“When 400,000 Manufacturing Jobs Go Unfilled, It’s Time To Rethink The Blueprint” FORBES

One statistic hits like an alarm clock for the reindustrialization dream: 400,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs sit vacant, a hole in the fabric of American industry.

Natan Linder, a manufacturing veteran, doesn’t mince words—this is a structural failure of the “blueprint” we’ve used to attract and retain talent.

His argument at its core is a plea for reinvention, saying that the old model—relying on high school career days and generic job fairs—treats manufacturing like a relic, ignoring the sector’s evolution into a high-tech arena blending AI, robotics, and sustainable processes.

It’s a timely critique.

He points to a 2024 Deloitte survey showing only 20% of Americans view manufacturing as “cool” or viable, a perception rooted in outdated images of grimy factories rather than the reality of $60,000 starting salaries for CNC machinists. Delving deeper into demographic shifts, an aging workforce (average age 44, up from 40 in 2010) and a 30% drop in vocational enrollment since 1990 exacerbate the issue.

It’s a failure to market the sector’s intellectual appeal. Why not highlight how a welder today can use AR glasses for precision work, or how supply chain analysts could wield data science to outsmart global disruptions?

Linder calls for a “new blueprint”—vocational pipelines starting in middle school, partnerships with tech firms for apprenticeships, and campaigns that frame manufacturing as the backbone of innovation, not drudgery.

Make manufacturing cool again. Firms must lead with storytelling, not just paychecks, to lure Gen Z.

“Inside GM’s virtual assembly line where AI and VR revolutionize car manufacturing” USA TODAY

A designer in Detroit slips on a VR headset, steps into a virtual Cadillac, and tweaks the dashboard feel with haptic gloves, while a colleague in California chimes in real-time. That’s the magic of General Motors’ Virtual Reality Lab in Warren, Michigan. GM’s VR setup uses life-size digital models, allowing teams to “walk” around vehicles, adjust ergonomics, and collaborate globally.

“Volvo Cars to produce new US model amid tariff pressure” REUTERS

Volvo Cars is making a calculated move to ramp up U.S. production amid tariff pressures, announcing plans to produce a new next-generation hybrid model in the United States by the end of this decade.

This comes alongside the start of XC60 mid-size SUV production at its South Carolina plant by late 2026, a strategic adjustment to navigate the 27.5% levy on foreign vehicles until a new EU-U.S. trade deal takes effect, reducing it to 15%.

“There Are More Robots Working in China Than the Rest of the World Combined” NY TIMES

Over two million robots are already at work in Chinese plants, with nearly 300,000 new installations last year alone, dwarfing the U.S.’s modest 34,000.

This surge, part of a decade-long push under the “Made in China 2025” initiative, has catapulted the country’s share of global robot production to one-third, up from a quarter in 2023.

Nearly three-fifths of those robots are now domestically made (in China), and China’s manufacturing output now accounts for nearly a third of all manufactured goods worldwide, exceeding the combined efforts of the U.S., Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Britain. Factories there have been adding over 150,000 robots annually since 2017.

China’s state-backed strategy—policy directives, public capital, and a national robot deployment plan issued in 2021—has created a self-reinforcing loop: more robots mean more efficient factories, which in turn demand even more robots.

This isn’t organic growth.

The implications for U.S. reindustrialization are both daunting and instructive.

For America, lagging at five times fewer robots per factory than China, the gap feels like a chasm. U.S. firms can attempt to leapfrog by focusing on high-value, flexible automation, like collaborative robots (cobots) that work alongside humans, rather than China’s rigid and mass-scaled dark factory model.

“Niron Magnetics breaks ground on Sartell manufacturing facility to scale up cutting-edge technology” CBS NEWS

Imagine a world where the magnets in your EV motor or smartphone don’t rely on rare earths mined from conflict zones— that’s the promise of Niron Magnetics’ new facility in Sartell, Minnesota, where groundbreaking happened last week.

The science is straightforward but revolutionary. Niron’s process, born from University of Minnesota research backed by a 2011 DOE grant, creates magnets with performance rivaling rare-earth ones—strong enough for EVs and cell phones—without the environmental toll of mining neodymium or dysprosium.

We spoke to Niron’s CEO Jonathan Rowntree in July:

Opinion: Forging Ahead

Paul T Silhan

Dear HIGH MIX readers, let’s pause so the lessons we’ve learned can settle in.

Over the past few months, we’ve journeyed through America’s industrial makeover as co-authors in a story that’s rewriting itself. I’ve had a lot of fun covering this inexhaustible topic, and I’d like to thank for the opportunity to write this newsletter.

Reindustrialization, as I see it, is a concoction of policy, people (that’s you), and good old fashioned cash turning literal rust into GDP like alchemy. It’s impressive when it works and those who can pull it off are our MVPs. Bringing you closer to the people who make this magic happen is a key part of Tool or Die’s mission.

We’ve talked about everything from the quiet efficiencies of tools that predict failures before they happen to the bold gambits of sovereign funds channeling public power into private innovation.

We know that reshoring thrives when capital flows as a directed stream, nurturing sectors like semiconductors or aerospace where U.S. talent can outshine China’s sheer scale.

We’ve also seen how the old method of trade barriers—those blunt instruments of tariffs and incentives—can jolt supply chains awake, forcing a reckoning with dependencies that once seemed unbreakable. They’ve compelled companies to rethink not just where things are made, but how they’re made.

We also learned that protectionism alone doesn’t build; it clears the path for ingenuity to take steps forward.

It’s obvious that our main competition in this effort is, and has been, China. Offshoring was a mistake. We know that now, and the current administration is a bull in a China shop. But this industrial resurgence has to persist for the next several administrations to have any lasting effect.

As always, at the center of HIGH MIX has been the human element—the beating heart we’ve revisited time and again. We’ve discussed how academies and apprenticeships can transform perceptions and set young Americans up for success—and how old-school knowledge is about as valuable as it gets.

Our studious readers already know this, but the value of experience is hard to quantify and handing down that knowledge is crucial as the younger generation steps in for retirees on their way out.

We’ve learned that the path forward demands more than subsidies or slogans; it calls for a cultural shift, where factories become incubators of ideas and regulations don’t hold them back.

Manufacturing’s future is humans and machines working in tandem, where a welder with machine vision spots defects, or a line supervisor uses AI to optimize flows, all without losing the deft human touch that makes something “well made”. And reindustrialization succeeds not by mimicking yesterday’s giants, but by learning from their cautionary tales and embracing tomorrow’s hybrids—flexible, people-powered, and unapologetically American.

Readers: you’re smart, driven, and in some cases, even pulchritudinous. You’ve absorbed what you could along the way. Kudos. It’s a bit cliché to say we have the best readers but it’s true. The reindustrialization movement is overflowing with talent.

Here’s to the makers, the menders, and the dreamers who’ve walked this road with us. The next step is rolling up your sleeves, whether in a boardroom or a workshop, and building America’s future.

The forge is hot, the tools are sharp—now, go build something meaningful.

“I played a VC firm's risk game about fake drugs. It revealed unsettling truths about AI and attention.” BUSINESS INSIDER

Ever wondered if venture capital is less about spreadsheets and more about a high-stakes board game where truth is the wild card? Lux Capital's "risk games" are elaborate simulations that blend science, money, and the slippery slope of attention.

Danny Crichton, Lux's head of editorial, describes them as "thought experiments disguised as play," where participants role-play in scenarios like FDA drug approvals, competing for "attention cards" to sway outcomes.

It's a clever way to probe how misinformation and hype can warp decisions in deep tech investing.

In their September "Gray Matter" game, players embodied characters—a health policy advisor, a neuroethics professor—debating three pattern-recognition drugs inspired by real-world hits like Ozempic.

This sounds like fun, but Laurence Pevsner, a Lux research partner, ties it to broader stakes:

In the end, a European sugar pill won approval over American cognitive enhancers, not because it worked better, but because players gamed the system with attention bids.

As Crichton puts it, "People think about money markets and information environments a lot, but attention is just as valuable. It was really important to me to make attention a currency so people understand how it runs our world today."

And this mirrors VC's real-world chaos. Firms chase not just funding, but narrative control too, in a world where hype can eclipse substance. For example, a drone maker might win funding on flashy Instagram demos, sidelining quieter innovations in something prosaic (but essential) like supply chain robotics.

For VC’s, this game might reveal a key insight: deep tech investments thrive on trust, but attention economies can distort priorities.

“How the US Created a Manufacturing Base Holds Lessons for Today” BLOOMBERG

Alexander Hamilton sketched a blueprint for American industry that still echoes in today's trade debates. His 1791 "Report on Manufactures" is a timely reminder that the U.S. didn't stumble into industrial might; it engineered it with protectionism, subsidies, and strategic bets.

Protectionism as the First Brick:

The essence of Hamilton’s report: "Not only the wealth, but the independence and security of a Country, appear to be materially connected with the prosperity of manufactures." This theory eventually fueled a 19th-century boom, from Lowell's textile mills to Pittsburgh's steel empires, where protectionism shielded domestic producers from British dominance.

Hamilton's report was a radical counterpunch to Adam Smith's free-trade gospel in "The Wealth of Nations." Smith saw manufacturing as a luxury for the "rich," but Hamilton viewed it as national security—arguing for tariffs up to 50% on imports to nurture "infant industries."

By 1900, U.S. manufacturing output had surged 4,000% from 1800 levels, per historical data. The lesson? Early support—tariffs, bounties, and infrastructure—builds muscle, but it demands patience; Hamilton's vision took decades to mature.

From CHIPS to IRA, a Familiar Tune

Today's policies aren’t a one-to-one copy but they do rhyme, with the CHIPS Act's $52 billion for semiconductors and the Inflation Reduction Act's $369 billion for clean energy manufacturing echoing Hamilton's subsidies for key sectors.

Trump's 60% China tariffs and Biden's "buy American" mandates mirror the 50% import duties Hamilton advocated, and $1 trillion in factory announcements since 2021 is a surge reminiscent of the 19th-century protectionist wave.

These tools work when paired with innovation, as Hamilton paired tariffs with R&D incentives. Without support, they risk inflating costs—tariffs have already hiked steel prices 12% since 2023, per Commerce data.

Hamilton's model succeeded because it blended protection with openness—trade pacts opened markets and ensured healthy competition.

“US lighting brands "not going back to 20th-century manufacturing" DEZEEN

Three innovative U.S. lighting companies—Juniper, Gantri, and Wooj—are ditching the clunky, overseas-dependent model of old in favor of 3D printing and digital tools that promise faster, greener production.

Let's start with Juniper, the New York-based lighting firm. They're all about architectural lighting with a "parts kit" approach, letting customers mix and match components like Legos for customization. Juniper are combining injection molding for high-volume pieces with 3D printing for bespoke elements, all relocated to a Connecticut warehouse for in-house control. This hybrid setup cuts the chaos of global shipping—parts no longer bounce from China for electronics, Canada for finishing, and the U.S. for assembly. Their lamps now ship in days, not weeks, and waste was reduced by 30% through on-demand runs.

Gantri, out of California, just opened a massive factory in the Bay Area packed with over 1,000 3D printers. Their Gantri Made platform lets creatives submit designs for bulk printing, turning ideas into products in hours. 3D printing uses less material than injection molding, which requires $2,000 to $100,000 molds per design, which is great for sustainability and their lamps are made from recycled ocean plastic, each piece unique yet produced at scale. The factory's robotics and software orchestration mean no more overseas sweatshops; it's all local.

Wooj's Greenpoint studio, with a dozen 3D printers, specializes in on-demand lighting from recycled plastic filament like PLA and PETG. Their sculptural lamps print in hours, minimizing waste compared to traditional methods. Founder Sean Kim emphasizes, "Additive manufacturing is often touted as more sustainable than, for example, injection moulding, but the bottom line is – you're still making stuff, and there's still waste." Wooj's approach—printing only what's ordered—cuts overproduction by 70% and attracts eco-conscious customers.

The trio’s story is a snapshot of a manufacturing shift that's accessible and inspiring. These brands aren't waiting for big factories, they're using 3D printing to make "Made in the USA" customizable, sustainable, and fast.

“People-centered supply chains for the win” FAST COMPANY

Imagine your favorite coffee chain suddenly deciding to source its beans only from farms where workers have access to fair wages, clean water, and training to use eco-friendly tools. Sounds ideal, right? That's the essence of "people-centered supply chains," a term thrown around in boardrooms but often lost in translation.

Big companies can make their operations more sustainable by focusing on the humans in their supply chains—especially the workers at small businesses that do the heavy lifting. Treating the people who grow, make, and ship your products as partners, not cogs, creates a system that's better for everyone, from the factory floor to the climate.

"MSMEs" are micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises. These are the mom-and-pop shops and family-run factories that make up 90% of businesses worldwide, according to McKinsey. They're the backbone of global supply chains, supplying everything from phone parts to clothing. But these small players often lack the cash or know-how to switch to green tech, like energy-efficient machines or low-carbon materials. The result is that they get squeezed out when big corporations like Nike or Apple demand "sustainable" suppliers, leading to canceled contracts and job losses.

