All indications say, 'Yes,' especially in the U.S.  

 

Chances are, any manufacturing still alive today is "advanced" by definition. Competition and complexity - both driven by big data - continue to threaten and cajole industry in equal measure. And certain industries, companies and territories are responding better than others.

 

A survey of recent research and initiatives reveals where they're overlapping and, hence, where manufacturing stands to gain much more than a toehold when it comes to an innovation footprint.

 

A study released by the NAIOP Research Foundation in early June concludes that the reshoring trend of manufacturing industries to the United States yields stabilization of jobs, but not net growth. That said, some industries will add jobs as others shed them, and the longer-term trend is decidedly toward the positive: The manufacturing sector is expected to level off at an employment level of roughly 11 million jobs between now and 2020, after losing 6 million jobs between 2000 and 2010.

"Employment stabilization across the manufacturing sector bodes well for the overall economy and creates opportunity for real estate," said Thomas J. Bisacquino, NAIOP president and CEO. "Rising wages in countries like China, increasing global transportation costs and political instability abroad are all factors affecting the decision to remain [in] or return to the United States.