Key Insights on Manufacturing Capacity Utilization

US manufacturers, especially mid-sized, operate at ~77% capacity utilization per Federal Reserve data Federal Reserve Board - Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (July 2025). This balances efficiency and flexibility but leaves improvement room. Pushing to 80-85% risks resource strain and burnout without buffers 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

77% accommodates supply delays, labor shortages, and product variety 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights. Surveys show exceeding this without support risks fatigue and lower productivity. Near-full capacity increases turnover, disrupting 80%+ of manufacturers 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey: Navigating challenges to implementation.

Understanding Capacity Utilization

Capacity utilization measures how much of a facility's potential output is actually being produced. For example, if a plant can theoretically produce 100 units per day but only makes 77, its utilization is 77%. In manufacturing, this isn't just about idle machines—it's influenced by deliberate choices for agility. Mid-sized firms, often defined as those with 100-999 employees, face amplified pressures here due to limited resources compared to larger corporations 2024 Third Quarter Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey.

Common Challenges

• Wasted Capacity: From setup times, material waits, prioritization shifts 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

• Burnout Risks: High utilization overloads workers, causing stress that cuts focus and raises errors Job Burnout Reaches Alarming 66% In 2025: A Wake-Up Call For Employers.

• Strategic Trade-offs: Balancing staple products with innovation or customization requires flexibility, which inherently lowers utilization but boosts long-term margins The impact of capacity utilisation on product innovation in emerging economies.

These points are supported by recent data, acknowledging that while averages hover around 77%, some sectors or firms dip lower due to economic pressures. Research leans toward viewing this as a strategic equilibrium rather than a flaw, though opportunities for optimization exist through technology and better planning 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

Introduction: Setting the Stage

US manufacturing capacity utilization: 76.8% in July 2025 (Fed).

Imagine a mid-sized consumer products manufacturer in the Midwest, running 20 production lines around the clock with over 100 high-demand items. Despite constant activity, equipment downtime from quality variability and inconsistent shift productivity left significant capacity untapped—often 15-20% idle time due to siloed operations and a entrenched mindset of "we do what we've always done." This isn't uncommon; it's a snapshot of the real-world trade-offs many facilities face when balancing efficiency with flexibility.

Capacity utilization, simply put, is the percentage of a facility's maximum potential output that's actually being produced. For example, if a plant is designed to make 10,000 units per month but only outputs 7,700, it's at 77% utilization. This metric isn't just a number—it's a reflection of how well operations align with demand, resources, and strategic goals.

So, why do US manufacturing facilities often run below full capacity, and what happens when they push toward higher rates like 80% or more? The answer lies in a mix of operational necessities, market demands, and human factors. As the latest Federal Reserve data shows, manufacturing capacity utilization stood at 76.8% in July 2025, about 1.4 percentage points below the long-run average of 78.2% (1972-2024). While this might seem suboptimal, exceeding it without safeguards can lead to staff burnout and breakdowns, as evidenced by surveys where 80% of manufacturers report labor disruptions from high turnover. In this post, we'll explore these dynamics, drawing on recent industry insights to uncover the catch behind the numbers.

Current State of Utilization: Data and Benchmarks

The US manufacturing sector's capacity utilization has hovered around 77% in recent months, signaling a pragmatic balance rather than outright inefficiency. According to the Federal Reserve's July 2025 release, total manufacturing utilization was 76.8%, slightly down from prior months and 1.4 points below the historical average of 78.2%. This rate varies by subsector—for instance, mining operates at higher levels around 90.3% due to more predictable processes, while manufacturing contends with greater variability in demand and supply Federal Reserve Board - Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (July 2025).

This 77% benchmark isn't "wasteful" in the traditional sense; it builds in essential buffers for maintenance, unexpected supply delays (averaging 81 days for raw materials in late 2024), and shifts in priorities. Mid-sized firms, typically those with 100-999 employees, often see slightly lower rates due to limited resources for scaling, as highlighted in the National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) Q3 2025 Outlook Survey, where only 62.9% of respondents reported a positive outlook amid challenges like a weaker domestic economy (68.4%) and rising costs 2024 Third Quarter Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey. Deloitte's 2025 Smart Manufacturing Survey of 600 executives echoes this, noting that talent shortages disrupt 48% of production roles, forcing deliberate underutilization to avoid overload 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey: Navigating challenges to implementation.