Supply chains touch everything we buy, and when big companies ignore the people at the bottom, it leads to messy problems: factories closing, workers losing jobs, and more pollution because cheap, dirty methods stick around.

The proposed solution in this case is really just "stakeholder capitalism," a fancy term that, in practice, means companies investing in sustainability-focused supplier training. This approach could cut global emissions by 1-2 gigatons by 2030 if big companies invest in their suppliers, per the World Resources Institute.

I have no real frame of reference for a gigaton of pollution but I’d imagine it’s a lot. For the average person, it means cheaper, greener products—your next phone or shirt made with less pollution and fairer wages.

“‘We’re Trying to Be No. 1 in the No. 2 Business’: Inside the Sewage Super Bowl” WALL STREET JOURNAL

Step into Chicago's "Sewage Super Bowl"—the nickname for WEFTEC, the Water Environment Federation's annual conference, and you'd find 15,000 wastewater pros turned gladiators.

It's a spectacle: teams from all over race to repair pumps, "rescue" dummies from manholes, and troubleshoot sludge-thickened pipes, all while cheering crowds munch on "poo"-themed snacks. It’s a lighthearted counterpoint to the industry's foul reality.

The events are skill drills for the $300 billion U.S. water sector, where equipment like pumps and valves is a $50 billion market, per the Water Research Foundation.

Competitors from utilities like the Sacramento Area Sewer District (SacSewer) fix submersible pumps in under 10 minutes, a nod to the 20% failure rate that costs municipalities $1 billion yearly in downtime. Manhole rescues simulate confined-space hazards, training for the 1,000 annual incidents reported by OSHA. And the pipe-clearing challenge spotlights innovations like robotic cutters from companies like Spartan Tools, which use AI to navigate blockages without digging up streets.

These events foster skills for handling surprisingly advanced tech, like sensor-equipped valves that detect leaks in real time.

The wastewater industry, employing 1.2 million and projected to grow 3% annually through 2030 per BLS data, relies on U.S.-made gear from firms like Xylem and Pentair, which supply 60% of municipal pumps. Reshoring wastewater equipment, bolstered by the $55 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, could add 50,000 jobs by 2030, per the American Water Works Association.

I’d attempt the “sludge-thickened pipe challenge” but unfortunately I have a sludge allergy.

“A Classic Guitar Maker Gets a Boost from the Manufacturing Extension Partnership” ALLIANCE FOR AMERICAN MANUFACTURING

In 2019 the Gallagher Guitar Company—born in 1965 and once the strummer of choice for bluegrass legend Doc Watson—teetered on the brink of silence until a couple with a passion for acoustic heritage scooped up the faltering family-owned brand.

Their plan? An incubator called the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership (TMEP), a no-cost lifeline from the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UTCIS), backed by the U.S. Department of Commerce's MEP network.

The MEP magic unfolded through lean manufacturing basics—classroom sessions followed by hands-on floor tweaks that slashed hours per guitar and raised monthly output from a trickle to a steady beat.

"We were boosted by working with the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UTCIS) through their Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. We learned about lean manufacturing," the Mathises shared, crediting the program for transforming antiquated processes into efficient flows.

Material handling streamlined, waste minimized, and production ramped up, all without the overseas shortcuts that tempt so many.

"We’ve certainly had individuals tell us the way we can offer more affordable guitars is to have it built in China or Korea or elsewhere. But it’s important for us to maintain this company and being uniquely American," David Mathis affirmed.

“The Southeast is leading EV and battery manufacturing in the U.S., but Trump’s energy policies may slow that growth” WFAE

The Southeast is a powerhouse trio of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee ranking among the top four states for EV and battery manufacturing, outpacing even Michigan in sheer dollar flow.

The region also pulls in slightly more than half the national average in public clean energy funding, so naturally the February pause on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program—$5 billion nationwide for EV chargers, including $109 million for North Carolina—has stalled progress. Add the potential repeal of clean energy tax credits, and EV sales could dip, especially as market contractions already bite.

“Chemical manufacturing made New Jersey the ‘PFAS toilet for the country’” NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS

Greetings from the land of diners, tolls, Taylor Ham, and, apparently, "forever chemicals." As a proud New Jerseyan, where the air still carries that faint industrial tang on humid summer days, this story hits a little close to home.

You might not be aware of our state's sordid history as the dumping ground for polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—those persistent pollutants lurking in everything from Teflon pans to firefighting foam. Shawn M. LaTourette, our Commissioner of Environmental Protection, nails it with a blunt quote:

I speak on behalf of (most) New Jerseyans when I say we don’t like being used as a toilet of any kind. I'm proud of our role in powering America's postwar boom (and just about every other boom), but this legacy of dumping has scarred wetlands and aquifers, which I’m also particularly fond of.

Let's rewind to the root of the problem. New Jersey's chemical industry boomed in the 20th century, turning us into a powerhouse, especially along the Delaware and Raritan rivers. DuPont's Chambers Works site in Deepwater, a sprawling 1,300-acre facility near the Delaware Memorial Bridge, was ground zero.

DuPont shipped PFAS waste from factories in West Virginia and North Carolina to this New Jersey facility for disposal, making our state the national "toilet" for these "forever chemicals." Lovely.

According to LaTourette, profit was the motive: "The stuff is harmful, and they knew it was harmful, and they kept making it anyway, and they kept putting it in products anyway, because the getting was just too good."

That's the sordid part—profits over people, the environment and everything else.

They also left 15% of us (those on private wells) vulnerable to untested contamination.

PFAS, dubbed forever chemicals because they don't break down in the environment, were first flagged in the early 2000s. By 2006, New Jersey led the charge with the nation's first statewide water assessment, revealing widespread contamination in groundwater, soils, biota, and even shellfish.

Fast-forward to today, and the fight back is a long road. Cleanup is difficult both technically and logistically—you have to interrupt PFAS at multiple points in the water and carbon cycles to get rid of them.

There’s been a landmark $2 billion settlement with DuPont and affiliates, announced last month—the largest environmental payout by a single state. It includes $875 million in cash and up to $1.2 billion for cleanup at four former sites. From my perspective, this settlement is a small win for accountability—force the polluters to pay, echoing the Superfund era when Jersey led in toxic site cleanups.

But it's not enough: contamination lingers in unexpected places, like remote forest soils, and health risks—cancer, immune issues—from these "forever chemicals" persist. That’s the whole reason for concern, they don’t break down. You have to remove them.

China’s heavily invested in chemical production, making over 60% of the world’s PFAS, thanks to lax environmental oversight that’s a nightmare for the planet. Some argue we should loosen environmental regulations across the board to compete, mirroring China’s cheap production edge, but that’s too far.

Deregulating to that extent risks turning the nation into a much bigger “PFAS toilet”. A non-stick cesspool, even.

New Jersey's chemical production sector still employs thousands, contributing 8% to our GDP, and it's evolving with greener tech. But the PFAS scandal reminds us that unchecked greed can poison the well—literally.

“Inventor who encouraged Elon Musk to make Optimus says most humanoid robots today are 'terrifying'“ THE REGISTER

Scott LaValley, CEO of Cartwheel Robotics, argues that today’s humanoid designs are missing the mark—not in capability, but in approachability. LaValley, a veteran of Boston Dynamics, warns that the current crop of robots, with their uniform, industrial aesthetics, come off as “terrifying” and “unfriendly,” alienating the very people they’re meant to work with.

"It's like rinse and repeat, every single humanoid robot looks the same," he said. "And they're all being designed by these automotive industrial designers. And they're just terrifying. They're so unfriendly. These are machines. These are tools. And they're unsafe."

LaValley’s vision for robot design is to start simple, and make them relatable. His company’s Yogi robot, a character “empowered with humanoid technology underneath,” prioritizes social cues over raw power.

Bipedal locomotion, actuation tech, and motion language models are advancing, but Cartwheel’s proprietary stack—eschewing the open-source ROS for Model Predictive Control—prioritizes stability over spectacle.

Challenges abound: safety, data privacy (especially with Chinese bots, where “there's a lot of concern and fear... that these robots can't be trusted”), and public perception, as LaValley recalls his son’s fear of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas versus his daughters’ delight at Baby Groot.

“Tim Cook details how Apple will put its $600 billion domestic manufacturing investment to work” CNBC

Tim Cook reiterates the company’s four-year pledge to pump $600 billion into reshoring, but he’s not really saying anything new here. It’s a polished recap of prior public disclosures, with the $2.5 billion Corning deal in focus.

Where’s the other $597.5 billion going?

Let’s start with what Cook does spotlight: the Corning expansion in Kentucky, a $2.5 billion infusion to scale Gorilla Glass production for iPhones and Apple Watches. This builds on the earlier announcement, where Corning’s new innovation center will drive R&D for advanced materials, ensuring durability for devices shipped worldwide.

It’s a solid move—Corning already supplies glass for every iPhone—but it’s hardly fresh news; the details were laid out in Apple’s August press release and a prior CNBC piece from August 6. The interview merely reinforces the partnership’s role in “stitching” the supply chain, a phrase Cook repeats to emphasize integration, but it stops short of specifics on timelines or output targets beyond the existing 9,000 U.S. partners and 450,000 supported jobs.

The Corning deal, while crucial for device durability, represents a tiny slice—perhaps 0.4% of the total pledge—leaving the lion’s share unaccounted for in this chat. Cook’s emphasis on “stitching” suggests a focus on supply chain, but without specifics on allocations for R&D, supplier expansions, or the Houston server facility for Apple Intelligence just to name a few, it feels like we’re missing a lot of information here.

Cook touches on semiconductor efforts, mentioning collaborations with Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), Texas Instruments, and Applied Materials to “grow domestic semiconductor production.” He adds, “The president has said that he wants more in the United States. And we want more in the United States,” nodding to Trump’s 100% tariff on imported chips (exempt for U.S.-built ones). This aligns with the August announcement’s focus on end-to-end silicon—from wafers to packaging—but the interview offers no granular breakdown.

Where does the bulk of the funds go?

What we do know is that Apple’s strategy remains end-to-end: from raw materials (e.g., MP Materials’ rare earth magnets in Texas) to final assembly (Amkor’s Arizona packaging plant).

“Westminster Tool, Ward Leonard, Trumpf are 2025 inductees into American Manufacturing Hall of Fame” CT INSIDER

Launched in 2014, the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame (AMHoF) has now honored 40 companies, including heavyweights like ASML, Collins Aerospace, and Pratt & Whitney, with selections based on community contributions, workforce development, and economic impact.

This year's class—Westminster Tool (small manufacturer), Ward Leonard (medium), and Trumpf (large)—spotlights Connecticut. Let’s take a look at what makes them special.

Westminster Tool, founded in 1997 by Ray Coombs in Plainfield, Connecticut, stands as a beacon for small-scale excellence. With just 40 employees across facilities in Plainfield, Sterling, and Essex, the company specializes in molds for plastic medical devices and composite tooling for aerospace and defense, including F-35 fighter jet components. What sets them apart is their workforce ethos: 75% of employees had no prior manufacturing experience, yet average tenure is nine years, with ages averaging 37.

Ward Leonard, a Thomaston, Connecticut, stalwart since 1892, represents medium-sized resilience. Acquired nearly five years ago by Fairbanks Morse Defense in Beloit, Wisconsin, the company now employs 112 people (aiming for 130 by year-end) in a 140,000-square-foot facility. Specializing in motors, control systems, and electrical hardware for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard—key customer Electric Boat (who make submarines)—it plays a vital role in defense manufacturing.

Trumpf, the large manufacturer category winner, has been a Farmington, Connecticut, fixture since 1974, with its North American headquarters there. The German-based firm employs about 500 in Farmington, producing machine tools and laser technology for sheet-metal and laser-cutting, used in aircraft, agricultural machinery, cars, and more.

“New center to shape the future of advanced manufacturing” VT NEWS

At its core, Virginia Tech Made integrates advanced materials, manufacturing technologies, computational design, data analytics, and digital infrastructure to solve pressing industry challenges.

They’ve got a suite of facilities, including the Kroehling Advanced Materials Foundry, the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory, and the upcoming Mitchell Hall with its 6,000-square-foot high bay laboratory. These spaces support nearly every additive manufacturing method, from 3D printing to hybrid processes, enabling research in robotics, automation, cyber infrastructure, augmented and virtual reality, and next-generation materials.

Key projects include a $4.2 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory for additive friction stir deposition—a solid-state method that joins metals without melting them—and nearly $3 million from the National Science Foundation for robotic additive manufacturing using digital twins, which simulate real-world performance to optimize designs.

In 2024 alone, affiliated researchers secured over $10.7 million in new funding and $34 million in ongoing awards for manufacturing-related efforts, underscoring the center's momentum. Strategic investments in higher education and research are the best bang for our buck.

The center's value to the country is multifaceted, particularly in workforce development. Virginia Tech Made will expand outreach to K-12 students to spark early interest in manufacturing, while offering continuing education for engineering professionals. This includes hands-on modules in undergraduate engineering courses, creating a "manufacturing spine" in the curriculum, and events this fall on economic and workforce development.

