Recognizing the impact of these external forces on manufacturing companies, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) surveyed the sector to better understand which megatrends have had the most negative impact on their businesses and which trends offer more opportunity than risk.

The global economy and currency markets hindered business performance in 2015. Regardless of their businesses’ international exposure, executives resoundingly agree that international and domestic economies and currencies have been a drag on company performance. Economic and currency factors took the top four spots on our list of factors negatively influencing business today.

The regulatory playing field, while global, isn’t level. CEOs and presidents are the most critical of U.S. tax policy and point to the Affordable Care Act and conflict minerals compliance as regulatory burdens that impede business performance.

Tight labor markets continue to plague manufacturing companies. Although many baby boomers have delayed retirement to counterbalance the impact of the Great Recession on their savings, their unavoidable retirement compounds the challenge of finding skilled labor for production roles.

Information transparency trends offer a bright spot. Thanks to unparalleled access to information about pricing and profitability, three-quarters of executives report that understanding total cost of ownership had a positive impact on their business in 2015.

The full report is available for download from MAPI.

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