If there’s one thing I’ve learned in more than two decades in covering the technology and industrial space, it’s that complexity is the new constant. Disruption used to be episodic—COVID, tariffs, material shortages—but now the baseline expectation is that everything is becoming faster and more interconnected at a rapid clip. In construction and manufacturing, that means dealing with supply-chain disruptions, labor scarcity, the push into direct‑to‑consumer models, and other business evolutions.
The reality both construction and manufacturing are facing today is a difficult one. More than 76% of today’s supply-chain operations are impacted by labor gaps. In manufacturing alone, as many as 2.1 million jobs could go unfilled by 2030. The construction industry will need to bring in nearly 454,000 new workers by the end of this year alone on top of normal hiring to meet ongoing demands.
The other hard reality is disruption is now constant. IDC forecasts by 2026, 55% of major OEMs (original-equipment manufacturers) will redesign service supply chains around AI (artificial intelligence) and predictive models. Some stats pan out—and some don’t, but I think we can all agree, industries need to prepare for a new era of work.
Let me be blunt: the organizations that win aren’t those who avoid complexity. They’re the ones who harness it.
Ali Jani, chief product officer, Acumatica, says opportunities come usually when there is change and disruption happening—which is the case in both construction and manufacturing.
Consider the example of manufacturing. Complexity continues to increase for businesses. Manufacturers are being a lot more competitive in nature, which means they must do a lot more offshore manufacturing, incorporate more vendors, and become full service to remain competitive. Many of them are going direct-to-consumer, and they must embrace new processes that they have never done before.
“At Acumatica, we are not just a general ERP solution,” says Jani. “Industry focus allows us to build a lot of depth and build a lot of domain expertise, partnerships, and integrations …”
Four Pillars for the Future
Can you create innovation in your company to outdo your competition? Of course! Jani points to four guiding pillars for those that want to move forward with innovation.
First, involve everyone: “Where you start, and the philosophy Acumatica has, is things are changing so you need to bring everybody along,” says Jani.
A key question companies should be asking is: How is the system going to impact everyone in the company? “The ones that succeed learn how to democratize technology across their entire company. They remove silos,” says Jani. “They remove individual bottlenecks with IT groups, and they include everyone.”
Second, think growth, not just productivity: Too many companies buy software to boost productivity, but the real question becomes can it scale too? “You have to think about the long-term of your system. You are no longer buying the system for just today, you are buying it for decades to come,” says Jani.
Some key questions companies should be asking are: Are you pairing up with a company that is going to stay modern that is going to help you? And are you future proofing your business?”
Third, make sure it is easy for everyone to use: If your people don’t use the tool, it does not provide value. The technology must work for the people. The goal here is adoption and accessibility across all roles—from the C-suite to the shop floor.
Some key questions to ask include: who will use the system and how often. Can non-technical users easily navigate tasks? How intuitive is the interface? What kind of training will be needed? How fast can we onboard a new user?
Fourth, it needs to meet your industry specific needs: The system should help you perform and grow. Businesses need a solution that works for industry workflows, compliance needs, and challenges.
Some key questions to ask include: Is this platform purpose-built? Does it support unique workflows? Does the vendor understand the business model? How easy is it to adapt and change? What integrations exist?
In construction and manufacturing, disruption has become the norm—supply-chain issues, labor shortages, growing complexity, and new demands like going directly to the consumer. These challenges bring opportunity—but only for those ready to adapt. Is your company ready?
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