What Would It Take to Bring Back US Manufacturing? Part 2

Bridgewater

Aidan Madigan-Curtis, Danny DeBois, Kate Dunbar

Research

9 Pages

Bridgewater and Eclipse identify the technologies needed to close the U.S. productivity gap and restore competitiveness in manufacturing. The study argues that large-scale adoption of automation, AI, and advanced production systems could raise manufacturing productivity by one to two orders of magnitude but that full implementation may take a decade or longer.

Source: Bridgewater Associates. As of July 10, 2025.

Key Takeaways

Automation lag: The U.S. has only 141 industrial robots per 10,000 workers, far below global peers, limiting cost competitiveness.
Technology catalysts: AI-driven computer vision, additive manufacturing, and machine monitoring can cut defects up to 65% and boost throughput by 75%.
Adoption hurdle: Roughly 98% of U.S. manufacturers are small or mid-sized, delaying deployment of advanced technologies despite readiness for scale.
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