The manufacturing sector will remain under unusual scrutiny in 2024. China, Europe, India, the US, and others are paying more attention to where and how things get made than they have for decades. Subsidies and political clout are being lavishly spread in a race to attract and retain strategic manufacturing capacity. From AI and machine learning to physical robots and the industrial metaverse, smart manufacturing technologies play their part in helping the manufacturing sector adapt to this changing world. This report outlines Forrester’s most important predictions for the manufacturing sector’s business and technology leaders in 2024.