Julie Ross, vice president for research, notes, “We’re not just responding to where manufacturing is going, we’re helping to lead it.”

“Why this manufacturer isn’t crumbling under tariff pressure” SUPPLY CHAIN DIVE

In the quaint town of Rutland, Vermont, where the Green Mountains meet the realities of global trade, Ann Clark Cookie Cutters stands as a testament to strategic foresight in an era of escalating tariffs.

This family-run manufacturer has weathered the storm of U.S. trade policies with remarkable ease, thanks to a pivot to in-house production over two decades ago. Led by CEO Ben Clark, the company—known for its whimsical, handcrafted cookie cutters shaped like everything from gingerbread men to holiday themes—has transformed potential disruptions into a competitive edge.

With a lean manufacturing operation that keeps inventory low and flexibility high, Ann Clark exemplifies how small-scale U.S. producers can thrive amid the tariff turbulence.

The company shifted to producing its cookie cutters domestically more than 20 years ago, a move that predates the current wave of protectionist policies. This in-house approach means most inputs are sourced from within the U.S., insulating the business from the full brunt of import duties.

In practical terms, this translates to a streamlined supply chain where raw materials like steel and plastic are procured locally, avoiding the 25% tariffs on Chinese imports that have hammered other sectors. For a company that crafts over 100 designs annually, this agility is crucial—sudden spikes in demand, such as holiday orders for pumpkin or snowman cutters, can be handled without the delays or cost spikes that plague import-reliant firms.

What makes this case particularly insightful for the manufacturing landscape is its demonstration of resilience at a small scale. In an industry where tariffs have driven up costs for imported components by 20-30% across sectors like appliances and automotive parts (per recent Commerce Department data), Ann Clark's domestic focus has shielded it from the worst.

“See historical photos of Milwaukee's business and manufacturing industries from 1901-1960s” MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

“‘Innovation Execution’—a new industrial paradigm emerges” MCKINSEY & CO

It’s an interesting puzzle: despite pouring money into fancy tech, many companies aren't seeing big productivity jumps. Why? Because the real bottleneck isn't the tools—it's how we organize work around them.

Let's unpack this McKinsey post.

In essence, they’re saying that the old way of running factories isn't cutting it anymore. New players, especially from China and the U.S., are shaking things up by focusing on super-fast innovation and getting products out the door quickly. McKinsey call this "Innovation Execution," and they argue it's a whole new way to think about making stuff.

In simple terms, it's like going from a slow, predictable bakery that makes the same bread every day to a fast-paced shop whipping up custom cakes on demand—exciting, but it requires a total kitchen makeover.

Contained within their meandering newspeak advice I managed to identify eight proposed big "shifts." Let's break them down into everyday language since McKinsey lays it on thick with the corporate jargon.

• "High, or even absurdly high, targets on product and time." This means setting crazy ambitious goals which “act as a forcing mechanism”. Pretty self-explanatory, we’ve all had deadlines.

• "Step-change innovation execution across all functions and the entire ecosystem." Instead of tweaking one part of the process, change everything at once. Just try not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

• "Customer-back product strategy." Start with what the customer wants, then work backward. For example, a disruptor limiting configurations to speed up production.

• "Fundamental research focus." Invest in groundbreaking R&D every one to two years. I got nothing here, folks. Just break new ground, easy-peasy. Why didn’t I think of that?

• "Organizational culture geared toward early market launches." Launch products with just the basics, then improve based on feedback. A disruptor focused on software might add features via over-the-air updates.

• "Fully involved supply chain." Get suppliers in on the design early. In their example, a Chinese automotive disruptor partnered closely with its supply chain to optimize costs and performance.

• "Strategic insourcing." Bring in-house only what gives a clear advantage. Their example was an automotive disruptor who insourced parts where it could cut costs by more than 10%.

• "Continuous manufacturing innovation." Keep rethinking how you make things. Gigacasting, used by a U.S. disruptor in their example, reduced variability and assembly time.

This really boils down to McKinsey suggesting factories become more like tech startups—fast, flexible, and customer-focused. In the U.S., where we're trying to bring back jobs and compete with China, this could mean more small, efficient plants that create better products quicker. But it's not easy—it requires changing company culture from top to bottom.

The overall impression I got here was “just optimize everything, bro”.

“'On life support': 3 years after groundbreaking, Intel's Ohio factories still unfinished” THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Intel’s $28 billion foundry project is now teetering on “life support” three years after its star-studded 2022 groundbreaking. Originally promising full operation by 2025, the first fab now faces a 2030-2031 opening, a delay stretching five to six years.

Intel’s initial $28 billion pledge, buoyed by $7.865 billion in CHIPS Act funds, envisioned 3,000 jobs and a Silicon Heartland. But financial woes—stock down 57% in 2024, a $10 billion cost-cutting plan—have forced delays, with CEO Lip-Bu Tan admitting the need for “meaningful external customers” to justify the foundry.

Local leaders like New Albany’s Sloan Spalding cling to hope, but skepticism grows—Zach Schiller of Policy Matters Ohio warns it might never fully materialize. The narrative of a triumphant return to U.S. chip dominance feels strained when Intel lags behind TSMC and Nvidia in AI and market share.

Intel’s glaring internal chaos—leadership turnover and China ties (Tan’s investments raise eyebrows)—suggests that there may not be much of a plan here. Perhaps it’s a project more symbolic than strategic.

Prediction: Without an infusion from new contracts, Intel might scale back to one fab, risking $1.5 billion in CHIPS funds if 2028 deadlines slip. Could a partnership with TSMC or Global Foundries salvage this?

“Trump’s Factory Boom Stalled for Now as Payrolls Keep Shrinking” BLOOMBERG

A cold dose of reality: the grand vision of a U.S. industrial renaissance under Trump’s second term is hitting a few speed bumps. Manufacturing payrolls fell by 12,000 in August, marking a fourth consecutive monthly decline—the longest skid since 2020—while the sector has shed nearly 80,000 jobs over the past year.

This data, fresh from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, clashes with Trump’s inaugural pledge of an industrial resurgence, fueled by tariffs and reshoring.

Trump’s 50% tariffs on aluminum and steel, alongside broader trade barriers, aimed to shield domestic producers and spur factory growth. Yet, the market is in retreat—manufacturing GDP has contracted, with 69% of the sector in the red, per the ISM’s Susan Spence.

Tariffs, intended to force companies like Rio Tinto to buy local (as seen in an earlier Bloomberg report we covered), have instead inflated costs—aluminum premiums soared 81% since June to $4,200 per ton—straining downstream industries like auto and construction.

The White House’s optimism about short-term pain for long-term gain looks shaky when paired with a broader jobs market adding just 22,000 in August, pushing unemployment to 4.3%, the highest since 2021.

Weak demand, tariff uncertainty, and a shrinking labor pool are a toxic combination.

Looking Ahead: This stall could continue sans a pivot. Manufacturing output might stagnate at current levels—around 11% of GDP—unless bold moves are made. Using immigration policy as a tool for offsetting skilled labor shortages is a Band-Aid at best.

“Tire giant Bridgestone confirms cyberattack impacts manufacturing” BLEEPING COMPUTER

Bridgestone America, the globe’s largest tire maker by volume, confirmed a breach disrupting production at facilities in Aiken County, South Carolina, and Joliette, Quebec. With 50 plants and 55,000 employees under its North American wing—43% of its global footprint—and a $12 billion sales haul in 2024, the stakes are massive. Bridgestone claims a swift containment, asserting no customer data was nabbed.

This isn’t Bridgestone’s first rodeo—LockBit ransomware struck in 2022, leaking data after a network shutdown. No group has claimed this one yet, but the 57% surge in manufacturing ransomware attacks from July to August (per recent analyses) suggests a pattern.

“Hitachi unveils $1B grid manufacturing investment, including Virginia transformer factory” UTILITY DIVE

Hitachi’s forking over $457 million for a transformer factory in South Boston, Virginia, slated to open by 2028, alongside over $500 million in upgrades across Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

It could be a lifeline for a grid strained by AI data center demands—something we’ve covered before, projected to guzzle 9% of U.S. electricity by 2030, per the Electric Power Research Institute—the plan promises 825 jobs in Virginia alone.

This Virginia facility, the largest U.S. site for large power transformers, will tackle a bottleneck where lead times have ballooned to three years, a crisis flagged by the National Infrastructure Advisory Council’s 2024 call for a virtual transformer reserve. Hitachi’s existing South Boston plant, bolstered by a $250 million global expansion in March, already produces critical components, and the new site will ramp up capacity for high-voltage gear feeding AI hubs and industrial needs.

“US Company Puts Up Fight Against China’s Tariff Evasion” THE EPOCH TIMES

Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company, a North Carolina stalwart with 124 years of resilience, is a family-owned company making cast iron and plastic pipes. They’re locked in a protracted skirmish against China’s sophisticated tariff circumvention schemes.

Their struggle revolves around a trade war reignited by the 2018 victory over Chinese pipe imports, only to see Beijing’s exporters pivot to transshipment—routing goods through third countries to dodge U.S. duties. With a $40 billion plumbing market at stake and American jobs hanging in the balance, Charlotte Pipe’s defiance offers a microcosm of a broader economic struggle.

The mechanics of this conflict are a labyrinth of trade policy and subterfuge. China’s strategy leverages transshipment, funneling products like steel hangers and automotive parts through nations like Mexico or Vietnam, exploiting loopholes to evade tariffs. This has decimated U.S. competitors—by 2007, all but one steel hanger manufacturer folded under dumped Chinese goods, a trend Charlotte Pipe now combats with vigor.

The Trump administration’s July 31 executive order, slapping a 40% surtax on transshipped goods effective August 7, is a welcome salvo, yet Charlotte Pipe’s Vice President Bradford Muller underscores a critical caveat: enforcement remains anemic.

If you ask me, this sets up a great excuse for a bilateral trade pact with Mexico to close transshipment loopholes, mirroring the USMCA’s China clause. Paired with stronger interdiction efforts by CBP, it would certainly cut down on evasion.

“Why nuclear is now a booming industry” THE ECONOMIST

After decades of stagnation—marked by Fukushima’s shadow and the 2011 shutdown of 54 Japanese reactors—global nuclear capacity is set to grow 2.5% annually through 2035, outpacing the 1.8% renewable surge, per the International Energy Agency. From China’s 27 reactors under construction to the U.S.’s renewed interest with 11 new projects, this is necessity, driven by AI data centers and decarbonization goals.

The shift hinges on innovative tech and shifting priorities. Small modular reactors (SMRs)—compact, factory-built units like NuScale’s 77-megawatt design—are slashing construction costs from $10 billion to $1-2 billion per project, with a 30% faster build time, according to World Nuclear Association data.

In the U.S., companies like Holtec are eyeing SMRs for industrial sites, while France’s EDF plans to double capacity by 2050, banking on 80% nuclear reliability versus renewables’ 30% intermittency.

By 2035, nuclear could supply 15% of global electricity, per IEA projections, cutting 4 billion tons of CO2 annually—vital as manufacturing electrifies.

“Reporter's Notebook: Can a manufacturing renaissance deliver for workers?” CBS EVENING NEWS

“The U.S.′ deep-sea mining plans could hurt its own interests and indirectly benefit China, policy experts say” CNBC

A CSIS report warns that Trump’s executive order from April to fast-track deep-sea mining—both within U.S. waters and beyond—could backfire spectacularly.

The Metals Company’s (TMC) push for licenses in the mineral-rich Clarion-Clipperton Zone, backed by this unilateral move, challenges the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) framework, where the U.S. isn’t even a ratified member.

Deep-sea mining targets polymetallic nodules—potato-sized rocks packed with nickel, cobalt, and rare earths critical for EVs and defense—using robotic dredgers that vacuum the seabed. TMC’s application, spurred by Trump’s order, bypasses the stalled International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has yet to set global rules despite decades of talks.

This could erode UNCLOS, the bedrock of maritime law, inviting chaos as nations scramble for claims. China, with its five ISA exploration contracts and advanced submersibles like the Kaituo II, is poised to exploit this vacuum.

CSIS warns this could cede high-seas governance to Beijing, especially if allies like the Cook Islands (also eyeing China deals) defect. Environmental risks—unpredictable ecosystem damage—add another layer, with 38 nations backing a moratorium.

“Tariffs Turn Aluminum Maker Rio Tinto Into Buyer in US Market” BLOOMBERG

Rio Tinto, a global aluminum producer with five smelters in Quebec, is now buying aluminum on the U.S. spot market to fulfill contracts, a direct result of Trump’s 50% tariff on aluminum imports imposed in June.

This shift, driven by a soaring U.S. Midwest premium that jumped 81% since early June to nearly $4,200 per ton (versus $2,600 globally), has forced Rio to purchase at least 50,000 tons domestically since June, down from 723,000 tons shipped pre-tariff in the year’s first half.

Rio, leveraging Quebec’s cheap hydroelectric power, historically supplied 53% of U.S. aluminum imports, but the tariff has made cross-border shipments unviable, pushing the company to source from U.S. rivals instead.

