So, you've decided you want to take steps to increase your manufacturing activities locally. With so many costs and needs to meet, how can this be done, and in a way that keeps your business enterprise's ship from sinking?

The reality is that if we as a country are going to commit to galvanizing our manufacturing, we need to stop beating around the bush and invest in the technology to make this happen. So says a Scientific American blog post by Larry Greenmeier, which recently examined the relationship between the national desire to improve upon this front and the tools we will need if we hope to do so.

For some, this means going all the way to incorporate automated systems and factory robots: in addition to the recent announcement from Amazon that it will be looking to use drones in product deliveries, Google has been investing in robotics, which has potential long-term implications not just for manufacturing and labor but other, more consumer-facing industries as well.

This should make the need for manufacturing ERP software seem pretty apparent, but just in case it isn't, Greenmeier makes the connection between automation in production and planning software.

"Looking ahead, companies should realize that workers are still needed to design, build and program that robot—and that humans can perform certain tasks more cost effectively," he writes. "Similarly, computer software may streamline a supply chain, eliminating redundant workforce, but people are responsible for writing, testing and implementing that software."

By taking on manufacturing software that could potentially lead to innovation, you might be working in concert with similar initiatives in multiple industries.