One crucial factor that often gets overlooked in any discussion about digital technology in manufacturing is 'people'.

It's easy to see why. The whole idea of using more advanced technology to streamline and automate everything – from production line throughput to cost-effective savings – appears (on the surface) to negate the need for surplus staff.

But robots aren't taking over quite yet. In fact, they can only be as good as we make them (that's why it's called machine learning). People are still very much needed in digital manufacturing – but the skill sets needed are changing.