“Rented Robots Get the Worst Jobs and Help Factories Keep the Humans” NYT

There’s been a quiet shift: factories are leasing robotic arms instead of committing to hefty purchases, a trend led by innovators like Universal Robots and Flexiv. It’s also fueled by a 15% spike in automation demand since 2023.

Take a Michigan auto parts maker spotlighted in the article: they’re renting a $50,000 Universal Robot unit for just $1,500 a month, dodging the upfront cost of ownership. Flexiv’s cloud-connected platform lets firms rent specialized arms for six-month stints, ideal for seasonal peaks like holiday toy runs. Industry stats suggest this slashes downtime by 30%, a boon for small shops juggling diverse orders.

Yet, the catch lies in the fine print—proprietary software could tether companies to manufacturer-specific ecosystems, and hidden maintenance fees might nibble away at those savings.

“America’s Newest Auto Plant Is Full of Robots. It Still Needs the Human Touch.” WSJ

The $7.6 billion Metaplant America makes electric vehicles like the Ioniq 5, powered by 750 robots and hundreds of autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), outpacing the U.S. auto industry’s typical 7-to-1 human-to-robot ratio with its lean 2-to-1 setup.

Robots weld chassis, AGVs shuttle parts, and Boston Dynamics’ Spot dogs patrol with camera-snouts, ensuring weld quality, while Atlas humanoids prep for door-install duties.

The company has committed to hiring 8,500 people at the Ellabell site by 2031 as a condition of the $2 billion incentive package it received from the state of Georgia. But some incoming employees, unnerved by the ubiquity of the plant’s robots, wonder how long they will be able to keep their jobs.

Salem Elzway, a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University who is writing a book about the history of industrial robots, said they are right to be worried.

“The minute humans become more expensive, more recalcitrant, the more automation you’re going to get,” he said.

Ominous words, but Hyundai’s model shows how automation can bridge labor shortages without fully displacing workers, while fostering a skilled workforce through on-site training. As robots can handle 70% of repetitive tasks, the human edge lies in adaptability (for now).

“Why factory owners are sending their workers to in-house AI academies” FAST COMPANY

Bosch and Danone are training frontline workers to use AI-powered tools, which are rapidly evolving. With only 14% of workers currently AI-literate, this is a core issue as automation is reshaping production.

At Danone, sensors monitor vibrations and temperatures, flagging potential breakdowns, while AI streamlines processes like spray-drying baby formula powder. Bosch’s approach mirrors this, equipping workers with skills to interpret data from AI-driven quality checks.

This is less about replacing workers and more about redefining their role. These in-house academies teach everything from basic machine learning to process optimization, tailored to the shop floor. I think we’ll see more companies opt for the in-house apprenticeship model as tech outpaces formal training institutions.

“The private equity firm that wants to revitalize US manufacturing” MANUFACTURING DIVE

The Manufacturing Revitalization Corporation of America (MRCA), cofounded by Jason Azevedo and Elton Rivas, envisions itself as a catalyst for reindustrialization by blending traditional PE investment with an employee ownership exit strategy.

This approach flips the script on the often criticized "buy, strip, flip" mentality of PE firms, instead prioritizing long-term stability and worker empowerment.

MRCA's strategy is insightful for industry watchers. The firm targets undervalued or distressed manufacturing assets, injecting capital and expertise to turn them around, then transitioning ownership to employees through mechanisms like employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

Their portfolio company, Wells—a custom furniture manufacturer—serves as a prime example, where this model has stabilized operations and aligned worker incentives with company growth. Azevedo and Rivas emphasize that this isn't charity; it's smart business, drawing on data showing ESOP companies boast 2.5 times higher productivity and 25% lower turnover rates, per NCEO studies.

By avoiding short-term flips, MRCA could soften the PE industry's reputation for asset-stripping, which has led to 1.3 million job losses in the past decade, according to a 2024 Private Equity Stakeholder Project report.

MRCA's model offers valuable insight: private equity doesn’t have to be predatory and Machiavellian. By successfully prioritizing revival and employee ownership over extraction, it could inspire a change in how PE firms craft their strategy.

“Colorado factory creates first electric RV in America” CBS NEWS

The open road feels a bit greener, thanks to a Colorado factory in Broomfield that’s birthed America’s first all-electric recreational vehicle.

Lightship, a startup founded by Tesla and Rivian alums Toby Kraus and Ben Parker, make a self-propelled (but also towed) camper with a high-voltage battery pack, and 80% U.S.-sourced components.

Each RV features a retractable canopy that lowers for towing, reducing drag by 40%—a lesson born from Kraus and Parker’s harrowing Tesla road trip through headwinds. Solar panels atop the roof juice the 80-kilowatt-hour battery, promising off-grid power for a week, while all-electric appliances like dishwashers cater to the modern camper.

Yet, claiming “first” may overlook competitors like Winnebago and THOR, already dabbling in electric prototypes, suggesting Lightship might be racing to claim a crowded flag. The steep cost—$184,000 for the top-tier Atmos—also raises questions about who can afford this green dream.

Price tag aside, Sustainable Americana is something I’d like to see more of.

Welcome to HIGH MIX, our weekly newsletter about the reindustrialization of the United States.

“Installing Heat Pumps in Factories Could Save $1.5 Trillion—and 77,000 Lives” MOTHER JONES

Let’s contemplate a bold proposition: replacing 33,500 conventional combustion-based boilers in U.S. factories with industrial heat pumps.

The technology’s mechanics are both elegant and complex. Industrial heat pumps manipulate refrigerant pressure to extract heat from external air or waste streams, amplifying it to meet factory needs—e.g., heating water to 200°F for beverage pasteurization. Unlike gas boilers, which burn fossil fuels and emit pollutants, heat pumps are three to five times more efficient, leveraging existing heat rather than creating it from scratch.

These heat pumps, scaled-up versions of residential units, use electricity—ideally from renewables—to transfer heat rather than generate it, targeting low- and medium-temperature industrial processes like food processing and paper production. The American Lung Association’s report underscores a dual benefit: slashing greenhouse gas emissions (1.6 billion tons of CO2 by 2050) and curbing toxic pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and PM 2.5’s, which cause respiratory issues and cancer.

Low-to medium-temperature applications (up to 300°F) is their sweet spot, with models already on the market from companies like GEA and Mayekawa. However, high-temperature processes (above 500°F, common in steel or chemical plants) remain unaddressed, as these pumps are still in development.

If implemented across the board, it could be a $1.1 trillion health cost savings and $351 billion in climate damage avoidance, driven by reduced asthma attacks (33 million) and lost workdays (3.4 million).

It may sound a bit farfetched to replace all boilers with heat pumps (and it is near-term, although companies like Atmos Zero are working on it), but thinking on this kind of scale gives us an idea of what to expect as technology progresses and it potentially becomes the preferred choice going forward.

Additionally, upfront costs—estimated at $10,000-$50,000 per pump depending on size—pose barriers for small manufacturers. Retrofitting existing boiler systems adds complexity, requiring electrical upgrades and space reconfiguration, while state funding (e.g., New York, California) covers only a fraction of needs.

“How a Sovereign Wealth Fund Could Reindustrialize America” COMMONPLACE

The premise of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund (SWF) is compelling: decades of underinvestment in strategic sectors like critical minerals and semiconductors have eroded U.S. industrial capacity, with national security and economic costs now glaringly evident.

Unlike resource-rich nations like Norway or Saudi Arabia, the U.S. lacks trade surpluses or commodity windfalls, facing a $30 trillion debt and chronic deficits.

Private capital’s high hurdle rates—often exceeding returns in capital-intensive industries—leave a gap that public funding must fill, Julius Krein argues, citing China’s state-backed dominance as a wake-up call.

The proposal hinges on unconventional financing. Krein suggests leveraging public assets—potentially revaluing the Treasury’s $900 billion gold reserves—or expanding the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) to crowd in private investment. This could fund a broad portfolio, from AI to minerals, de-risking projects to attract capital.

Yet, there are risks: revaluing gold might spook markets, and OSC’s defense focus could skew priorities, neglecting civilian industries. Krein envisions a fund that scales production without relying on future appropriations, using leverage to amplify impact—potentially commanding resources far beyond initial funding. Without clear investment criteria, it risks becoming a political tool, as seen in Turkey’s “parallel budget” model.

“More And More Chinese Factories Are Going “Lights Out.” Should We Be Worried?” FORBES

China’s “lights out” factories—operating without human intervention—are widening the manufacturing gap with the U.S., raising valid concerns for America’s future. But I’m not exactly worried yet.

These facilities, exemplified by Zeekr’s automated lines, leverage robotics in contrast to human-dependent U.S. plants, where high SKU volumes and frequent product switches limit full automation. Ethan Karp notes China’s edge in repetitive production, driven by state subsidies, while U.S. factories thrive on flexibility—a contrast that could undermine reshoring efforts.

Karp rightly points out that U.S. manufacturers can’t replicate China’s lights-out model due to diverse production needs, suggesting a hybrid approach with humans and robots. He cites Zeekr’s reliance on workers for tasks like cable assembly and robot maintenance.

China’s lead in scale and state support (e.g., cheap loans, land) just barely outpaces U.S. private-sector agility. Without actionable steps, the article feels like a call to worry rather than act, a missed opportunity to guide us forward.

To bridge this gap, the U.S. must get creative. Just spit-balling here: why not expand tax credits for robotics adoption, targeting small-to-mid-sized manufacturers to democratize tech access? Launch a national apprenticeship program, partner with tech firms to train workers in automation and AI, addressing the skills deficit. Renegotiate trade deals to secure affordable raw materials—e.g., steel and copper—mitigating tariff-induced cost spikes. The list goes on, but hand-wringing about China’s progress will get us nowhere.

“Some AI assembly required: This startup wants to make US manufacturing easier than following an Ikea manual” BUSINESS INSIDER

At the core of this new Siemens-Dirac partnership is Dirac’s BuildOS, a software tool that transforms complex CAD (computer-aided design) files into interactive, step-by-step assembly instructions. This AI-driven system eliminates the labor-intensive manual process—where engineers once took hundreds of screenshots and compiled them into lengthy PowerPoint guides—by autonomously determining the optimal assembly sequence.

Integrated with Siemens’ Teamcenter engineering management software, this collaboration promises to enhance precision and efficiency, but the technology’s intricacies reveal both promise and hurdles.

The technology hinges on advanced AI algorithms, likely autoregressive models, though Dirac’s CEO Fil Aronshtein keeps the specifics under wraps. BuildOS processes 3D CAD data, analyzing geometric relationships and material properties to generate a logical assembly order, ensuring stability and minimizing errors.

The system outputs interactive guides—dynamic 3D visualizations with real-time annotations—accessible via tablets or augmented reality headsets, guiding workers or robots through tasks, which sounds futuristic and perhaps even fun to use. Siemens’ integration with Teamcenter adds a layer of data synchronization, pulling design specs and feeding assembly data back into the digital twin ecosystem, enabling continuous optimization.

It’s all very cool tech but integrating AI into legacy systems requires substantial upfront investment, and the 18-person Dirac team may struggle to scale support across diverse machinery types.

“Right-to-Repair Laws Gain Momentum” ASSEMBLY

Right-to-repair laws are gaining bipartisan traction, with broad implications for factories as end users of machinery which is often locked down by the OEM.

With all 50 states filing legislation and 24 actively debating it this year, these laws grant access to parts, tools, and diagnostics, breaking the OEM monopoly that often leaves end users at the mercy of costly service contracts. The article cites Deere & Co.’s new digital service tool, spurred by an FTC lawsuit, as a sign of progress.

I’m all in—farmers and factories deserve this autonomy to cut costs and resolve issues they’re equipped to handle, and the establishment’s safety-focused pushback can be addressed with proper training, not restrictions.

Right-to-repair laws would let in-house technicians access diagnostic codes and replacement parts, slashing downtime from weeks to days and saving millions annually.

The concern about intellectual property is valid but solvable in my opinion through regulated access, as Deere’s tool demonstrates.

“Trump’s tech deals break with U.S. traditions of free enterprise” WASHINGTON POST

Alongside deals with Apple, Nvidia, and AMD, this intervention—announced Friday—marks a shift where the government entangles itself in private tech, supposedly to counter China’s dominance.

The administration hails it as a national security triumph, with Trump touting it as a “great deal” after pressuring Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. But is this a masterstroke or a slippery slide toward some kind of State Capitalism, undermining the very market it claims to protect?

Now, a 10% stake isn’t total control, but the mechanics raise red flags. The Intel deal converts CHIPS Act grants into equity, giving the U.S. a foothold in a company struggling to ride new trends such as the AI chip market. There have been other similar moves—Nvidia and AMD paying 15% of revenues from Chinese markets, Apple under tariff pressure—suggesting a pattern of government leverage over corporate strategy.

Proponents argue it secures domestic production, like Intel’s (very delayed) Ohio fab, but the rosy narrative ignores risks. Taxpayers foot the bill for a faltering firm, while Tan’s retention despite China ties (e.g., investments in PLA-linked firms) smells of political expediency over principle. The cheerleading glosses over how this could distort market competition, favoring Intel over nimbler rivals like TSMC.

