Reindustrializing the United States will require investments in training and new technologies to develop a workforce with contemporary skills and to fuel global competitiveness. Reindustrialization also requires an established ecosystem of suppliers and intermediaries, encompassing all steps from raw materials to finished product.
Our goal in this installment is to examine how innovators, suppliers, and leaders in manufacturing technology can provide fresh insights and solutions to today’s most pressing challenges through automation, robotics, machining, AI, additive manufacturing, and digital solutions. With this in mind, we turn to IMTS 2026 – The International Manufacturing Technology Show to engage with the vision that will power the comeback.
IMTS 2026 will be held Sept. 14-19, 2026, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. This will be my 20th IMTS. I expect to be there all six days and look forward to seeing you!
The Hurdles
Skilled Labor Shortage
The skilled labor shortage stems from an aging workforce, a reduced migration of skilled workers, and a skills mismatch between the skills of available workers and the skills needed by the industry. It is further intensified by recruitment challenges rooted in negative perceptions of the industry and of trades versus degrees, as well as a highly competitive labor market.
This workforce deficiency is compounded by a growing demand for highly skilled workers to operate new and advanced manufacturing technologies. In the Reshoring Initiative’s 2025 Reshoring Survey, OEMs ranked a higher quantity and quality of skilled workforce as key to more reshoring, ahead of taxes, currency, regulations, and tariffs (OEM Fig 11, page 16 of the Reshoring Survey). Sixty-five percent of surveyed manufacturers say attracting and retaining talent is their No. 1 business challenge, and it’s also the top criterion for U.S. manufacturing site selection.
Bridging the Knowledge Transition
The baby boomer generation had a record-breaking 11,000 people per day reach retirement age in 2024 – a trend that is expected to continue through 2027. As baby boomers retire, they are taking decades of institutional knowledge with them – faster than manufacturers can capture it. Manufacturers must develop a roadmap that includes evaluating knowledge gaps and planning the transfer of tacit knowledge from retiring employees to remaining employees.
The Future of Manufacturing Technology Education
To see how manufacturers can prepare for the “loss of legacy knowledge” and for the growth of new-collar jobs that increasingly require digital skills for programming and operating automated machinery, we turn to the Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS 2026.
Showcasing cutting-edge manufacturing technology from high-profile IMTS 2026 exhibit partners, the Summit provides educators and students with dynamic learning experiences inspired by our industry’s vision for the future of manufacturing technology education.
The Smartforce Student Summit, powered by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and SME, welcomed nearly 15,000 students and educators at IMTS 2024.
“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
— Walt Disney
For news and insights on the people and technologies shaping the future of manufacturing technology, we look to the Smartforce Blog. Smartforce is driven by a philosophy embodied in this Walt Disney quote: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” This drives Smartforce’s work spotlighting education and workforce development initiatives across the United States that redefine how we prepare the next generation for careers in manufacturing and STEM.
America must invest more heavily in apprenticeship training programs. By combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction, apprenticeships provide young people with pathways to learn vocational skills that are especially important for a lucrative career in high-tech manufacturing.
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
New technologies and automation make U.S. manufacturing more cost-competitive, enabling more reshoring.
“Automation is key to manufacturing growth, and there’s no place more valuable than IMTS to demonstrate its critical role,” says Mike Cicco, CEO of FANUC America (IMTS booth #338900) and AMT’s chairman.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
New England Die Co. (NEDCO), a manufacturer of tungsten carbide and hardened tool steel tools, successfully reshored with new automation. The company was struggling to remain competitive with Chinese prices. Long-standing customers were being forced to offshore to China to cut costs.
Joe Almeida, president of NEDCO, knew that long-term manufacturing growth would depend upon U.S. competitiveness and reshoring. With carefully chosen capital investment, process improvements, and new technologies, manufacturers can build a competitive advantage that unlocks more reshoring opportunities.
With that strategy in mind, NEDCO invested in a Studer S33 universal grinding machine with quick changeover capabilities from United Machining Solutions (IMTS booth #236802). The new equipment enabled Almeida to cut labor costs by 85% and reduce the scrap rate to zero. Now NEDCO is competitive on both low-volume and high-volume work. Seventy percent of revenue is now reshored products.
Automation overcame two problems: first, pricing versus offshore production; and second, skilled workforce availability.
The two 2025 National Metalworking Reshoring Award winners, GE Appliance and Marlin Steel, each leveraged automation in their reshoring efforts. Marlin earned the award by repeatedly demonstrating that automation, engineering, quality, and delivery can enable reshoring, even of high-volume commoditized products.
GE Appliances is reshoring and employing automation technology to fuel a more resilient supply chain.
"This award is proof that when you invest in American workers and factories, you strengthen supply chains and fuel the resurgence of U.S. manufacturing," said Bill Good, vice president of supply chain at GE Appliances.
A Roadmap for the Future of U.S. Manufacturing
Manufacturing is at a critical crossroads, as manufacturers are navigating uncertainty with new strategies and technologies.
“IMTS provides manufacturers with the opportunity to explore technologies and ideas to solve production challenges,” says Doug Woods, president of AMT, which owns and produces IMTS.
The strategies the country implements now will shape the future of U.S. manufacturing for decades to come. Automation makes U.S. manufacturing more cost-competitive, enabling more reshoring and requiring still more automation, creating a virtuous cycle.
Perfect Timing
The timing is perfect for IMTS 2026. By then, the tariffs should be stable. The U.S. dollar has fallen from its 2024 peak and is expected to continue a gradual decline, making the United States more competitive. Deregulation is underway. The One Big Beautiful Bill’s policy allowing immediate expensing for capital equipment purchases and R&D costs makes U.S. manufacturing more competitive. The skilled workforce is improving. Geopolitical risk is unlikely to decrease, given China’s focus on resolving the Taiwan issue by 2027.
Are You Thinking About Reshoring?
Our primary mission is to help companies calculate their costs accurately by using our free online Total Cost of Ownership Estimator (TCO). By using TCO, companies can better evaluate sourcing, identify alternatives, and even make a case when selling against offshore competitors.
For help or to report your reshoring successes, contact me at 847-867-1144 or email me at harry.moser@reshorenow.org. Access the full list of reshoring resources offered by the Reshoring Initiative.
Have you reshored a metal component or product? Apply for the National Metalworking Reshoring Award today. Awards will be presented at IMTS 2026.
The Path To Reshoring, Through IMTS:
Review what you and your customers now import.
Identify products with supply chain risks or volatile demand.
Compare offshore versus domestic TCO. Contact Harry Moser for help if needed.
Pick products where the Ex Works price is within 30% and TCO is within 5%.
Calculate the productivity improvements needed to achieve a domestic TCO that is favorable.
Attend IMTS 2026. Challenge exhibitors to provide the technology and operator training to achieve a favorable TCO and a good ROI. Do the ROI calculation based on TCO, not price. See Figure 1 below for a simple explanation.
Invest.
Apply for the 2027 or 2028 National Metalworking Reshoring Award!
