The drive for process efficiency will be embraced by companies across the region as rising costs and poor product quality impact their bottom line. Companies in the region will renew their continuous improvement activities with "a new zeal", and they will be seeking to utilise new technologies to reduce waste across all functions and levels within their organisations.

"We are expecting newer technologies to be adopted in the manufacturing segment, with cloud-based applications, tablet PCs and social media all starting to play a role in making the manufacturing enterprise a more efficient one," said Dr. Holmes.