There are certainly different takes on the current state of American manufacturing, depending on what parameters you choose to look through. The problem is that many of these measuring sticks provide a contradictory idea of what is going on in the industry.

A recent article from Cerasis attempted to examine the entire marketplace. The biggest takeaway from the article is the sector is confusing.

"From the rapid decline of new orders and the ISM's PMI, to the talks of reshoring as a reality to bring more manufacturing to the U.S., all to the dispute and 'weirdness' of how all of these various indexes are really capturing the true outlook on the renaissance (or perhaps volatility) of American manufacturing," the article reads. "In short, the current state of American Manufacturing is just plain….CONFUSING!"

The best takeaway from article comes from the conclusion. It mentions that despite all the data, opinions, thoughts and hopes, organizations need to constantly work toward improving the landscape. This can happen by keeping your head down, working smart and hard and using common sense. On top of that, organizations need to make decisions based on long term impact, mitigating risk and staying effective.

The article adds that in 2014, the focus needs to be on investments in operations improvement and technology. This could mean hiring the right talent to manage the process or deploying a software solution that can improve overall operations. Regardless, organizations should partner with a business management software provider to help improve overall operations.