Manufacturing is the process of producing items, usually in large quantities, so that companies and other entities can use or sell them. It’s a process that transforms raw materials and supplies into polished finished products before they head to the next step of their journey — whether that’s a consumer or another manufacturer that needs parts to create more complex products. A variety of different processes go into the overall activity of manufacturing, including product design, material sourcing and transportation, many of which utilize computing systems to function smoothly and fabricate a final product. Pause for a moment and look around — at the device in your hands or under your fingertips, those items on your desk or the countertop appliances in your kitchen — and you’ll see the end results of manufacturing hard at work.