Manufacturing use to mean a skyline dotted with smog producing factories. Today there is a push in many industries to adopt more eco-friendly means of product production. In your master's thesis, explore the green manufacturing options, and conduct research on the potential benefit for retrofitting old industrial sites with these new green options. Do a cost benefits analysis to determine whether the potential benefit derived from modifying the manufacturing techniques is as economically sound as it is environmentally responsible.
Many companies now elect to outsource their manufacturing, much to the chagrin of American factory workers. Explore the concept of outsourcing, and study financial records to determine just how economically beneficial the process is. Compare the data from this exploration with information about the cost of manufacturing goods in America. Determine what could be done to lower the cost of manufacturing in America, thus enabling more manufacturing jobs to remain within U.S. boundaries.
The manufacturing process is considerably more automated than it was decades ago. Gather information about robotic advancements in manufacturing, and explore the impact that these advancements have had upon the quality of the products produced, as well as the manufacturing workforce. Using information about manufacturing techniques currently in the developmental stages, project into the future to paint a picture of what manufacturing may look like down the line.
Manufacturing plants are constantly on the lookout for ways to improve output and thereby increase the profitability of their operation. In your master's thesis, explore potential improvement techniques. Gather data from studies of each technique, and compile your information to determine which method is most effective in increasing output and profit. Consider ways that these strategies can be used in tandem with each other, and make a recommendation to manufacturing operators based upon your findings.