TAKEAWAYS
MANUFACTURING 2027: NEW WAYS TO GROW For most of industrial history, manufacturing growth had a simple recipe: buy more machines, build a bigger floor, hire more people. The winners of the next manufacturing era, however, will be the companies that can reach capacity, whether or not they own it, suggests Xometry’s 2027 Manufacturing Outlook . The report, which surveyed 150 U.S. manufacturing executives in August 2026, posits the central argument that access is overtaking acquisition as the path to growth, and that digital infrastructure is what makes the difference. Four trends show how: 1. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PAYS OFF UPSTREAM. Manufacturers expect AI to matter most in manufacturability and costing (51%), well ahead of the factory floor (32%). Fifty-seven percent report significant ROI from AI, up from 44% one year ago, and 94% plan to spend more than $100,000 on the technology in 2027. 2. SMALL SHOPS HOLD UNTAPPED PRODUCTION CAPACITY. About 44% of manufacturers under $50 million in revenue run below 70% capacity, compared with 16% of those over $100 million. Certifications are the gateway to filling capacity: certified work generates roughly 3.4 times the annual job value of uncertified work on Xometry’s platform. 3. SUPPLIER OPTIONALITY IS THE NEW SOURCING ADVANTAGE. Ninety-four percent of manufacturers expect to raise prices in 2027, and two-thirds say costs are harder to forecast than a year ago, thanks to constant fluctuations in raw materials, labor, and tariffs. With price out of buyers’ control, the best defense is a wider pool of qualified suppliers, along with Design for Manufacturing (DFM) support, for which 48% of manufacturers now charge a premium, the report notes. 4. MANUFACTURING NEEDS SKILLS, NOT JUST HEADCOUNT. AI and automation operators are now the hardest roles to fill (see chart, below). Seventy-seven percent of manufacturers report bigger backlogs than last year, yet only 59% plan to hire. Higher pay helps larger firms far more than smaller ones (81% versus 46%), so companies are building pipelines with schools and deciding which skills to own, develop, or borrow. Manufacturing’s Hardest-to-Fill Roles AI and automation operators Quality engineers Maintenance technicians Machinists Computer numerical control programmers 34% 31% 29% 23% 20%
El Niño’s Impact Hits Before the Storm
Scientists are predicting this El Niño to be the “strongest in living memory,” but for supply chains, its impact is already being felt. For example, the Panama Canal is taking proactive measures to conserve water, showing how anticipated weather risk can translate into operational changes before the disruption itself peaks. “The biggest impact of El Niño hits before the storm does,” says Eric Fullerton, vice president of data insights at project44. “Once companies expect disruption, they change behavior: pulling inventory forward, shifting bookings, rerouting, building buffers. That alone can create real pressure across the network, before the event peaks.” Here are three things to prioritize over predictions, according to Fullerton: 1. Insight into how the disruption is hitting your in-transit shipments and inventory 2. Real-time awareness of the exceptions and delays already surfacing 3. The team, tools, and technology to act, reroute, rebook, hold, or absorb, while the disruption is unfolding.
Here’s how shippers can respond:
Source: Xometry
16 Inbound Logistics • October 2026
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