Advanced Manufacturing White Paper
Building the Blueprint for Northeast Indiana’s Manufacturing Future
A new white paper spearheaded by the Don Wood Foundation is helping northeast Indiana define Next-Generation Manufacturing (NGM) and align talent development with the realities of a changing industry.
Manufacturing has long been a cornerstone of northeast Indiana’s economy, but that sector isn’t standing still. Automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, data-enabled systems, and other emerging technologies are not only reshaping the way work gets done; they are redefining the skills employees need to succeed.
For a region that has long depended on manufacturing strength, these changes create both an urgent challenge and a significant opportunity.
A White Paper with a Purpose
That’s why the Don Wood Foundation is partnering with Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Community Research Institute and the University’s Department of Organizational Leadership to support the development of a new white paper focused on the future of manufacturing talent across a 12-county region. The goal is to describe today’s workforce landscape and to help northeast Indiana prepare for what comes next.
At the heart of the research is an important question: What do we really mean when we say “Next-Gen Manufacturing”?
It is a phrase that gets used often but is too rarely defined with precision. For the Don Wood Foundation, understanding that definition matters. Next-Gen Manufacturing needs to be highly regional, and the understanding of NGM needs to be relevant to northeast Indiana residents and may differ from other parts of the state or country. The region must avoid building an effective workforce strategy around assumptions, buzzwords, or incomplete impressions. It needs a shared understanding of the history of manufacturing, where manufacturing is headed, and what that means for employers, educators, workforce partners, and communities.
Research Grounded in Regional Voices
This research is designed to provide that clarity. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study brings together broad-based survey data, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and county-level economic analysis to build a fuller picture of manufacturing’s significant historical benchmarks, current reality, and future direction. Finally, this portion of our research focuses on a more robust qualitative methodology, with the intention of overlaying the results with quantitative research later in the year.
Initial results are encouraging. More than 230 people responded to the survey, including over 100 regional manufacturers, creating what may be one of the most reliable data sets of its kind in the region. This quantitative data is being strengthened by qualitative insights from educators, workforce and economic development leaders, and manufacturers themselves.
Listening Before Leading
Gaining input from all these voices matters, because we believe the strongest workforce strategies begin by listening. Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence, the white paper intentionally centers the voices of those closest to the work.
Manufacturers understand operational realities. Educators understand training pathways. Workforce organizations understand barriers, aspirations, and points of disconnection. Economic development leaders understand the broader regional ecosystem. Bringing those perspectives together helps ensure that the final recommendations reflect real-world needs rather than abstract theories.
Identifying Gaps Before They Grow
The research is also intended to identify something critical for the region’s future: the gaps. Northeast Indiana has many strengths, including a strong manufacturing heritage, committed employers, and a network of organizations working to develop talent.
But strengths alone are not enough. If training pathways are not aligned with actual hiring demand, the region risks either preparing people for jobs that don’t exist locally or failing to prepare them for the jobs that do. Either outcome weakens long-term competitiveness.
From Insight to Action
The white paper is meant to help avoid that disconnect. By examining workforce strengths, talent shortages, emerging occupations, and the changing mix of skills and mindsets needed in advanced manufacturing, this research will help regional leaders make smarter decisions about where to invest time, resources, and energy. Our intent is for these findings to inform strategy, program design, and policy conversations across the manufacturing talent pipeline.
Don Wood Serving as a Catalyst for the Conversation
For the Don Wood Foundation, this effort is deeply connected to donor intent. Our work has long been shaped by an entrepreneurial mindset and leadership, with a strong focus on advanced manufacturing. Through our recent strategic planning, those priorities have been brought into even sharper focus around one central aim: developing the next-generation manufacturing workforce. Supporting this research is one way we can pursue that mission with both discipline and foresight.
We understand that meaningful change doesn’t happen through isolated programs alone. It happens when systems work together, when education, workforce development, industry, and philanthropy are aligned around a common understanding of what the future requires. As a private foundation, Don Wood Foundation can help strengthen the ecosystem around advanced manufacturing by supporting research, partnerships, innovation, and long-term strategies that improve regional readiness and competitiveness.
An Investment in the Region’s Future
Which is why this white paper is so important. It’s not an academic exercise for its own sake. It’s a practical tool for decision-making, a way to move forward with eyes wide open. And it’s an investment in ensuring northeast Indiana refrains from merely reacting to change in manufacturing and instead prepares for it wisely.
When the final report is released in April, it will offer more than findings. It will provide a framework for action, grounded in evidence, informed by regional voices, and focused on preparing people for the opportunities of the Next-Gen Manufacturing Workforce. For a region with deep manufacturing roots and a strong stake in what comes next, that work could not be more important.
Finally, this work would not have been possible without the willingness of many regional leaders to dedicate their time to completing the survey, participating in focus groups, conducting one-on-one interviews, and offering their advice throughout the process. We are eternally grateful for their support.