Toyota's just-in-time cut inventory 50%, minimized waste. CLA case: Mid-sized firm integrated AI analytics, boosted capacity 15-20%, improved morale Manufacturer Drives Up Capacity Utilization and Revenues 15% – 20% Case Studies Of Successful Excess Capacity Utilization - FasterCapital 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

To visualize the components of "lost" capacity, here's a breakdown based on industry benchmarks:

"Unused" 23% cushions against burnout; replacement costs $10,000-40,000. Deloitte: "With as many as 3.8 million net new employees required by 2033... smart manufacturing may be part of the solution" 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

The Catch: Why Perfect Utilization is Elusive

Perfect capacity utilization in manufacturing refers to a theoretical state where a facility operates at 100% of its potential output without any interruptions, achieving seamless production flow. This ideal requires zero downtime for maintenance or repairs, flawless demand forecasting to align production exactly with needs, and no allowances for variability such as custom orders or sudden changes in priorities. In practice, however, this is rarely achievable because manufacturing environments are dynamic, influenced by human, mechanical, and market factors. For example, systems like advanced planning software from SAP or Oracle attempt to approximate this by simulating scenarios, but real-world constraints like supply variability prevent perfection.

One key reason utilization falls short is machine changeovers—the time needed to switch production from one product to another, involving recalibration, cleaning, or tool adjustments. These can consume 2.5-10% of available production time in typical facilities, directly reducing effective capacity. Techniques like Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED), popularized by Toyota, aim to cut changeover times to under 10 minutes by separating internal (machine-stopped) and external (preparatory) tasks, potentially boosting overall equipment effectiveness by 10-20% How to Conduct a SMED Event & Reduce Changeover Time Understanding Changeover Time and How to Minimize It. A case from a mid-sized automotive parts maker illustrates this: Frequent changeovers for varied components led to 15% downtime, resolved by adopting lean tools from providers like McKinsey, which streamlined processes and lifted utilization from 70% to 82%.

Material waits also create gaps, with average raw material delivery times at 81 days as of October 2024—down 2% year-over-year but still above pre-pandemic levels of around 65 days, per Deloitte's 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights. These delays, often stemming from geopolitical issues like Red Sea disruptions (doubling shipping rates in 2024) or Panama Canal low water levels, force idle periods while queues adjust. For instance, 94% of manufacturers reported revenue impacts from such disruptions in 2025, prompting 38% to diversify suppliers using platforms like IBM's blockchain for tracking Supply Chain Statistics — 70 Key Figures of 2025. As Deloitte notes, "Supply chain challenges have eased since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but pressures remain," highlighting the need for resilient strategies.

Order prioritization adds another layer, where bumping high-value or urgent orders for VIP customers displaces others, increasing overall waiting times and inefficiency. Research shows prioritizing one job can extend queues for non-prioritized items by up to 20-30% in high-variability settings, per lean manufacturing studies Effect of Prioritization on Waiting Times Understanding Order Prioritization and Its Importance. This is common in make-to-order environments, where customer-confirmed forecasts drive deadlines, optimizing workload but risking underutilization if not balanced. An anecdote from a electronics firm: Prioritizing a key client's rush order led to 10% idle time for standard runs, mitigated by ERP systems from Epicor that dynamically resequence tasks.

Firms like Boeing exemplify these challenges in custom production, where tailored aerospace components extend cycles due to complex tweaks and quality checks. In 2025, Boeing's 737 MAX production faced delays from inadequate oversight and training, as noted in an NTSB report on a doorplug blowout, disrupting utilization amid efforts to ramp up to 52 aircraft monthly Boeing's Inadequate Training and Oversight Led to Doorplug Blowout Airbus and Boeing July 2025 Production Rates. To address this, Boeing employs Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform for simulation, modeling manufacturing effects early to predict distortions and optimize designs—reducing physical prototypes by 30% in some cases See Our Solutions in Action | Customer Stories - Dassault Systèmes Simulating Manufacturing Effects Early Leads to a Robust Design Accelerate Business Value through Unified Modeling and Simulation. Joby Aviation, another user, leverages it for electric air taxi certification, simulating production lines to cut downtime from custom integrations.

Broader insights reveal utilization at 76.8% in July 2025, 1.4 points below the long-run average, due to slack from demand weakness and excess capacity. ISM forecasts flat growth with 79.2% utilization, while NAM's Q2 2025 survey shows 55.4% optimism amid workforce (60%) and trade (76.2%) pressures, indirectly fueling downtime. Ignoring these leads to lost revenue and cost creep, per industry analyses U.S. Industrial Sector Slowdown: Navigating Capacity Utilization Trends ISM Reports Economic Activity to be Flat Through 2025 Top 10 Issues from Ignoring Manufacturing Capacity Utilization Manufacturers' Outlook Survey.

