What comes to mind when you hear the word “factory”? Depending upon a variety of factors, such as how prevalent manufacturing is in the area where you grew up and how much experience you have with family members working in manufacturing, the word “factory” can prompt many different thoughts, images, and emotions. For some, a
How’s your wallet doing lately? If you drive much, it’s probably a little lighter thanks to skyrocketing gas prices. If you eat, you may have also noticed prices rising steadily at the grocery store and restaurants. Overall, the current state of the economy has been taking its toll on American consumers. But what about businesses?
Remember the good ol’ days when Claude was your uncle from Wisconsin, Copilot was the guy helping fly the plane, and Gemini was your astrological sign if you were born in early summer? Today, these names—along with ChatGPT—are the top artificial intelligence (AI) assistants available on computers and smartphones everywhere. Just a few years ago,
Between the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing trade wars being waged by the Trump administration via tariffs, the importance of manufacturing in the United States has once again taken center stage. To keep up with domestic demand for things like high-tech semiconductors, it’s more important than ever that as many things
How much attention do you pay to where the products you buy are manufactured? Do you care that your clothes and shoes were likely made in southeast Asia? Or your smartphone? That was probably made in Asia, too. Many people have never given much thought to where things are manufactured. The supply chain disruptions caused
Is there anything better than purchasing a brand-new car? In addition to that new car smell, there’s the luxury of peering down at the odometer to see a line of zeroes. With no worries about breakdowns or repairs in the near future, there’s nothing quite like that first drive off the lot onto the wide-open
“Made in America!” Those three words evoke a range of thoughts and emotions, from simple patriotism to a belief in a higher-quality product. They’ve also become a bit of a political rallying cry. Since the beginning of 2025, American manufacturing has been in the national spotlight more than ever, largely due to the Trump administration’s
Do you want to see more manufacturing jobs in the United States? Do you want to work one of those manufacturing jobs? For Americans, the answer to these two questions is quite different and seemingly contradictory. Welcome to the paradox that is modern manufacturing in the U.S. The on-again, off-again Trump administration tariff announcements sparking
What’s the biggest challenge facing manufacturers in 2025? A survey of companies would likely yield a variety of answers, from inflation and fickle customer demand to productivity and ever-changing technology. But there’s one ongoing problem that would top the list for many manufacturers: filling open positions with highly skilled workers. Manufacturers call it the skill
American manufacturers need workers. For years, they’ve struggled to fill open positions and, while some of their efforts have led to improved recruitment, there are still hundreds of thousands of open positions across the country. Thanks to the work of manufacturers and educators over the last decade, however, more students than ever are open to
Anyone tuned in to the state of manufacturing in America has been aware of the perennial thorn in the side of manufacturers everywhere: the skills gap. For many years now, manufacturers have struggled to fill open positions due to a shortage of workers with the skills needed to work with and alongside new advanced automation
