Between distractions and sudden changes in the business environment, it can be difficult to stay on task and be productive.



To get the most out of your business, you need to use productivity tools. There are a vast array of products and services that can help you optimize your time in the office. Below is a description of some of the more critical productivity categories and a list of some solutions that we think you'll find very useful in 2021.

2020 was undoubtedly one for the history books. The manufacturing world was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, from supply chain disruptions to labor shortages and widespread shutdowns. In many ways, IndustrySelect's most popular stories for 2020 reflected the efforts of sales, marketing and business development professionals to understand the struggles of their valuable manufacturing clients, improve communications and discover new opportunities amid this remarkable year.

2020 was an unprecedented year for manufacturers. As coronavirus swept the globe, industrial companies faced the worst downturn since the Great Depression, and several months later experienced the sharpest rebound since the 1980s. Through it all, U.S. manufacturers continued to open up new manufacturing companies and expand existing ones as the sector progressed in its slow climb back from pandemic lows. Today, we've compiled the most exciting new manufacturing companies announced in 2020.

New data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that job openings in non-durable goods manufacturing hit an all-time high in October. This follows a disappointing jobs report released by the Labor Department earlier in the month which found the U.S. manufacturing sector added just 27,000 jobs in November, down slightly from October's gain of 38,000.



Manufacturers hired at a much brisker pace in the late spring and early summer as industrial firms resumed production, but the sector is still 599,000 jobs shy of pre-pandemic levels.

Even with a vaccine on the horizon, the specter of COVID-19 looms large over your operations and those of your customers. So, the adage "Proper prior planning prevents poor performance" is especially true as you solidify your marketing strategy to increase sales in 2021.



In addition to the vaccine, governments and businesses are learning more about mitigating COVID-19's spread, allowing health and economic concerns to be addressed at the same time without adversely affecting one another.



In January 2020, the world was just beginning to experience the pandemic and its widespread effect. As your company approaches 2021, uncertainty remains, but you also bring with you the lessons learned in 2020, allowing you to be more proactive in your sales and marketing initiatives.



In the words of Bill Gates, "Success today requires the agility and drive to constantly rethink, reinvigorate, react, and reinvent."[i]

Amid unprecedented times, U.S. manufacturers continue to open up new facilities and expand existing ones as the sector progresses in its slow climb back from pandemic lows.

In November, several new facilities opened up in response to the pandemic, along with some major wins for the transportation equipment and food processing industries. Today, we are going to explore the new manufacturing or expanded operations announced in November.

Screw machine products are components created through the use of turning lathes. As evidenced by the name, the first products produced were metal screws.



Today, the range is far broader and includes hardware, bolts and mechanical parts. Screw machine products are used in every industry imaginable, making this sector quite resilient.

On May 27 of this year, B2B sales and marketing expert John Coe, provided us with a detailed look at the challenges B2B marketers face when it comes to old or "decaying" data: B2B Data Decay: The Achilles Heel of Marketing.



Today, John is following up on that article, sharing some crucial steps B2B sales and marketing professionals should take to remediate old or aging data.

For many companies in 2020, profit margins are taking a hit. As part of the executive team, you want to have a comprehensive view of the challenges ahead and how to right the ship. Creating a seamless B2B customer experience can help boost your profit margins, putting your company back on the path to success. In this post, we'll explore the concept of the customer experience and provide the four fundamentals for enhancing the experience of your best prospects.

The U.S. manufacturing sector added 38,000 jobs in October -- roughly half the number of jobs added in September. Manufacturers hired at a must brisker pace in the late spring and early summer as industrial firms resumed production, but the sector is still 621,000 jobs shy of pre-pandemic levels.



However, in October, manufacturing gains were seen across a wider span of industries, some of which saw lukewarm gains or posted losses during the recovery period.

Many of the same factors that motivate individual buyers to choose one product over another also motivate industrial buyers[i] -- quality, price, performance, etc. The Harvard Business Review recently published a hierarchy of value propositions from base expectations at the bottom of the pyramid to loftier purchasing goals such as a feeling of social responsibility at the top of the pyramid. Matching these values to each buyer persona helps manufacturers complete more sales[ii].



The following buyer personas are designed to help manufacturing companies motivate industrial buyers to choose their product[iv]:

Sheet metal fabrication is not new, but it is newsworthy.



As the world races to create a vaccine to fight COVID-19, part of the solution has been in existence for thousands of years. The same virus that can live for several days on plastic lasts only four hours on copper surfaces[i].



Hundreds of antimicrobial copper alloys are recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency as able to kill harmful bacteria. If used in hospitals, HVAC systems and other high volume areas of potential contact, antimicrobial copper alloys could help control the spread of many diseases until a vaccine or a cure can be found.

Even with the effects of COVID-19 shutdowns, the manufacturing industry still requires freight and shipping services to create and deliver their products to the nation.



As a freight company, finding companies that need freight hauled does not need to be a difficult endeavor. Here are some ways that you can find opportunities regardless of outside forces.

We've been reporting on new plant announcements and expansions through most of 2020 and October saw some major announcements, with two new PPE operations, several food processing facilities and a massive new steel operation.



Encompassing nine states and representing a diverse set of industries, these are the major new or expanded U.S. manufacturing operations announced in October.

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau has been surveying small businesses across the U.S. on the Pandemic's impact on operations, providing compelling insight into how the Pandemic has affected everything from employment and revenue to supply chains and outlook on a weekly basis.