Practical ops prioritize resilience; 78% invest in supply software Supply Chain Statistics — 70 Key Figures of 2025.

Productivity as a Balancing Act: Insights from Manufacturers

Manufacturing productivity isn't just about maximizing output—it's a delicate balance of competing priorities that often result in underutilized capacity. Mid-sized US manufacturers must juggle stable production of staple products with innovation, customization, and external disruptions, all while maintaining workforce stability and profitability. Recent surveys highlight this tension: The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) Q2 2025 Manufacturers' Outlook Survey shows only 55.4% of respondents reporting a positive outlook for their companies, a sharp 15-percentage-point drop from Q1, driven by top challenges like workforce issues (cited by nearly 60%) and trade uncertainties (76.2% of firms) NAM Manufacturers' Outlook Survey (Q2 2025). Deloitte's 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook echoes these concerns, noting that over 80% of more than 600 surveyed professionals experienced production disruptions from labor turnover, amid a projected need for 3.8 million new employees by 2033. As Deloitte states, "Talent challenges remain the top issue for 60% of manufacturers," underscoring how human factors compound operational trade-offs 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

These priorities create a 360-degree web of factors that depress capacity utilization below optimal levels, often intentionally to preserve flexibility and long-term viability. For instance, producing lower-margin staple products—those reliable, high-volume items a brand is known for—ensures steady cash flow but ties up machinery in predictable runs, leaving little room for agility. In contrast, experimenting with new product lines, backed by uncertain demand, incurs development costs that temporarily lower margins and utilization. Studies show that introducing new products can negatively impact capacity utilization by requiring substantial machinery reconfigurations and process tweaks; one analysis of emerging economies found higher utilization actually hinders product innovation due to reduced slack for R&D The impact of capacity utilisation on product innovation in emerging economies The impact of capacity utilisation on product innovation. An example is a mid-sized food manufacturer testing eco-friendly lines, partnering with tech firms like General Mills' collaborators to integrate sustainable materials through regenerative agriculture—this demands dedicated testing runs, extending cycle times by 10-20% and creating idle gaps during tuning General Mills and Walmart Join Forces To Advance Regenerative Agriculture Growing a Sustainable Future, Together - General Mills.

Custom products and bespoke orders further complicate the equation, offering higher margins (often 20-30% above standards due to premium pricing) but straining overall utilization Standard vs. Custom Product: Which Is Appropriate? 30 of the Best Low Cost, High Profit Products - SaleHoo. These one-off or small-batch items require unique setups, pushing the limits of existing equipment and introducing inefficiencies. Deloitte's outlook notes that customization for key customers can extend cycle times significantly, with 70% of executives prioritizing agility to handle such demands amid supply chain volatility 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights. Product customization, even for larger orders, amplifies this by necessitating tweaks that disrupt batching—small, diverse runs can't be optimized, leading to 5-15% lost capacity.

Equipment sharing across processes adds another layer, where reutilization demands configuration time that eats into productive hours. Setup times, averaging 10-15% of total downtime in mid-sized firms, directly reduce efficiency and capacity utilization; reducing them via lean methods can boost overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) by 10-20%, freeing up hidden capacity without new investments Setup utilization as a performance indicator in production planning Setup Time - Symestic Improving Setup Times with Industry 4.0 - LinkedIn. An anecdote from Mid-West Metal Products, a mid-sized metal fabricator, illustrates this: Using Haas CNC machines for diverse orders, the firm faced batching issues from frequent changeovers, resolved by implementing Epicor ERP for better scheduling, which cut setup times by 30% and improved utilization from 65% to 75% Epicor ERP Case Study - Mid-West Metal Products Co., Inc..

We also wrote about the pitfalls of implementing ERPs in manufacturing.

Finally, supply chain delays introduce unpredictable gaps, with materials waits accounting for up to 20% of idle time. In 2025, 94% of manufacturers report revenue hits from disruptions, with average raw material delivery times at 81 days—down slightly year-over-year but still above pre-pandemic levels—forcing last-minute queuing adjustments Supply Chain Statistics — 70 Key Figures of 2025. Deloitte highlights that 38% of firms plan supply chain diversification to mitigate this, as ongoing risks like trade policies (affecting 76.2% per NAM) exacerbate waits 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

To capture these dynamics, consider the following table of key factors and their impacts, drawn from 2025 industry benchmarks:

Real manufacturers use buffers for growth; 98% adopt digital per Deloitte 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights Do R&D intensity and capacity utilisation matter for SMEs.

