Going back to Donald Trump’s first campaign for president in 2016, one of the former businessman’s key economic promises has been to revive the American manufacturing sector. As Trump now looks to continue the progress from his first term when he returns to the White House this January, investing in manufacturing innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced robotics will be key to making U.S. manufacturers competitive in the global economy.
Manufacturing employment decreased by 46,000 in October, just the latest in a series of bad headlines for the sector under the Biden-Harris administration. While Biden campaigned to continue Trump’s policies that brought about a pre-pandemic manufacturing boom, he failed to match the robust levels of growth seen during Trump’s first term.
Trump outlined a series of policies during this year’s campaign to jump-start the American manufacturing sector, including ensuring the country has the “#1 lowest cost energy in the world,” easing the regulatory burden on businesses and erecting more tariffs to protect American businesses from an influx of cheap foreign goods.
Another top priority for the incoming Trump administration will be securing America’s status as the global leader in manufacturing innovation and technology – a title that other nations, most notably China, are now contending for.
There are legitimate concerns about how the advent of advanced robotics and AI will replace human labor in the manufacturing sector. But the undeniable reality is that automation has significantly increased productivity and driven economic growth. The companies – and, by extension, the employees – that make the best investments in new technologies will be the ones best positioned to succeed in the years and decades ahead.
Yonathan Zilberman, an Israeli engineering professor whom I spoke to for this column, told me that industry and political leaders shouldn’t view automation and robots as taking jobs from humans. Instead, he explained that while robots perform demanding tasks that humans used to perform in faster and more efficient ways, they also create more jobs in building and maintaining them. Robots can also now perform many high-risk tasks, reducing the chances of workplace injuries and deaths.
In 2023, the latest World Robotics Report by the International Federation of Robotics, a networking group for the robotics industry, reported that the number of industrial robots in factories worldwide surpassed 4.28 million.
Approximately half a million, or about 11 percent, were installed in the United States, while around 1.5 million, or about 35 percent, were installed in China. The United States, China, Germany, Japan, and South Korea represent nearly two-thirds of all industrial robots globally. Professor Zilberman said that in all five countries, including the United States, a sizable share of labor is still engaged in manual manufacturing, indicating substantial potential for expansion.
China has understood the importance of robotics and automation in manufacturing for decades. Dr. Chun Wu, a former official at the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party who defected to the West in 2000, supervised the automation of China’s metallurgic and shipbuilding industries. He explained that in the early 1990s, Beijing purchased used robots from Germany and “doubled ship production in five years.” Robots “perform about 60 percent of tasks in shipyards,” which is why China can now build ships “so quickly,” he added.
In order for the United States to keep pace with China and its exponentially larger workforce, American companies must maintain a decided edge in robotics and automation technologies. During the Chinese Communist Party’s Third Plenary Session earlier this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping identified automation in the manufacturing sector as a primary focus in the years ahead, pointing to the rapid expansion of China’s car industry as a model.
The Chinese government has also announced its ambition to become “a hub of the global robotics industry” – a goal which, if achieved, would give Beijing a stranglehold over the global manufacturing sector.
In recent years only about five percent of China’s robotics production has been exported, but that could soon change as Chinese companies look to not only create their own technology but also copy designs from other countries. Last year, for instance, a Chinese firm released robotic patrol dogs that closely resembled a device from Boston Dynamics that is now being used by the Secret Service.
Currently, virtually every American industry, including the electrical, electronic, automotive, chemical, food, and medical industries, extensively utilizes pre-programmed or remotely controlled robots for assembly, welding, and other industrial tasks. Many of these robots require highly qualified operators and programmers to maintain them. These positions necessitate extensive training and often a four-year degree in computer science, which remains scarce among American workers.
Dr. Ilka Makela, a Finnish robotics expert, told me that currently the U.S. is being forced to import talent from abroad, including Finland, to meet its current needs in this field. For the incoming Trump administration, addressing this skills gap through investment in education is a crucial step toward revitalizing the U.S. manufacturing sector overall.
In a recent report, the U.S. Robotic Association also named regulations and impeded economic growth due to inflation as crucial obstacles slowing the adoption of automation and robotics in the manufacturing sector.
Embracing the robotics revolution is not just a strategic choice for the United States but a necessity to secure a prosperous and competitive future in global manufacturing. By expanding access to computer science and engineering programs, the U.S. can cultivate a robust pipeline of talent to support the demands of an increasingly automated manufacturing landscape. These efforts, paired with policies encouraging innovation and mitigating inflation, will ensure that American companies maintain their competitive edge on the world stage.
The robotics revolution, if fully harnessed, can be the foundation of a revitalized manufacturing sector that secures long-term economic growth, strengthens national security, and reaffirms the United States as a global industrial powerhouse.
Ben Solis is the pen name of an international affairs journalist, historian, and researcher.
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