“How 60,000 military name tapes are made each month in a Fort Knox factory” BUSINESS INSIDER

“Manufacturing roundtable addresses critical workforce challenges” BG INDEPENDENT NEWS

A manufacturing roundtable hosted by the Center to Advance Manufacturing, a collaboration between Bowling Green State University, the University of Findlay, and Owens Community College, is tackling critical workforce challenges in northwest Ohio.

The discussion, involving industry leaders, educators, and officials like U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, centers on attracting and retaining talent, shifting the outdated “dark, dirty, and scary” perception of manufacturing, and navigating automation and immigration policy impacts.

Talent scarcity looms large, with participants like Bill Steel of Bard Manufacturing lamenting Ohio’s struggle to retain young workers who chase glitzier careers elsewhere.

“How do you make manufacturing sexy? How do you make Ohio sexy?” asked Bill Steel

Ohio’s sexiness aside, the roundtable calls for collaboration, better resource communication, and mindset shifts among competing firms, with the Center tailoring support—upskilling, tax credit navigation, or educational partnerships—to each manufacturer. BGSU President Rodney Rogers emphasizes adaptability and problem-solving skills for a tech-driven future, and initiatives like the New Jersey Manufacturing Skills Initiative.

“'I learned so much' — Attendees laud first Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit” APPLE INSIDER

Apple’s first Manufacturing Academy in Detroit launched on August 19 in partnership with Michigan State University (MSU). This two-day program, part of Apple’s $500 billion U.S. investment pledge, is intended to equip small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with advanced manufacturing skills.

Attendees from diverse sectors—packaging, eyewear, and 3D printing—praised the hands-on training and networking, however, the two-day format and initial cap on participants feels a bit meager to me.

They do offer one-on-one consultations and plans for virtual courses later in 2025, focusing on project management and process optimization. There are also free workshops covering machine learning, deep learning, automation, and data-driven quality enhancement, led by Apple engineers and MSU experts.

“GE Appliances to invest $3B in US manufacturing” MANUFACTURING DIVE

A $3 billion investment by GE Appliances could be a net positive in the U.S. appliance industry, but the quiet force behind it—China’s Haier—deserves a closer look. Haier is steering a significant portion of this five-year plan, which includes expanding 11 U.S. plants across Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina.

Haier. originally known for its refrigerators and washing machines, has its roots in Qingdao, and has been GE Appliances’ owner since 2016 since acquiring the division from General Electric for $5.4 billion.

This investment, the second-largest in GE Appliances’ history, aims to reshore production (surprisingly) from China and Mexico, create 1,000 new jobs, and boost output in water heaters, air conditioners, and refrigerators. Yet, Haier’s role raises intriguing questions about the intersection of foreign ownership and American industrial policy.

Haier’s “zero-distance” approach—bringing manufacturing closer to consumers—aligns with Trump’s tariff-driven reshoring push, potentially softening trade pressures. Direct foreign investment to U.S. manufacturing is welcome and often a logical margin maker, although ultimately the revenue still leaves our shores.

And its IoT ecosystem, occasionally lauded for innovations in things like smart refrigerators, raises concern over data privacy. (As should essentially all “smart home” devices, no matter the origin country.) The 2024 takedown of Home Assistant plugins for Haier appliances, sparking a community backlash with over 1,300 forks on GitHub, highlights tensions over control and open-source integration. This incident, tied to Haier’s push into smart appliance technology, suggests a focus on proprietary systems that might clash with U.S. innovation norms.

Other Chinese firms that sell consumer goods to Americans have been following similar post-launch lock-in strategies for their software (3D printer company Bambu Labs, motorcycle manufacturer CFMOTO) which we inherently oppose—if you buy something you own all of its capabilities, not just those locked behind monthly subscriptions—a strategy they have arguably learned by watching the moves of American tech companies.

In the end, the profits flow back to China: how do we measure trading the creation of American-owned companies in the long-term for the benefit of short-cycle jobs?

“PRC Industrial Policy in the U.S.-China Semiconductor Chip Competition” CHINA US FOCUS

What is China’s aggressive “Delete America” industrial policy?

Launched via SASAC Document 79 in 2022, this policy aims to purge foreign technology, notably U.S. chips, from Chinese systems by 2027, supported by the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund’s $95 billion across three rounds, including a $48 billion infusion in May 2024.

This state-backed push has propelled China to dominate 39% of the global legacy chip market (28nm and above) by 2027 projections, outpacing combined global capacity growth. It’s a calculated move to reduce reliance on American tech—where China still sources 80% of high-end AI chips from Nvidia—while fostering domestic players like Huawei.

“MIT gears up to transform manufacturing” MIT NEWS

MIT want to reshape how we make things with the Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), and its value to the country is noteworthy. INM, led by John Hart, Suzanne Berger, and Chris Love, leverages cutting-edge technologies like AI and automation. Backed by founding members GE Vernova and Siemens with $500,000 annual contributions, this program aims to modernize industries from batteries to textiles, offering American companies an edge.

The program’s value aims to distinguish itself by collaborating with community colleges and corporations to train a skilled workforce, addressing growing manufacturing job vacancies with hands-on learning at MIT.nano’s shared labs. The $275,000 annual membership fee fosters a network of industry leaders (and keeps out small players, for better or worse), driving advancements that enhance competitiveness. By equipping workers with expertise in automation and AI, INM feeds the talent pipeline.

“Transformer troubles: manufacturing and policy constraints hit US transformer supply” WOOD MACKENZIE

Transformers—critical for stepping up and down voltage across power grids—face a 30% supply deficit for power units and 6% for distribution transformers, driven by a 7% surge in electricity demand since 2020, fueled by data centers, manufacturing growth, and electrification.

With 55% of the 40 million in-service distribution units over 33 years old, the grid’s aging backbone amplifies urgency. The consensus seems to be this as a solvable bottleneck, but the data suggests a deeper structural challenge: domestic production lags, with imports now covering 80% of power transformers and 50% of distribution units. This reliance questions the narrative of a self-sufficient reindustrialization—can America truly lead if its grid hinges on foreign supply?

Supply chain woes dominate the analysis. Since 2019, demand for power transformers has soared 116% and generation step-up units 274%, while distribution units grew 30-80% depending on specs. Yet, manufacturing capacity hasn’t kept pace, exacerbated by raw material shortages—grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) prices hit record highs, with the U.S. leaning on a single supplier, AK Steel—and copper bottlenecks, worsened by 50% tariffs.

Labor shortages further choke output, as specialized skills remain scarce, and the lack of standardization forces custom builds, inflating lead times. The report notes $1.8 billion in OEM capacity expansions since 2023, but this feels like a band-aid on a gushing wound—demand growth outstrips investment, suggesting a market misjudgment of scale.

Policy adds another layer of complexity. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” cuts clean energy support, potentially easing step-up transformer demand, yet new tariffs—especially on copper—drive costs up 45-95% since 2019, with power transformers seeing a 77% spike.

Where’s the Gundo Bro venture-backed startup for transformers?

“The AI tool that could make manufacturing faster and more efficient—by using Lego bricks” TECH X PLORE

Carnegie Mellon University’s BrickGPT is hardcore mode for building with Legos. This AI-powered tool, developed by their School of Computer Science, turns simple text prompts like “guitar” or “sofa” into step-by-step guides for building stable, physical models—usable by humans or robots. It’s a visionary (and fun) step toward generative manufacturing, where anyone can design and build everyday objects, from chairs to toys, with unprecedented speed and precision.

BrickGPT, trained on the StableText2Brick dataset with over 47,000 structures, uses an autoregressive model to predict stable brick placements, ensuring designs won’t collapse.

“Anduril opens solid rocket motor factory amidst ongoing chemical chokepoint” TECH CRUNCH

Anduril’s launch of a high-volume solid rocket motor (SRM) factory in Mississippi brings new competition to defense industry, but it’s a story of ambition tempered by vulnerability.

The facility, operational with 700 motors test-fired, aims to produce 6,000 tactical motors annually by 2026, challenging the Northrop Grumman-L3Harris duopoly. Backed by a $75 million investment and a $14.3 million Defense Production Act grant, this move addresses surging defense demands—driven by Ukraine and South China Sea tensions—positioning Anduril as the third U.S. SRM supplier. It’s critical defense tech, but there’s a glaring hitch: the ammonium perchlorate (AP) supply bottleneck.

Jerry McGinn, a former senior industrial base official in the Department of Defense, said the need for multiple suppliers of AP dwindled as the demand for SRMs collapsed in the 1990s. The Pentagon backed a “merger-to-monopoly” in the 1990s, preferring to have one healthy provider rather than two struggling companies that couldn’t be competitive without government subsidies, he said.

AP, the essential oxidizer, comes from a single U.S. producer, AMPAC in Utah. Northrop’s $100 million AP supply line attempt struggles with certification delays, and AMPAC’s $100 million expansion to boost capacity 50% by 2026 is almost out of time. This monopoly, a legacy of the 1990s “merger-to-monopoly” policy, exposes a fragile link—any disruption could stall production.

“Heat check: Researchers study impact of fans on Louisiana factory floor workers” NOLA.COM

Yes, fans really do keep you cool.

A new study from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), examines how industrial fans can mitigate heat stress on Louisiana factory floors—a topic with growing urgency amid rising temperatures.

Conducted in collaboration with Australian researchers at a Baton Rouge facility, the research found that strategically placed high-velocity fans reduced heat exposure by up to 15% for workers, particularly in areas with poor ventilation. This aligns with OSHA’s push to address heat-related illnesses, which spiked 20% in Louisiana manufacturing since 2022, costing firms an estimated $5 million annually in lost productivity.

The findings offer practical insights. Fans, paired with hydration stations, lowered core body temperatures by 0.5°C on average, a threshold that could prevent heat exhaustion during 10-hour shifts in 90°F+ conditions. The study focused on a chemical plant, where fans were adjusted to avoid disrupting sensitive processes, suggesting adaptability across sectors like steel or food processing.

As proud Americans, we love our air-con, but people really do sleep on the benefits simply moving air around can bring.

“How a nonprofit is helping the un- and underemployed fill open manufacturing jobs” CBS NEWS

Offering free, three-week career classes, nonprofit Magnet equips the unemployed and underemployed with soft skills and job connections, already placing 3,000 workers in Ohio. CEO Ethan Karp’s vision tackles barriers like childcare and transportation, ensuring their workers thrive.

“Apple increases U.S. commitment to $600 billion, announces American Manufacturing Program” APPLE NEWSROOM

Apple’s announcement of a $600 billion U.S. investment commitment over four years is a big deal and somewhat surprising, so let’s discuss the details:

The strategy centers on the American Manufacturing Program (AMP), which incentivizes suppliers through financial support, technical collaboration, and co-development initiatives to relocate or expand operations in the U.S. This is a vertically integrated approach designed to minimize dependencies on overseas fabrication and assembly, reducing transit times, enhancing IP security, and improving iterative design cycles for components like custom A-series and M-series chips.

At the core is silicon and elemental production: Apple is allocating capital to build a comprehensive chain from raw materials to final packaging. Starting with rare earth magnets for device motors and speakers, MP Materials will receive funding to scale facilities in Fort Worth and Mountain Pass, California, incorporating recycling lines to process neodymium from end-of-life products.

This closes the loop on materials, potentially reducing raw import needs by 20-30% based on similar closed-loop models in electronics. For wafers, GlobalWafers America’s Sherman, Texas, plant will expand to produce 300mm silicon wafers optimized for 3nm and below processes, enabling tighter control over substrate quality and defect rates.

Mid-chain investments target fabrication and specialized components: Texas Instruments’ Lehi, Utah, and Sherman, Texas, sites will install new tools for power management and analog chips, while Samsung’s Austin campus focuses on advanced logic nodes. GlobalFoundries in New York handles wireless semiconductors, and Coherent in Texas scales VCSEL lasers for Face ID, which require sub-micron precision to maintain optical efficiency. Applied Materials in Austin will enhance equipment for deposition and etching, critical for 2nm nodes.

Final assembly and packaging see Amkor’s new Arizona facility as the first major customer, using advanced fan-out wafer-level packaging to integrate multiple dies with reduced interconnect losses. Broadcom and GlobalFoundries collaborate on cellular modems, aiming for sub-6GHz and mmWave integration in a single package.

Capital allocation breaks down as follows: roughly 40% ($240B) to supplier expansions and R&D hubs, including the Apple-Corning Innovation Center in Kentucky for Gorilla Glass advancements; 30% ($180B) to domestic fabs and tool installations; 20% ($120B) to training via the Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit, opening August 19, focusing on AI/ML for process optimization; and 10% ($60B) to infrastructure like the Houston server facility for Apple Intelligence, starting mass production in 2026, which will handle custom silicon for cloud services.

Technically, this creates a low-latency ecosystem: proximity reduces shipping delays, enabling faster prototyping and defect correction. Quality improves through unified standards—e.g., Corning’s glass optimized for Coherent’s lasers, minimizing optical aberrations.