Burnout and Overutilization: The Human Factor

Burnout in manufacturing is chronic exhaustion from prolonged stress, akin to overrunning machinery without maintenance, leading to reduced performance and errors. High capacity utilization above 80% strains workers by eliminating recovery buffers amid demand variability. For instance, a mid-sized aerospace supplier ramping up for Boeing orders might extend hours, increasing fatigue and precision errors.

Data highlights risks: Deloitte's 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook reports over 80% of 600+ professionals noted labor turnover disrupting production, often from overload. Pushing above 77.5% utilization (Federal Reserve July 2025) risks burnout when employees exceed 75% overutilization annually, per ActivTrak's 2025 State of the Workplace report. Forbes notes job burnout at 66% in 2025, with 24% citing workload overload 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey - Deloitte 2025 State of the Workplace - ActivTrak Job Burnout Reaches Alarming 66% In 2025: A Wake-Up Call For Employers.

Costs are high: Replacing skilled workers averages $20,000–$40,000, per 60% of UKG Workforce Institute's 2024 survey of 300+ HR leaders. Expenses can reach 200% of salary including lost productivity. Deloitte adds 56% report moderate/severe financial impact from turnover. NAM's Q3 2024 survey shows nearly 60% view talent attraction/retention as top challenge, projecting 1.9 million unfilled jobs by 2033 How to Reduce Turnover in Manufacturing - UKG Domestic Economy Concerns in Q3 Manufacturing Industry Survey Top 3 challenges for manufacturing in 2025: Skills gap, turnover and ... U.S. Manufacturing Trends 2025: New Opportunities Ahead.

Quote from Deloitte: "Nearly 60% of manufacturers in the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) outlook survey for the third quarter of 2024 cited the inability to attract and retain employees as their top challenge." Deloitte's 2025 Smart Manufacturing Survey finds 48% face moderate/significant challenges filling production roles. Anecdote: A UKG case shows a manufacturer cut turnover 15% via flexible scheduling, using tools like Siemens' software to monitor risks 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

Higher utilization boosts output short-term but risks sustainability; firms like those using Dassault tools balance loads, with 85% believing tech aids talent attraction.

Point Solutions: Pathways to Improvement

Manufacturers seeking to boost capacity utilization without risking burnout or operational strain can turn to targeted point solutions. These are specialized technologies addressing specific bottlenecks, such as visibility into production, demand forecasting, or sales efficiency. By leveraging tools like IoT, predictive analytics, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, firms can optimize processes while maintaining flexibility. Below, we explore key strategies, grounded in real-world examples, to illustrate how these solutions drive measurable gains. We’ll also clarify the role of manufacturing execution process (MEP) data in enhancing per-line efficiency, with connections to industry leaders like Siemens, Oracle, Salesforce, and ABB.

IoT for Enhanced Visibility

The Internet of Things (IoT) transforms manufacturing by connecting machines, sensors, and systems to provide real-time visibility into operations. Siemens, a leader in this space, integrates IoT sensors through its Insights Hub platform to monitor equipment performance and detect inefficiencies. For instance, a mid-sized electronics manufacturer using Siemens’ Digital Enterprise Suite reduced cycle times by 25% by identifying bottlenecks in real-time, such as delays in material handling The Role of IoT in Smart Manufacturing. IoT sensors collect data on machine uptime, energy use, and production rates, enabling root cause analysis. A practical example: a Siemens client in automotive parts production used IoT to pinpoint a recurring issue in a CNC machine’s spindle, cutting downtime by 15% through predictive maintenance Siemens Industrial IoT. This aligns with Deloitte’s finding that 70% of manufacturers now use IoT sensors to enhance data-driven decisions, boosting overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) Deloitte 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook Siemens Recognized by IDC.

IoT connects for real-time ops view. Siemens Insights Hub monitors, detects issues. Electronics firm: Cycle times -25% via bottlenecks ID The Role of IoT in Smart Manufacturing. Automotive: Downtime -15% via predictive Siemens Industrial IoT. Deloitte: 70% use for decisions, OEE boost Deloitte 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook Siemens Recognized by IDC.