Today, we're going to break down the results of the survey as it pertains to U.S. manufacturing companies, including specific information on revenue, employment, supply chain issues and outlook, and provide insight into the specific needs of manufacturers as the recovery takes hold.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor statistics shows the U.S. added 661,000 jobs in September, while the unemployment rate declined to 7.9%, according to a report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is roughly half of the 1.4 million jobs the nation added in August.



The U.S. manufacturing sector added jobs in September as well and hiring picked up in the sector compared to August. The Department of Labor reports the sector added 66,000 jobs in September, accelerating from the 29,000 positions added in August.



Notably, however, the U.S. industrial sector is currently 647,000 jobs short of pre-pandemic levels.

So much has happened in 2020 that was unprecedented. Simply looking forward to 2021 has become a definite challenge.



The only way to get a handle on what to expect in sales and marketing next year is to study the data from this year, especially during COVID-19, and project using the most likely scenarios.

Recent data finds the U.S. manufacturing sector continues to make progress in its slow climb back from pandemic lows. Manufacturing activity, including new orders and production, is firmly in expansion territory, though hiring has been lagging behind other key metrics in recent months.



Read more: The Big Picture Look at U.S. Manufacturing Business Conditions (Sept. 2020)



We've been reporting on new plant announcements and expansions through most of 2020 and September was a strong month, with some major announcements made in transportation, PPE, food products and the burgeoning cannabis industry.

Due to fears about the transmissivity of COVID-19, remote interaction has become the method of choice for everything from schools to manufacturing.



Controlling and operating complex design, construction and assembly of various products with limited human interaction has forced an industry-wide reset.



Here are some of the things that manufacturers discovered in their move to embrace automation at scale.

Using email as a method of prospecting to industrial companies can be challenging. Over 75% of prospecting emails are ignored or deleted without being read. This type of treatment can be avoided simply by attempting to establish a real relationship with your prospect. Here's how.

Industrial machinery and equipment is a popular industry for many users of IndustrySelect's live database of 500,000 industrial companies. Currently, there are 45,876 industrial machinery and equipment manufacturers listed in IndustrySelect's database.



But which U.S. states account for the most industrial machinery manufacturers? Today, we're going to take a closer look at the industry and list the top 15 states for industrial machinery manufacturing.

MNI is pleased to announce the launch of the North American Cannabis Industry Business Database, the most comprehensive compilation of businesses in the fast-growing and lucrative cannabis industry of its kind.



Profiling 11,000 businesses and 13,000 decision-makers, the Cannabis Industry Business Database is the result of more than twelve months of firsthand research by MNI's 80-person data research team.

In order to integrate IndustrySelect with the most commonly used CRMs among our userbase, we recently turned to our thousands of customers in industrial sales, marketing, and business development to find out what CRM they used to manage interactions with their industrial clients. The results of the survey were very revealing, and we thought we would share these results with you today.

COVID-19 has caused a number of cutbacks across the manufacturing industry. One area that is experiencing exponential growth is the medical and pharmaceutical supply industry. For staffing agencies currently looking for opportunities, this is a sector that offers them en masse.



The number of companies involved in medical and pharmaceutical supply is relatively high compared to many other sectors. Based on data provided by MNI, there are nearly 1,500 medical supply companies across the United States and over 14,500 chemical supply companies. The latter are companies that produce chemicals that may be used for pharmaceuticals or other purposes. Together, these sectors provide almost 170,000 jobs at present. However, this number is growing as the industry catches up with demand created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor statistics shows the U.S. added 1.4 million jobs in August and the unemployment rate fell to 8.4%. This is roughly in line with 1.8 million jobs added in July.



The U.S. manufacturing sector added jobs in August as well, but hiring was far softer than in other sectors.

COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into the plans of companies nationwide, with the most unfortunate having to shutter operations and others having to drastically change their planned course. Gallup polls indicate that manufacturing and production jobs have decreased by up to 15%, with at least 32% of workers experiencing reduced hours.



This has rippled into the staffing industry as many segments of manufacturing now have a far lower demand for employees. As a result, industrial staffing is slated to drop by 22% in 2020.



Despite these dismal figures, North America represents the fastest-growing region globally for staffing and recruitment.

Recent data finds the U.S. industrial sector continues to show signs of life, with new orders, employment and production all showing steady improvement following the historic lows recorded at the height of the pandemic.



Furthering this cautious optimism, new plant announcements and expansions have accompanied the recovery, making headlines throughout the month of August.

Time-tested companies are restructuring, new entities are emerging to capitalize on new opportunities and others are either downsizing or folding altogether.



Companies need to pay close attention to what others in their field are doing in order to stay ahead in this complex game.

Springs are elastic objects that can store or release mechanical energy. They are used in countless devices to assist with motion control.



The spring manufacturing industry is comprised of 413 companies, almost half of which (40%) are located in the Midwest.



The South, West and Northeast host 22%, 18% and 20% respectively. A full 50% of all spring manufacturers distribute domestically.

New data released by the Bureau of Labor statistics shows the U.S. added 1.8 million jobs in July, while the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% from June's 11.1%.



The U.S. manufacturing sector added jobs but at a far slower rate than in previous months. The Department of Labor reports the sector added 26,000 positions in July, a far cry from the staggering 356,000 jobs it added in June (or the 225,000 gained in May).