Overall, this positions Apple as a catalyst for a U.S.-centric tech supply chain, with potential spillover benefits for non-Apple manufacturers through shared facilities and trained talent. Easy to question, of course: when will this scale and how quickly? But a win nonetheless.

“US FDA moves to boost domestic drug manufacturing after Trump push” REUTERS

The U.S. FDA’s launch of the FDA PreCheck program is a two-phase initiative to streamline approvals and construction of U.S. drug plants, responding to Trump’s May executive order that slashed regulatory hurdles and mandated surprise inspections of foreign facilities.

With over half of U.S. drugs sourced overseas and only 11% of ingredient manufacturers domestic, the program promises to enhance supply chain security. But how this unfolds merits close scrutiny.

The mechanics are straightforward. Phase 1 offers pre-submission consultations to guide companies through FDA requirements, while Phase 2 provides real-time support during facility construction and validation, targeting a 30% reduction in approval timelines.

The FDA plans to prioritize 10-15 initial projects, focusing on critical drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), with a goal to approve at least five new plants by 2027. Trump’s order also accelerates Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permitting, aiming to cut the typical 5-10 year build time in half.

This aligns with recent investments—e.g., Gilead’s $11 billion U.S. expansion and Eli Lilly’s $27 billion factory plans. The shift to unannounced foreign inspections, replacing the prior 2-year COVID backlog, adds teeth to enforcement, potentially leveling the playing field.

Yet, the execution raises questions. The FDA’s resource constraints—hit by recent layoffs and a persistent inspection backlog (e.g., 160 overdue plants in India)—could bog things down. Can a leaner agency handle surging demand without compromising safety?

“Trade Really Did Cost Millions of Manufacturing Jobs in the 00s” CEPR

Dean Baker, economist at the Center for Economic Policy and Research (CEPR), challenges the mainstream narrative, asserting that trade, particularly with China, was the primary driver behind the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs in the 2000s.

Baker counters a New York Times piece, arguing that of the six million factory jobs erased that decade, one-sixth (about one million) were directly tied to Chinese imports, with the rest attributed to productivity growth and a shift to service consumption. Baker disputes this, pointing to a sharp employment drop from 17.3 million in 1999 to 11.5 million by 2009, with nearly four million lost pre-recession by 2007, coinciding with a trade deficit peaking at 6% of GDP (over $1.1 trillion today). This correlation suggests trade’s outsized role, but the causal link warrants scrutiny beyond raw numbers.

The analysis hinges on a key insight: productivity growth, often cited as an alternative culprit, likely followed job losses rather than caused them. Baker posits that closing less efficient plants due to import competition raised average productivity, akin to raising a room’s average height by removing shorter individuals.

Getting rid of the least productive plants raises productivity in the same way that pushing the short people out of a room will raise the average height. If we lose the 40 percent least productive manufacturing plants due to import competition, average productivity in the manufacturing sector will increase almost by definition. Rather than being a cause of job loss in the 2000s, rapid productivity growth was the result of the job loss.

However, Baker’s focus on the 2000s as an anomaly, against stable employment trends from 1970-2000, overlooks broader structural shifts like automation, which may have amplified trade’s impact. Baker also notes government policies favoring import-friendly trade deals over professional service liberalization (e.g., doctors’ wages remaining double those in other wealthy nations), yet admits Trump’s tariffs might not reverse this, given manufacturing’s diminished union wage premium (8% unionized vs. 6% in the private sector).

This analysis invites industry insiders to question whether trade policy alone can resurrect manufacturing.

“On a YouTube Show, Making Machine Parts for Glory and $100,000” NYT

Clash of Trades is a nationwide competition where 60 teams from 46 states face off, backed by companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Young fabricators are battling it out with precision welds and CNC cuts, vying for a $100,000 prize.

We need more of this. Shows like “How It’s Made” successfully captivated viewers with the magic of factory floors, while Mike Rowe’s “Dirty Jobs” made a point to highlight the less glamorous, but essential jobs.

“Thermal Energy Storage: The Industrial World’s Hottest Batteries” FORBES

Thermal energy storage (TES) is being pitched as a revolutionary battery alternative for industrial electrification. The core idea—storing energy as heat using cheap materials like salt, concrete, or recycled steel slag—offers a compelling contrast to chemical batteries, boasting 95% efficiency and decades-long lifespans. This could reshape manufacturing by tackling the 70% of industrial energy devoted to heat, aligning with the U.S. push to decarbonize.

The technology’s appeal lies in its diversity: sensible TES (e.g., Rondo’s refractory bricks at 1,500°C), latent systems (MGA Thermal’s metal alloy chips at 700°C), and chemical methods (e.g., slaked lime reactions at 500°C) each target different needs. Rondo’s 200MWh projects and Kraftblock’s 25MW thermal battery for PepsiCo leverage abundant raw materials to sidestep lithium scarcity.

“Palmer Luckey: I Saw the Future of War. Now It’s Up to Us to Prepare for It.” THE FREE PRESS

Palmer Luckey hits the nail on the head—technology is the ultimate battlefield advantage. As the founder of Anduril, Luckey sees a world where AI-driven autonomy, not sheer numbers, will define victory, especially against China’s looming threat to Taiwan. I’m in total agreement with his argument that small, agile teams can outmaneuver bloated bureaucracies; there is a time for scaled systems but they should be in tension with nimble, smaller teams.

He warns that China’s numerical edge—232 times our shipbuilding capacity, the world’s largest missile arsenal—can’t be matched conventionally. Instead, he champions autonomous systems like Anduril’s Roadrunner drones and Dive XL submarines, designed for rapid deployment and mass production using U.S. infrastructure. (As a good arms dealer should.)

A thought: perhaps the lesson of the Ukraine war is not just “drones are a new weapons platform” but that the future of war is rapid technological iteration itself.

“Cybersecurity's Expanding Footprint in the Industrial Renaissance” MANUFACTURING.NET

As manufacturing has become the center of a lot of attention, the spotlight turns to industrial control systems (ICS).

ICS, which manage everything from robotic arms to power grids, are digital nerve centers, blending operational technology (OT) with IT. This convergence opens a Pandora’s box of vulnerabilities. ICS once operated in isolation, air-gapped from cyber threats, but today’s interconnected smart factories—driven by IoT and AI—invite hackers into the heart of production.

ICS encompasses the hardware and software—programmable logic controllers (PLCs), distributed control systems (DCS), and human-machine interfaces (HMIs)—that automate production lines. SCADA, a step above, provides the wide-area monitoring and control, collecting real-time data from sensors across plants or even regions, enabling centralized oversight.

Securing them requires a multi-layered approach. Network segmentation isolates critical ICS components, limiting breach spread, while zero-trust architecture mandates continuous authentication, even for internal devices. Encryption of data in transit and at rest protects against interception, and intrusion detection systems (IDS) monitor anomalies, leveraging AI to flag suspicious activity.

Regular patching and firmware updates too, of course (though this must balance with uptime demands). Physical security—locked server rooms and biometric access—complements digital defenses.

“Industrial Policy and the Tragedy of Intel” WSJ

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s ties to China are complex. Reports of his investments—via Walden International—in hundreds of Chinese firms, including some linked to the People’s Liberation Army, raise national security red flags. His Cadence tenure saw illegal exports to a Chinese military university, prompting a $140 million fine.

Intel still lags behind TSMC and Nvidia—holding 80% of the AI chip market. Once a leader, Intel’s market share has eroded.

Mr. Tan’s predecessor, Patrick Gelsinger, made a big, costly and so far unsuccessful bet on chip manufacturing. Most competitors focus on chip design, but Mr. Gelsinger sought to compete with TSMC and Samsung in their fabrication. He then lobbied the Biden Administration and Congress to pass the $280 billion Chips Act to finance his bet.

Intel has been the biggest beneficiary of the largesse. Last year the Biden team announced up to $8.5 billion in direct grant funding and $11 billion in low-cost loans. But Intel has had execution problems and has repeatedly delayed construction of a new plant in Ohio owing to weak demand.

WSJ frames Intel’s woes as a “showcase for failed industrial policy”. While there’s certainly a case to be made for policy having an impact here I think it’s worth remembering that it takes two to tango. Intel have clearly done a bad job on their end of the bargain.

Personally, I wouldn’t want Tan running a lemonade stand, let alone a critical U.S. semiconductor company and he should be investigated. But that shouldn’t be a green light for the federal government to dictate who takes his place.

“What constitutes manufacturing success?” BROOKINGS

Brookings Institution’s Darrell West’s latest analysis offers a framework to measure what constitutes manufacturing success in this era of revival.

He outlines ten key indicators: increased employment, higher output, improved productivity, favorable trade agreements, reduced trade deficits, increased foreign investment, alleviated worker shortages, greater use of domestic parts, a stable dollar, and enhanced tariff revenues.

These metrics provide a lens to evaluate the impact of current policies, particularly under the Trump administration’s tariff and tax strategies, building on prior efforts like the CHIPS Act and Obama-era AI robotics initiatives.

With manufacturing employment at 12.8 million jobs in 2025, up from a low of 11.5 million in 2010, the sector shows signs of recovery, supported by a 47% increase in output since 2005, according to West’s data.

Employment growth is evident, with 414,000 job vacancies reported in May 2025, reflecting an upward trend in demand that could require 3.8 million additional workers by 2035, half of whom may need to be new entrants due to an aging workforce.

Productivity, however, remains a mixed bag, with annual growth fluctuating between 1% and 2% since 2015, a modest gain compared to historical peaks.

80% of Americans support expanding manufacturing, though only 20% are willing to join the workforce, highlighting a disconnect. Foreign investment is on the rise, while domestic parts usage is increasing, though exact figures are still emerging.

The push for tariff revenues and a stable dollar aligns with recent policy moves, but West cautions that success hinges on addressing labor shortages, worsened by reduced federal funding for community colleges and immigration policy shifts affecting 3.2 million foreign-born workers.

Looking ahead, the potential is significant. West suggests that emerging technologies, such as AI and advanced robotics, could drive further gains, with reshoring efforts potentially boosting manufacturing’s economic contribution.

However, the reliance on a skilled workforce and stable policy implementation remains critical.

“Why Ford’s Made-in-America Strategy Hurts It in Trump’s Trade War” WSJ

With 25% tariffs on auto imports since April, you’d think U.S. auto production would be cheaper than importing assembled vehicles by now, but no—Ford’s facing a staggering $2 billion hit this year, thanks to reliance on foreign parts and imported aluminum.

Toyota’s RAV4 from Japan, subject to a new lowered 15% tariff deal, undercuts a Michigan-built Ford Escape by $5,000. GM, with its more diverse supply chain, also weathers the tariff impact better than Ford.

Ford said that the new 15% rate is too low to motivate competitors to move production to the U.S. “Japan and South Korea have real advantages in labor costs, materials and currency,” the company said. “Meanwhile, Ford is facing billions due to multiple tariffs on auto parts, steel, aluminum and more that increase our costs of building in America.”

The United Auto Workers and a trade group representing Detroit’s automakers have criticized Trump’s move to lower tariffs. “U.S. trade policy should push automakers to build in America, with skilled, union labor,” the UAW said. “A flat 15% tariff doesn’t accomplish that.”

It’s hard to believe that with these new import tariffs a company building cars here is worse off than one shipping them in. The disparity’s wild.

Ford’s U.S. plants lean on imported aluminum—key for its F-150’s lightweight frame—now hammered by 50% tariffs. The WSJ notes Japan’s tariff deal spares its supply chain, while Ford’s current supply model amplifies costs for every bolt.

Put simply: it’s still cheaper to manufacture vehicles overseas in this particular rotation of the tariff prism. GM’s Mexico and Canada plants soften the blow. Steel-heavy imports like the 4Runner thrive, while Ford’s aluminum-reliant U.S. production costs much more—surprising, right?

“Startup Claims Its Green Steel Will Be Cheaper Than Regular Steel” BLOOMBERG

Hertha Metals—a Bill Gates and Vinod Khosla-backed startup—claims it can outprice conventional steel with “green steel”, suggesting it can be a game-changer for domestic supply chains.

Hertha’s pilot plant in Texas produces one ton daily using a novel one-step process, slashing carbon emissions by over 50% with renewable electricity and natural gas, and plans a 9,000-ton output demonstration plant by 2031.

Cheaper, cleaner steel could greatly benefit U.S. manufacturing, reducing reliance on imports and bolstering reshoring efforts. It would certainly be nice to use local steel for cars, bridges, and defense, all with a green badge.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Their optimism hinges on unproven scalability—one ton a day (or even 9,000 tons) is a drop in the bucket against the 86 million tons the U.S. consumes yearly.

Hertha’s cost advantage is theoretical until that plant’s online. The startup’s claim of outpricing conventional steel ignores entrenched competitors like Cleveland-Cliffs, which canceled a $500 million green project, signaling market skepticism in this type of venture.

“America's growing copper crisis finds a promising solution in Arizona's backyard” FOX BUSINESS

Ivanhoe Electric’s Santa Cruz mine in Casa Grande aims to be the first new U.S. copper mine in over a decade, targeting production by 2028 with 3 billion pounds over 23 years.

