What Manufacturing Leaders Need to Focus on in 2026

Manufacturing is moving faster than ever. New challenges, new technologies, and tighter margins mean companies can’t just keep doing things the way they always have. To stay competitive in 2026, manufacturers need to work smarter, not just harder.

That’s why we teamed up with Tervene to create a new eBook: What Should Be on Manufacturing Leaders’ Radar in 2026. In it, we break down four big areas that leading manufacturers are focusing on to build stronger operations and stay ahead of the curve. If you’re looking to modernize your shop, build a stronger leadership team, or get more from your data, this is for you.

1. Use Business Intelligence to Drive Decisions

Manufacturers who take the time to track meaningful KPIs and actually act on them outperform the rest.

The right KPIs give you a clear picture of what’s happening in your business right now. With real-time data, you can catch problems early, adjust schedules, work more efficiently, and improve profits.

But it’s not about tracking every number you can find. You need to focus on metrics that matter to your business goals. That might mean measuring throughput and on-time delivery if you’re focused on customer satisfaction, or keeping a close eye on scrap rate and downtime if you want to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

A manufacturing ERP makes this much easier. It pulls data straight from your shop floor, machines, inventory, and finance systems and turns it into clear, useful insights. You don’t have to guess — you’ll know what’s going on and can fix problems before they get expensive.

In our new eBook, we break down some of the top manufacturing KPIs and give you guidance on how to choose the right ones for your business. We also share real stories from manufacturers who have used data to transform their operations.

2. How to Build a Connected Shop Floor

Too many manufacturers are still running their operations on paper-based systems, printed work orders, or disconnected spreadsheets. It might have worked in the past, but today it creates delays, miscommunication, and wasted time and materials.

A connected shop floor brings everything — and everyone — together. When your workers, machines, and systems are all linked, you get live visibility into what’s happening on the floor. Managers can adjust schedules on the fly, operators have the right instructions at their fingertips, and issues can be flagged and resolved faster.

A truly connected shop floor starts with your ERP system. By integrating your production data, scheduling, inventory, and quality tracking into one system, you create a single source of truth that everyone can rely on. The result? Fewer errors, higher productivity, and happier customers.

To see what a connected shop floor really looks like, download our new eBook, where we share real examples and practical tips to get you started.

3. Strengthen Leadership with Tervene’s Insights

Tervene shares their expertise and valuable insights on Leader Standard Work (LSW) and visual management. LSW builds stronger, more consistent leadership habits, while visual tools make performance easier to see, helping teams make faster, better decisions.

We won’t give everything away here — the eBook is full of practical examples and step-by-step tips you’ll want to dig into yourself.

The Bottom Line

The manufacturers who will succeed in 2026 are the ones who use real-time data, build strong leadership habits, make performance easy to see, and connect their people and processes. It isn’t about putting in more hours — it’s about working smarter and making faster, better decisions.

If boosting your operational performance is a goal this year, check out our new eBook. It breaks down what to focus on and gives you practical steps to help you start making real improvements.

Ready to dive deeper and set your operation up for success in 2026? Download our new eBook today.