This vertical continues to be challenged with a tough and slow recovery as improvements in shipments and production are see-sawing back and forth between good and bad. The good news is that technology is expected to play a major role in improving the state of the manufacturing industry by fostering improvement in efficiencies and decreasing costs in the total supply chain through automation. Both the forces of automation and efficiencies rely more and more on information technology solutions to boost production line quality, streamline operation and manufacturing systems, provide better interoperability, and reduce the total costs of production.