Their eight-year timeframe from planning to production—thanks to the mine’s position on private land in Arizona—is extremely short compared to the average 29-year permitting process that’s typical for a new copper mine.

With demand soaring—26 million tons in 2024, projected to hit 40 million by 2050—this is a strategic linchpin. Trump’s March executive order and 50% import tariff are attempting to fast-track the shift to U.S. production.

It’s absolutely crucial to secure domestic copper supply, as the U.S. produces just half of what it needs.

“Tax credit could boost competition among Gulf coast ports” FREIGHT WAVES

The Port Crane Tax Credit bill, introduced by Republican lawmakers including Reps. Mike Ezell, Jen Kiggans, and Nicole Malliotakis, aims to incentivize domestic production of port cranes, critical to securing supply chains and enhancing port capabilities.

With Chinese-built cranes facing tariffs, the credit provides an alternative.

The bill is already stirring interest. Ports like Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Gulfport see this as a chance to close infrastructure gaps—Pascagoula lacks cargo cranes, limiting its diversification, while Gulfport wants to create skilled jobs. Port Tampa Bay, which uses Chinese cranes installed in 2016, supports the credit to address national security concerns and shift toward American-made equipment.

The proposed tax credit “is exactly the kind of forward-thinking support Gulf Coast ports like ours need to stay competitive and meet the demands of a modern, American-made supply chain,” said Port Pascagoula Port Director Bo Ethridge.

“As manufacturing continues to return to U.S. shores, our port is experiencing increased demand and new growth opportunities. Yet we remain the only major Gulf Coast port without cargo cranes, which is an infrastructure gap that limits our ability to diversify commodities. This legislation is a vital step toward closing that gap.”

The American Association of Port Authorities backs this as a step toward reshoring key container handling gear, with Gulf Coast ports eyeing increased competitiveness against rivals like Houston and New Orleans, which rely on Chinese cranes. The credit could attract investment, aligning with the growing demand from returning manufacturers.

“Trump Ends Tariff Break for Low-Value Goods in Blow to Online Retailers” BLOOMBERG

This latest executive order scraps the $800 duty-free threshold, hitting retailers like Shein and Temu that flooded the market with foreign-made trinkets.

With 309 million de minimis shipments this fiscal year, the White House calls it a loophole exploited for cheap imports and even fentanyl smuggling.

But this is an opportunity for U.S. manufacturers to step up, crafting low-cost goods that rival those overseas prices while (ideally) delivering superior quality.

The potential is there. American factories, with modern automation and skilled labor, can produce everything from apparel to small electronics at competitive costs. One example is the Carolinas—one of the largest textile hubs in the country—where quality control exceeds China’s mass-production.

It’s not that we can’t do it, we just need much more of it to satisfy consumer demand.

Businesses can pivot to domestic production, leveraging tax incentives from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to offset initial costs. Higher standards can set U.S. goods apart, building trust and longevity over disposable imports.

“OECD Supply Chain Resilience Review” OECD

The OECD Supply Chain Resilience Review offers a compelling framework for rethinking how supply chains affect reshoring in an era of global uncertainty.

At its core, the report argues that resilience isn’t about eliminating risks but mastering them through collaboration—public, private, and international partnerships. It emphasizes policy tools like trade facilitation, digitalization, and data analytics to foster agility, adaptability, and alignment, countering a fragile international trading system. For the U.S., this could mean reducing logistics frictions and enhancing service trade, aligning with efforts to reshore critical industries.

This approach invites reflection. The report’s call for a holistic system focus—beyond just securing supply—suggests that overemphasizing localization, as some advocate, might miss the mark. It highlights that resilience strategies should address routine disruptions with firm-level risk management while relying on governments for extreme shocks, a dual-track model.

How effectively can U.S. policymakers balance open markets with economic security, especially as tariffs reshape trade flows?

The emphasis on digital tools and data capacity is promising, yet it prompts curiosity about infrastructure readiness—can aging ports and grids keep up with the pace?

The review’s vision is a roadmap, not a guarantee—its success hinges on practical implementation and global cooperation, offering a chance to redefine supply chain strength as America’s industrial base rebuilds.

“Swarm robotics could spell the end of the assembly line” THE ROBOT REPORT

Swarm robotics are a potential upgrade to traditional aerospace assembly lines, a concept championed by Rinaldo Brutoco of the World Business Academy.

This technology leverages Level 3 generative AI to enable self-coordinating robot swarms, patented under U.S. 12,234,035, to construct complex structures like aircraft and spacecraft.

There could be significant advantages: a 40% reduction in production costs and a 60% acceleration in timelines, driven by adaptive, decentralized task execution.

This shift from Henry Ford’s linear model to a dynamic, AI-orchestrated system raises critical questions about its feasibility, particularly in aerospace—a sector with tight tolerances.

Energy consumption for thousands of autonomous units (and their backend compute power), maintenance logistics, and integration with existing production lines remain unaddressed variables.

Brutoco’s assertion that aerospace could lead this transition due to its complexity is plausible, yet the transition’s success hinges on robust testing and infrastructure support. [Lovely concept that seems wildly disconnected from any near-term reality. —Ed.]

“The “Electron Shower” That’s Revolutionizing Microchip Manufacturing” SCI TECH DAILY

What if the future of microchip manufacturing hinges on a fleeting burst of electrons? Synchronized Floating Potential HiPIMS (SFP-HiPIMS), developed by Empa researchers, is turning heads.

This process uses an “electron shower” to charge substrates negatively for a split second, accelerating ions to create high-quality piezoelectric thin films—key for RF filters in smartphones and beyond.

Unlike traditional methods, it works on insulating substrates at low temperatures. Could this unlock new possibilities for flexible electronics or even quantum tech? The precision of timing ion pulses intrigues me—how fine can that control get before imperfections creep in?

The technology’s promise is tantalizing. By syncing magnetron pulses with the electron shower, researchers like Sebastian Siol achieve films as effective on glass as on conductive surfaces, hinting at broader applications. But how scalable is this?

Scaling to mass production for billions of devices might take a while—I wonder if energy demands or equipment costs pose barriers.

“The dirt from an old fab shop tells stories” THE FABRICATOR

Step into Barnes MetalCrafters’ old shop in Wilson, N.C., and you can probably feel the history. The company, now housed in a new facility since 2019, faces the task of deciding the fate of a building over half a century old.

The air inside is thick with metal dust and time, layers of grime caked into every crack, a testament to decades of hard work.

As workers cleared out, stories emerged—their own memories, but also from unexpected visitors drawn to the scrap pile, including a police investigator mistaking it for stolen goods.

Of all the moments, though, one hit harder than the rest. Tucked in the corner of the shop were the old food and water bowls that belonged to my dog, Copa. She was our shop dog for years. She came to work every day, greeted every customer (unless she was napping), and was part of our crew. Seeing those bowls all aged and dusty was like getting punched in the gut by a memory. She was the best dog we could’ve ever asked for, and her presence is one of the many layers in that shop’s history.

The story of Copa, gone but not forgotten, serves as a reminder that the workshop where countless Americans spend their lives is worth cherishing.

“How to see behind the scenes at RV manufacturing plants” USA TODAY

Hit the road, folks, and tour some RV manufacturing plants. Factories like Winnebago in Iowa, Airstream in Ohio and Forest River in Indiana have been opening their doors to curious travelers since June.

The Midwest is the epicenter of America’s recreational vehicle (RV) industry. Airstream is headquartered in western Ohio, and 80 percent of the nation’s RVs are produced in northwest Indiana, earning it the title of “RV Capital of the World.”

These tours, running through August, let you peek at the assembly lines making tons of campers—Winnebago’s Forest City plant alone pumps out 200 RVs monthly.

These plants are part of a $10 billion industry revival, fueled by a post-pandemic RV boom and a reshoring nudge.

Pack your curiosity for propane refrigerators; it’s a chance to see American craftsmanship up close, with guides giving you an hour-long tour for free.

“A Couple Works to Save Paul Revere’s Company” WSJ

Revere Copper Company is channeling the independent spirit of its namesake, the Revolutionary War hero and metallurgist who pioneered American rolled copper sheathing for naval applications. With a new $300 million copper mine in Arizona—launched under Trump’s 50% tariffs set for August 1—this move revives the patriot’s legacy of self-reliance.

Descended from Revere’s 18th-century Boston foundry, which cast cannons for the Continental Army, the company now plays a key role in our self-sufficiency, aiming to produce 50,000 tons annually for U.S. manufacturers.

In the largely dismal U.S. copper industry, after decades of struggles, the company is growing. It is adding equipment to its new plant in Mebane, N.C., to triple output of copper bars. It’s a bet that demand for bars used in electrical equipment will keep exploding due to the construction of computer data centers with their big demand for electricity and other electrical infrastructure.

WSJ mentions a few hurdles like untested deposits, while Arizona’s water scarcity also looms as a silent saboteur. China, with its history of price-slashing in trade spats, will still be a source of pressure as well as German copper plate importers.

“Volkswagen Teases Made-in-America Audis After $1.5 Billion Tariff Hit” WSJ

Volkswagen’s $1.5 billion tariff hit in Q1 2025 has forced a pivot to investing in U.S. manufacturing, including a potential American-made Audi lineup. With a 29% profit drop to €3.83 billion in Q2 and guidance slashed to a 4-5% operating return, VW is eyeing a lifeline: moving Audi manufacturing stateside.

On Friday, Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume said a deal between the company and the Trump administration would follow an EU-level agreement and be centered on factory and other investments that the world’s second-largest automaker by sales could make in the U.S.

“What we can offer is clear to the U.S. government. It’s a scalable package, which in the end of course will depend on what we get in return,” he said.

The company’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant—already producing ID.4 EVs and Atlas SUVs—stands as a $2 billion testament to its U.S. commitment, bolstered by a 2023 expansion. Now, VW dangles an offer to the White House: they’ll bring production of Audi’s Q5 and Q6 e-tron here too, dodging the 27.5% tariff wall, in exchange for tariff relief on its vehicle imports.

“US Core Capital Goods Orders Decline Amid Policy Uncertainty” BLOOMBERG

US core capital goods orders took a hit in June, dropping 0.7% after a revised 2% gain in May. This unexpected decline, amid trade and tariff uncertainty, signals caution from manufacturers. Orders for durable goods, including aircraft and military gear, plummeted 9.3%.

Yet this stumble could be a hidden opportunity, giving ample time to rethink reshoring strategies as companies brace for Trump’s tariff waves.

Economists like Bloomberg’s Eliza Winger are blaming tariff ambiguity for dampening investment, but let’s question that for a second.

The report shows core shipments rose 0.4%, suggesting some resilience, while Boeing’s June order slowdown might skew the numbers—hardly a full retreat. It also glosses over how China’s 30% EV market surge in Europe might be siphoning investors’ focus from the U.S., a factor worth probing.

However, policy uncertainty is real—Trump’s tariff flip-flops, like the EU’s July 9 reprieve, keep businesses guessing.

“Inside a US guitar string maker's strategy to navigate the trade war” REUTERS

D’Addario & Company, the family-run guitar string giant based in Farmingdale, New York, is wrestling with the trade war. This Reuters piece dives into their “trade war task force,” a weekly meeting born out of the chaos when tariffs first hit hard in April—back then, they were huddling daily.

The company, with $235 million in annual sales and six U.S. factories, is feeling the pinch: a $2.2 million tariff hit this year, up from $700,000 last year.

Their plan is unique: setting up a free trade zone inside their factory premises and rerouting shipments to dodge costs—they’ve shifted Chinese goods directly to international clients, bypassing their Long Island warehouse, and are leaning on suppliers to handle smaller orders.

“Silicon Valley’s $4 Billion Gamble on Defense Manufacturing” BLOOMBERG

Silicon Valley’s latest obsession—pouring $4 billion into defense manufacturing—is a gamble that’s raising eyebrows as much as it’s stirring hope. This report spotlights startups like Neros Inc. and Saronic Technologies, betting big on reindustrializing America’s defense base.

Neros is making drones in a new Southern California factory, aiming for 10,000 monthly by year-end, despite orders for just 36,000 from Ukraine. Saronic’s dropping $2.7 million on a shipyard revival, targeting a WWII-scale output, yet holds only $33 million in federal contracts.

Private capital—$70 billion since 2023—is outpacing the Pentagon’s $4 billion in commitments, driven by Trump’s push to bulk up defense spending.

Dig deeper, and the cracks begin to show. These startups are building factories before securing demand, a risky move framed as visionary. Neros’ CEO admits the supply chain is the bottleneck, yet the article glosses over whether this preemptive sprawl will pay off or just bloat overhead. Saronic’s doubling to 700 employees hinges on contracts that might never materialize, a bet on political promises over proven markets.

If the feds drag their feet or China outpaces with cheaper tech, it’s a $4 billion misfire.

“Old-school manufacturing is gone and is not coming back” SEATTLE TIMES

Written by a self-proclaimed futurist, this op-ed argues that automation and globalization have killed the era of hands-on factory jobs, painting a picture of a lost past with no resurrection.

The author cites a 30% drop in traditional manufacturing jobs since 2000 and claims AI will render human labor obsolete, dismissing reshoring as a nostalgic fantasy. It’s a convenient narrative, but it’s riddled with holes.

