s Advanced Manufacturing Report shares all of the knowledge you need to succeed with actionable takeaways. Download it now and accelerate your transformation.
Insight from the C-suite to the shop floor
How Hexagon helps you close the gap
Connected data across the enterprise: Link ERP, MES, CAD/CAM, quality and maintenance systems for real-time exchange — for the 67% without a unified view of their data.
Inspection where the work happens: Move measurement into production so variation surfaces early, not after the run. 59% have already moved inspection to the floor.
Automation you can scale safely: Start with trusted, connected measurement and scale incrementally on a secure foundation — without replacing equipment that still works.
Expertise that survives turnover: AI-assisted programming captures shop-specific knowledge and eases the learning curve — for the 79% who name a skills gap.
Shared visibility, top to floor: One version of the operation, so leadership and the shop floor stop describing different factories.
77%
Connected on paper:
77% say their operations are connected. Only 40% are.
80%
The widest gap in the study: 80% of executives say the data is integrated. 33% of the floor agrees.
67%
Six hours, every week:
67% lose 6+ hours to measurement and inspection bottlenecks. A third lose 11+.
2026 America's state of manufacturing report
77% of manufacturers call their operations connected. Only 40% actually are. See where confidence and reality diverge — and what the manufacturers pulling ahead are doing differently.
What 500+ U.S. manufacturing professionals say about the gap between perception and reality
Why download this report?
Agility isn’t just an aspiration – it’s the ultimate prize for manufacturers who want to deliver better products, faster, at scale. But nobody ever developed agility by accident. Our report brings you the knowledge, perspective and real-world insight you need to shape success.
- Strategic industry insights: Benefit from the real-world experience of over 1,000 global manufacturing leaders, including C-level executives across all major verticals.
- Agility as your competitive edge: Discover approaches and technologies that increase your business-wide resilience. Spot new opportunities and go from survive to thrive
- Technology meets strategy: Discover how transformative technologies can align with your goals to overcome hidden obstacles.
- Methods to accelerate digitalisation: Spot the opportunity to close gaps, develop a connecting fabric and give your business the tools for success.
- Quick wins and long-term opportunities: Build leaner, faster, more resilient operations with practical tips you can implement starting today.
- Much much more: Gain insights into supply chain, collaboration, automation, quality, shift left and much more.
Why download this report?
U.S. manufacturing is growing. Investment is climbing, automation is moving fast, and the fear that AI would hollow out the workforce has largely given way to hiring plans and training programmes. The harder question isn't whether manufacturers can grow — it's whether the systems underneath can keep pace with how fast they're moving. We asked 511 people working in U.S. manufacturing, from the C-suite to the shop floor, and found a consistent gap between how connected operations feel and how connected they are.
The perception gap, quantified: 80% of executives say their data is integrated. Only 33% of entry-level employees agree — the widest single divide in the study.
Where the hours go: Two-thirds (67%) lose six or more hours a week to measurement and inspection bottlenecks. A third lose eleven or more.
Connected on paper, siloed in practice: 77% call their operations connected. Just 40% are genuinely connected across design, production, quality and business systems.
AI's real constraint is people: Only 7% now expect AI to reduce headcount, down from 18% a year ago. But 90% say their workforce needs are not fully met.
What's actually blocking automation: Cost is no longer first. Cybersecurity (27%) and disconnected data together account for 43% of the barriers manufacturers cite.
A reshoring reality check: 58% of reshoring projects are on track or ahead of schedule — but only 29% say they are genuinely feeling the domestic resurgence.
Practical next steps: Five capabilities mapped to five findings, plus a case study on closing the metrology skills gap one apprentice at a time.
77%
Connected on paper:
77% say their operations are connected. Only 40% are.
80%
The widest gap in the study: 80% of executives say the data is integrated. 33% of the floor agrees.
67%
Six hours, every week:
67% lose 6+ hours to measurement and inspection bottlenecks. A third lose 11+.
This isn't a survey of executives. We asked 511 people working in U.S. manufacturing — entry-level workers, supervisors, senior managers and the C-suite — the same questions about how ready, connected and automated their factories are. The answers diverge sharply by seniority, and that divergence is the story. Confidence in adapting to a major disruption climbs from 62% on the floor to 91% in the executive suite. Nearly a third of executives (31%) say part of their plant already runs lights-out; only 5% of entry-level workers say the same.
The manufacturers closing that distance are the ones treating the shop floor as a source of insight rather than a place to implement decisions made elsewhere. Download the report to see where your own operation sits.
Insight from industry leaders like you
Backed by insights from 1,000 global manufacturing leaders, this report brings together real experiences from real manufacturing leaders. With a special focus on agility, quality and digitalisation, it is your fast-track to perspective, delivering actionable strategies to help you adapt, innovate and lead in turbulent times.
Accelerate operations, develop resilience across the shop floor and unlock the full potential of your business. Download the report today.
Get your free Advanced Manufacturing Report
Achieve agility and transform your business outlook. Hexagon’s Advanced Manufacturing Report shares all of the knowledge you need to succeed with actionable takeaways. Download it now and accelerate your transformation.
Insight from the C-suite to the shop floor
Closing the skills gap, one apprentice at a time. Roughly 90% of students in Fullerton College's machining and inspection programmes, developed in partnership with Hexagon, are already employed — many working 35 to 40 hours a week while completing coursework.
This isn't a survey of executives. We asked 511 people working in U.S. manufacturing — entry-level workers, supervisors, senior managers and the C-suite — the same questions about how ready, connected and automated their factories are. The answers diverge sharply by seniority, and that divergence is the story. Confidence in adapting to a major disruption climbs from 62% on the floor to 91% in the executive suite. Nearly a third of executives (31%) say part of their plant already runs lights-out; only 5% of entry-level workers say the same.
The manufacturers closing that distance are the ones treating the shop floor as a source of insight rather than a place to implement decisions made elsewhere. Download the report to see where your own operation sits.
Insight from industry leaders like you
Backed by insights from 1,000 global manufacturing leaders, this report brings together real experiences from real manufacturing leaders. With a special focus on agility, quality and digitalisation, it is your fast-track to perspective, delivering actionable strategies to help you adapt, innovate and lead in turbulent times.
Accelerate operations, develop resilience across the shop floor and unlock the full potential of your business. Download the report today.
Get your free Advanced Manufacturing Report
Achieve agility and transform your business outlook. Hexagon’s Advanced Manufacturing Report shares all of the knowledge you need to succeed with actionable takeaways. Download it now and accelerate your transformation.
Get your free 2026 State of Manufacturing Report
How Hexagon helps you close the gap
Connected data across the enterprise: Link ERP, MES, CAD/CAM, quality and maintenance systems for real-time exchange — for the 67% without a unified view of their data.
Inspection where the work happens: Move measurement into production so variation surfaces early, not after the run. 59% have already moved inspection to the floor.
Automation you can scale safely: Start with trusted, connected measurement and scale incrementally on a secure foundation — without replacing equipment that still works.
Expertise that survives turnover: AI-assisted programming captures shop-specific knowledge and eases the learning curve — for the 79% who name a skills gap.
Shared visibility, top to floor: One version of the operation, so leadership and the shop floor stop describing different factories.
