On December 3rd, Caddy conducted a "Manufacturing Industry 2026 Outlook Survey" targeting 645 managers working in the manufacturing industry (by industry: materials and material processing, machinery and equipment, electronics, precision and information equipment, automobiles, and transportation machinery and equipment), and announced the results.
<Influential social circumstances>
Among the survey items, the top responses related to "impact of social conditions" were "rising logistics costs (39.7%)", "economic stagnation/decline (37.7%)", and "exchange rate fluctuations, such as a weaker yen (34.0%)".
"Rising logistics costs," which topped the list of "impacts of social conditions," was also the top concern overall. By industry, it ranked first in materials/material processing and machinery/equipment, third in electronics/precision/information equipment and automobiles, and second in transportation machinery and equipment, making it the biggest concern.
This survey, including other survey items, revealed that in the manufacturing sector, multiple structural challenges related to people and operations are progressing simultaneously, in addition to changes in the external environment. While external factors such as supply chains, exchange rates, and procurement costs are impacting business operations, internal issues such as "labor shortages" and "personalization of tasks" remain unresolved. In particular, more than 8% of respondents believe that "labor shortages" will continue beyond 2026, suggesting that the prospects for improvement are slim.
The survey covered eight items: "Impact of social conditions," "Impact of 'weak yen' and 'inflation'," "Procurement and raw material risks," "Personnel who will drive business growth, including the use of AI, in the next three years," "Future labor shortages," "Attitudes towards work styles," "Aspects that the company should change to strengthen competitiveness," "Skills to strengthen in 2026," and "Issues that can be solved through the use of digital technology."
