2025 Manufacturing Trends: The Future of Conveyor Systems

Reflecting on 2025: Conveyor Innovation in a Shifting Manufacturing Landscape

As we near the end of Q3 and look ahead to 2026, I am thinking about the conveyor trends that grew in 2025. These include smart factories and “black factories.” We also face ongoing issues with labor availability, rising material costs, and constant discussions about AI.

For our team here at Dynamic Conveyor, these forces have reshaped both customer expectations and manufacturing priorities. Across industries, companies are demanding more from their conveyor systems—not just in moving products, but in how they support automation, flexibility, and reduced operational cost.

Smart & Black Factories: Automation Demands Smarter Conveyor Solutions

The shift toward more autonomous facilities has accelerated in 2025. With food and product safety as a priority, automatic conveyor systems do more than just move products. They support multifunctional production, work well with other equipment, and provide reliable performance.

“Black factories”—lights-out facilities running with minimal human oversight—require conveyors that are modular, reliable, designed for predictive maintenance, and optimized for energy efficiency. At Dynamic Conveyor, our modular conveyor solutions make it easier for manufacturers to keep pace with this growing automation trend.

Labor Availability: Why Modular Conveyors Are Labor Multipliers

With fewer workers available to manage manual processes, manufacturers are doubling down on automation. Custom conveyor systems are increasingly viewed as labor multipliers, helping manufacturers achieve reduced labor costs by minimizing the need for intensive cleaning, heavy lifting, or constant monitoring.

Our modular conveyor designs make reconfiguration quick and downtime minimal—helping manufacturers stretch their resources further while keeping production moving.

Leverage AI in Conveyor Systems

While AI isn’t a new term, it seems to have finally found real traction in 2025. Manufacturers are discovering where to use it, when not to, and how it can drive efficiencies in material handling conveyors and broader production lines. Conveyors that can integrate into AI monitoring strategies are becoming essential tools for smart factories.

Material Costs & Sustainability: Long-Term Value Through Modularity

Rising material costs have made sustainability and flexibility non-negotiable. Customers are looking for conveyor solutions that can evolve with their production lines instead of being scrapped and replaced.

Dynamic Conveyor’s DynaCon® modular conveyors and DynaPro® conveyor systems are innovative conveyor solutions that continue to deliver value, offering reconfigurability, quick lead times, and long-term cost savings for manufacturers navigating volatile markets.

2025 Success! – Food Production Automation

Nowhere have these trends been more evident than in the food industry, where conveyor belts play a central role in meeting strict sanitation and efficiency standards. Labor shortages, strict sanitation requirements, and the demand for efficiency have converged to make food conveyor systems and hygienic automation an urgent priority.

This has resulted in a very strong year for our DynaClean® sanitary conveyor line.

Food processors across North America are seeing real benefits:

• Reduced downtime with fast, efficient cleaning that keeps production running.
• Lower total cost of ownership thanks to modular reusability and reduced water/chemical usage.
• Improved food safety by meeting stringent sanitation standards without sacrificing throughput.

As food manufacturers embrace smarter facilities, the role of food-grade conveyors has become mission-critical. DynaClean has not only met these challenges but has been a catalyst for helping food producers scale operations more confidently in 2025.

2026: Looking Ahead

As we look toward 2026, one thing is clear: conveyors will remain at the heart of automation strategies, serving as both the backbone of production and a flexible, scalable tool for navigating an uncertain future. We look forward to partnering with customers as they embrace smarter, leaner, and more resilient manufacturing in 2026.