Concept Connection: IoT is part of the broader Industrial IoT (IIoT) framework, which emphasizes IT/OT (information technology/operational technology) convergence. Siemens’ Insights Hub, for example, connects shop-floor sensors to cloud analytics, allowing manufacturers to track KPIs like OEE across multiple plants. This transparency helps mid-sized firms, often constrained by legacy systems, achieve up to 20% efficiency gains, per IDC’s 2024 MarketScape assessment Siemens Recognized by IDC.

Predictive Demand to Close Gaps

Accurate demand forecasting minimizes production gaps caused by over- or under-production. Oracle’s Smart Manufacturing solution uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to predict demand spikes, enabling proactive adjustments to production schedules. For example, a consumer goods manufacturer using Oracle Cloud SCM reduced inventory holding costs by 12% by aligning production with real-time demand signals Oracle Smart Manufacturing. Oracle’s predictive analytics integrates data from supply chains, sales, and market trends to forecast needs, reducing the 81-day average raw material delivery delays cited by Deloitte Deloitte 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook. PwC’s 2025 survey notes that 70% of manufacturing executives prioritize such predictive tools to enhance agility, as they allow firms to shift resources dynamically without overtaxing capacity PwC US Insights on Manufacturing.

Concept Connection: Predictive demand systems rely on advanced analytics to process vast datasets, often called “big data” in manufacturing. Oracle’s platform, for instance, combines IoT data from shop floors with external market inputs to create a 360-degree view of demand. This contrasts with traditional forecasting, which often uses static models and leads to mismatches, like overstocking low-demand SKUs, which can tie up 10-15% of capacity, per industry benchmarks.

Sales Tweaks for Larger Orders

Streamlining sales processes can reduce small, inefficient batch sizes, freeing up production capacity. Salesforce’s Manufacturing Cloud, integrated with Siemens’ Teamcenter PLM, enables sales teams to configure complex orders quickly, ensuring alignment with engineering capabilities. At the Salesforce Manufacturing Summit 2025, a case study showcased a heavy machinery manufacturer that increased order sizes by 18% by using this integration to eliminate configuration errors, reducing quote turnaround time by 30% Siemens and Salesforce Shaping Manufacturing. By connecting CRM with product lifecycle data, sales teams can prioritize larger, high-margin orders, minimizing the “mini-batch” problem where small runs disrupt production flow. NAM’s Q2 2025 survey highlights that 55% of manufacturers see sales inefficiencies as a key capacity drain, making CRM tools critical NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey Q2 2025.

Concept Connection: CRM systems like Salesforce bridge front-office sales with back-office production. For example, a mid-sized metal fabricator used Salesforce to consolidate client orders, reducing setup changes by 10%, which directly boosted throughput. This integration supports “servitization,” where manufacturers shift to service-based models, like equipment-as-a-service, increasing aftermarket revenue by up to 15%, per Siemens’ estimates Siemens and Salesforce Shaping Manufacturing.

MEP Data: Optimizing Per-Line Cycles

Manufacturing Execution Process (MEP) data, often referred to as Manufacturing Execution System (MES) data, is the high-resolution information generated during production, capturing details like cycle times, defect rates, and machine performance. Unlike traditional metrics, MEP data provides granular insights, enabling per-line optimization. ABB, a leader in automation, enhances MEP data through its Ability platform, which integrates IoT and robotics to monitor production in real-time. For example, an ABB client in aerospace manufacturing used robotic data to optimize assembly line cycles, cutting per-unit production time by 20% by adjusting robot speeds based on real-time feedback The Role of IoT in Smart Manufacturing. Siemens’ Opcenter MES, recognized as a leader in IDC’s 2024-2025 MES assessment, similarly leverages MEP data to improve quality control, reducing defects by 10% in a packaging plant through AI-driven analytics IDC MarketScape for MES.

Concept Explanation: MEP data is the digital heartbeat of a smart factory, collected from sensors, robots, and enterprise systems. It differs from aggregate metrics (e.g., overall output) by offering line-specific insights. For instance, ABB’s robots, equipped with sensors, generate data on torque and speed, allowing operators to fine-tune cycles. This is critical for mid-sized manufacturers, where diverse product lines create complex scheduling challenges. Deloitte’s Smart Manufacturing Survey notes that 70% of executives struggle with data quality, making high-resolution MEP data from providers like ABB or Siemens essential for closing utilization gaps Deloitte 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook.

Anecdote: A mid-sized food processing firm faced inconsistent output due to variable packaging speeds. By implementing ABB’s Ability platform, the firm used MEP data to identify a bottleneck in a robotic arm’s cycle, adjusting its parameters to increase throughput by 15% without additional labor. Similarly, Siemens’ Insights Hub helped a plastics manufacturer reduce scrap rates by 8% by correlating MEP data with material quality issues Siemens Industrial IoT.

Why These Solutions Matter

These point solutions—IoT, predictive demand, CRM integration, and MEP data—address specific pain points without requiring full-scale overhauls. Siemens’ IoT sensors provide visibility to cut downtime, Oracle’s analytics align production with demand, Salesforce streamlines orders for efficiency, and ABB’s robotics optimize line-level performance. Together, they can lift utilization from 77% to 80-82% without pushing workers to the brink, as evidenced by UKG’s data on turnover risks at high utilization UKG Survey via Deloitte.

Conclusion: Toward Sustainable Optimization

In summary, the 77% capacity utilization rate in US manufacturing serves as a pragmatic baseline, reflecting necessary buffers for variability, innovation, and workforce well-being. While pushing higher can enhance efficiency, it risks burnout and disruptions without systemic support. Through targeted technologies like IoT, predictive analytics, and MEP data integration, manufacturers can optimize operations sustainably, potentially lifting utilization to 80-85% while maintaining agility and employee health. As Deloitte's 2025 outlook emphasizes, "Smart manufacturing may be part of the solution" to talent and productivity challenges 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights.

To move forward, assess your facility's bottlenecks—whether in supply chains, setups, or demand forecasting—and adopt integrated systems from leaders like Siemens, Oracle, or ABB. Start small with pilot implementations to measure ROI, ensuring long-term gains without overextension. By balancing these elements, mid-sized manufacturers can thrive in a competitive landscape, turning potential capacity into real productivity.

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References

• Federal Reserve Board - Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (July 2025)

• 2024 Third Quarter Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey

• 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey: Navigating challenges to implementation

• Manufacturer Drives Up Capacity Utilization and Revenues 15% – 20%

• Case Studies Of Successful Excess Capacity Utilization - FasterCapital

• 2025 Manufacturing Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights

• U.S. Industrial Sector Slowdown: Navigating Capacity Utilization Trends

• ISM Reports Economic Activity to be Flat Through 2025

• Top 10 Issues from Ignoring Manufacturing Capacity Utilization

• Boeing's Inadequate Training and Oversight Led to Doorplug Blowout

• Airbus and Boeing July 2025 Production Rates

• How to Conduct a SMED Event & Reduce Changeover Time

• Understanding Changeover Time and How to Minimize It

• Supply Chain Statistics — 70 Key Figures of 2025

• Effect of Prioritization on Waiting Times

• Understanding Order Prioritization and Its Importance

• See Our Solutions in Action | Customer Stories - Dassault Systèmes

• Simulating Manufacturing Effects Early Leads to a Robust Design

• Accelerate Business Value through Unified Modeling and Simulation

• Manufacturers' Outlook Survey

• The impact of capacity utilisation on product innovation in emerging economies

• The impact of capacity utilisation on product innovation

• General Mills and Walmart Join Forces To Advance Regenerative Agriculture

• Growing a Sustainable Future, Together - General Mills

• Standard vs. Custom Product: Which Is Appropriate?

• 30 of the Best Low Cost, High Profit Products - SaleHoo

• Setup utilization as a performance indicator in production planning

• Setup Time - Symestic

• Improving Setup Times with Industry 4.0 - LinkedIn

• Epicor ERP Case Study - Mid-West Metal Products Co., Inc.

• Do R&D intensity and capacity utilisation matter for SMEs

• 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey - Deloitte

• How to Reduce Turnover in Manufacturing - UKG

• U.S. Manufacturing Trends 2025: New Opportunities Ahead

• 2025 State of the Workplace - ActivTrak

• Job Burnout Reaches Alarming 66% In 2025: A Wake-Up Call For Employers

• Domestic Economy Concerns in Q3 Manufacturing Industry Survey

• Top 3 challenges for manufacturing in 2025: Skills gap, turnover and ...

• The Role of IoT in Smart Manufacturing

• Siemens Industrial IoT

• Siemens Recognized by IDC

• Oracle Smart Manufacturing

• PwC US Insights on Manufacturing

• Siemens and Salesforce Shaping Manufacturing

• IDC MarketScape for MES

• NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey Q2 2025