First, the stats don’t tell the whole story. That 30% job loss ignores the 287,000 new positions from reshoring and foreign investment in 2023 alone, a trend the op-ed conveniently skips.

The author’s AI obsession—predicting a fully automated future—overlooks how companies like Ford are retraining workers for smart factories, not replacing them. The piece sneers at “nostalgia” for steel mills, yet it sidesteps how states like Ohio have seen $10 billion in factory investments since 2022, breathing life into those “old-school” roots.

The op-ed’s claim that globalization is irreversible crumbles when you consider Trump’s 50% tariff push, forcing supply chains to rethink their reliance on China.

Manufacturing isn’t dead; it’s evolving, with reshoring potentially reclaiming 10% of global production as soon as 2030 if we adapt, not abandon.

The author’s defeatist tone dismisses the grit of American workers who are proving old-school spirit can thrive with new tech. Unless we buy this premature eulogy, the revival’s just getting started—don’t let visioneers bury it prematurely.

“Recognizing a ‘manufacturing hero’” NORTHEAST TIMES

Joe Williams, a welder who’s shaped ships and submarines with his hands for 40 years, is now mentoring the next generation alongside his son as director of the Connolly Welding Lab at Father Judge High School.

Williams thanked school president Brian King for his vision in creating the Career Pathways Academy building, which houses welding, automotive (which began last year) and HVAC (which kicks off this fall).

Over three years, welding students complete 1,080 hours of study and learn the four common welding processes. To be considered, students must have good grades, conduct and attendance.

The reward is great, Williams said. Welding is a high-demand, high-wage career, he said. Graduates receive job offers that start with a high annual salary that climbs to six figures in a few years and ends later with a nice pension and early retirement.

The photo of Joe with his son and Brad Keselowski, the NASCAR star turned manufacturing advocate, captures real pride.

“Places like Taiwan dominate chipmaking because they value ‘high-quality’ manufacturing, an ethos that ‘doesn’t exist in North America’” FORTUNE

Fortune’s take on chipmaking wants us to swallow a dubious pill: Taiwan and South Korea rule the semiconductor world because they’ve got some mystical “high-quality” manufacturing ethos, while America’s apparently clueless.

Nigel Toon of Graphcore claims this cultural edge drives their dominance, pointing to supply chain shocks and AI’s demand for semiconductors as proof we’re doomed without their model. They suggest North America lacks the sophistication to match Taiwan’s TSMC or Korea’s Samsung, despite U.S. subsidies pouring billions into reshoring.

This “ethos” narrative is baseless. Fortune ignores how Taiwan and Korea’s lead stems from decades of government handouts and cheap labor—hardly a cultural triumph. Toon’s claim that North America can’t replicate this glosses over Intel’s (delayed) $20 billion Ohio fab under construction, or TSMC’s own $65 billion Arizona factory, proving the U.S. semiconductor industry is steadily growing.

They lean on COVID-era supply woes to justify reshoring failures, but ignore how U.S. policy shifts—like the CHIPS Act’s $52 billion—have already lured $200 billion in commitments since 2022. The article’s defeatist tone underestimates American competency; Taiwan’s edge is eroding as we build, not bow out.

“America’s Top States for Reshoring Jobs” GLOBE STREET

This list crowns Texas as the reshoring king, adding 40,200 jobs—nearly a quarter of the 161,200 total across the top 20 states—thanks to heavy investments like Samsung’s $65 billion and Tesla’s $5.5 billion.

South Carolina follows with 24,800 jobs, Mississippi with 12,100, New Mexico with 9,800, and Michigan with 8,700.

Industries like computers (68,700 jobs) and transportation (52,500) lead the charge, with companies like Walmart promising 300,000 jobs.

Texas leads with its tech and auto surge, while South Carolina’s automotive growth could be a new Detroit rising. Mississippi’s steady 12,100 jobs show smaller states can shine, and New Mexico’s 9,800 reflect a diversifying landscape. Michigan’s 8,700 jobs revive its automotive legacy, proving the Rust Belt can gleam again.

“Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' sparks investment surge across American businesses” FOX BUSINESS

Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) is igniting investment. The bill, signed July 4, is propelling a “capex comeback” with businesses unleashing capital expenditures thanks to full expensing retroactive to January 2025.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and counselor Joe Lavorgna are calling it a boom, with Pittsburgh’s recent AI summit and Nippon Steel’s $11 billion U.S. Steel deal—promising 100,000 jobs—leading the way. The policy pairs tax cuts with tariffs, aiming to lure production home, and early signs show Q2 business equipment production soaring.

The administration sees tariffs and tax breaks as a perfect duet, but history warns of trade war blowback—China’s 30% manufacturing market share won’t fade quietly. The bill’s energy is palpable, but success depends on turning promises into steel and silicon.

“Palmer Luckey asks if you'd pay 20% more for a laptop entirely made in the US” TECHSPOT

Palmer Luckey, the man behind Oculus and now Anduril’s fearless leader, is at it again—and I’m all in. Luckey’s polling whether we’d shell out 20% more for a Made in America PC, a move that shows his passion for bringing tech jobs home.

Luckey also said that he'd had "conversations with everyone you would need to have to do this. Both on the chip side, on the assembly side, the manufacturing side. I know exactly how to do it. What it would cost. How long it would take."

Luckey did say that he hopes somebody else makes a US-manufactured laptop before Anduril does as there's "no reason" for his company to be the first, "unless it's truly not going to be done by anyone else."

Known for revolutionizing VR and now arming the Defense Department with AI drones, he’s tossing out the idea via Anduril, hinting at a laptop that’s 100% U.S.-made.

As someone who followed his journey from garage tinkerer to industry titan, I love to see this aligning with the manufacturing revival we’ve been rooting for with Tool Or Die.

Luckey’s track record backs this up. Anduril’s already proving U.S. manufacturing can compete, making futuristic military hardware that’s outpacing some foreign rivals. And his personal projects like ModRetro are hardware-centric. This could tap into a market worth tens of billions if it takes off, and I believe it—his knack for innovation could pull the American computer industry into the future.

This week on TOOL OR DIE, we talk to Rae Jeong, Maneva co-founder and CEO. From his roots in a blue-collar Alberta town to AI research at Google DeepMind, Rae shares how his experience in robotics, factory work, and frontier AI led to Maneva’s mission: to democratize high-performance factory intelligence through edge-deployed, reinforcement-learning-driven video agents.

We cover the surprisingly hard edge of video AI in manufacturing—from jammed conveyors and missed safety protocols to process drift and equipment failure—and how learning systems trained on video, not just static images, might define the next wave of manufacturing optimization.

Timestamp:

01:00 – From South Korea to Alberta to DeepMind: Ray Kim’s unusual path
06:30 – What AI at DeepMind taught him about the limits of research
10:30 – Why he left DeepMind to start Maneva
13:00 – Maneva’s core pitch: video-to-action AI for messy, real-world factories
17:00 – Why reinforcement learning on the edge matters
21:00 – Mission-critical AI that integrates with PLCs, not the cloud
24:00 – Beyond defect detection: using AI for downtime and predictive maintenance
28:00 – Introducing Kaizen: factory-wide root cause analysis across agents
31:00 – Real-world RCA: how video caught a missing prep station
34:00 – The cost of jams and what video AI can really prevent

Key Topics:

• Edge-deployed AI in high-variance, high-volume environments

• Reinforcement learning vs pretraining for real-world reliability

• Why video (not “vision”) matters in industrial intelligence

• Video-based RCA: identifying bottlenecks and preempting downtime

• Oneva’s broader thesis: Kaizen 2.0 powered by AI agents, not binders

🔧 Learn more: Maneva.ai

Sponsor

This episode of TOOL OR DIE is brought to you by DOSS, the adaptive ERP.

DOSS kills implementation hell by working directly with your team, connecting all your systems to minimize data entry so you can focus on production. Instead of barging in like a bull in a china shop, they take a deep look at your actual operations and build a system that matches how you operate today, replacing only the parts that need improving—rather than trying to fix what’s already working great.

DOSS — One Platform, Total Visibility

TOOL OR DIE is hosted by Joel Johnson, former science & tech journalist turned corporate strategist who built brands like Gizmodo, WIRED.com, and Wirecutter; and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us), known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles. Each week, they speak with the people actually rebuilding American manufacturing—one machine, one company, one idea at a time.

Follow them at:
LinkedIn: joeljohnson | alexroy
X: @joeljohnson | @alexroy144

“I went to the 'save America' conference in Detroit, where patriotic founders vied for VC dollars” BUSINESS INSIDER

The Reindustrialize Summit, held at Hudson’s Detroit, makes a case for American manufacturing’s rebirth with defense tech at its core. This year’s event drew over 1,000 leaders—tech innovators, venture capitalists, and military minds—to workshop a vision for industrial dominance.

The summit’s vibe—complete with whimsical “Make American Nuclear Great Again” hats—blended patriotism with pragmatism, and a nod to the past when factories fueled America’s success.

Some highlights included Anduril’s Palmer Luckey—phoning in via a VR-controlled robot—teasing American-made computers, and Hadrian securing $260 million in Series C funding for factory expansion, signaling a surge in defense tech investment.

Reindustrialize did have a handful of detractors. Protesters outside flagged ethical concerns with defense firms like Palantir, and some online critics questioned if venture hype translates into viable outputs.

Rumors (to be taken with a grain of salt) circulated on social media about a mysterious individual wearing a cowboy hat lurking around the event, who allegedly barged his way into private office spaces to take pictures of sensitive information.

Set against our manufacturing rivalry with China, the leaders at Reindustrialize are pushing to retool U.S. production with AI, robotics, and domestic supply chains, ending decades of outsourcing.

Detroit’s industrial legacy loomed large, yet the question remains: can this momentum sustain itself past today’s buzz?

“Billionaire-Backed California City Pitches Plans for Factory Hub” BLOOMBERG

California Forever’s Solano Foundry, a 2,100-acre manufacturing hub on 68,500 acres of Solano County farmland, echoes the "company town" legacy of America’s industrial past—like Pullman, Illinois, where workers lived and worked all within close proximity.

Unlike China’s sprawling industrial complexes, which combine CCP-organized vertical integration with ruthless efficiency, this planned private project blends housing, industry, and amenities into a friendlier California-style self-contained mixed-use zone, leveraging (and probably poaching) Silicon Valley’s nearby talent pool.

California Forever recently entered into a reimbursement agreement with nearby Suisun City, who will annex the property into its district in exchange for funds that will cover the city’s costs related to the program.

Other communities in Solano County like Vacaville might see a transformation too—workers living there could trade long commutes to Sacramento or San Fran for stability.

If it can provide affordable housing and well-paying jobs, Solano Foundry could prove company towns, reborn with modern flair, are beneficial to U.S. manufacturing’s edge over China’s top-down model.

“New York Factory Activity Expands for First Time in Five Months” BLOOMBERG

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s general business conditions index leapt 21.5 points to 5.5 (positive numbers indicate growth), fueled by a surge in orders and shipments.

Economists have been rather pessimistic with predictions of continued stagnation—in fact, none of Bloomberg’s economists predicted growth—but this data says otherwise.

It’s a signal that U.S. manufacturing in general might be clawing its way back from the doldrums. And with 12% of the state’s workforce in this sector, it’s extremely important for New Yorkers that Buffalo and Rochester are humming with life again.

Love a good comeback story, but let’s not pop the champagne yet. This index has been a rollercoaster—down to -11.7 in February, now up to 5.5—and input costs have climbed 3% since June.

Things are tight for factories already dealing with thin margins. I hope manufacturers in New York can keep this trend going with the rest of the country following suit.

“Apple is investing $500 million in a US maker of rare earth magnets, and the company's stock is soaring” BUSINESS INSIDER

Apple dropped $500 million into MP Materials this week to secure U.S.-made rare earth magnets for its gadgets, and MP’s stock climbed another 25% on Tuesday.

The deal teams Apple with the only U.S. rare earth mine operator to recycle neodymium magnets from old iPhones, and they’re building a new factory for it in Texas.

Tim Cook is hyping it as a win for American innovation, and with the Pentagon tossing MP $400 million last week, it’s a boon for MP and a step in the right direction for Apple who are all-too-reliant on China.

Unfortunately, China still lords over 90% of rare earth processing, and this is still a drop in the bucket in comparison. Analysts whisper MP might be overvalued too, with an eye-watering PE ratio of 36X. (They’re clearly doing a lot right, but also essentially the only domestic company in-sector.)

The recycling angle’s clever, turning scrap iPhones into new iPhones, but can a half-billion dollar deal really put a dent in our dependency on China? I think it can if other tech companies and domestic rare-earth providers follow suit, and maybe they’ll feel they have a green light to do so with Apple taking the first leap.

“University of St. Thomas Offers No-Cost Machining and CNC Optimization Training” UNIV. OF ST THOMAS

The University of St. Thomas launched the Machining AdvantEdge program this week, offering free CNC optimization training to bridge the skills gap.

“This training is about more than just software or machines. It’s about empowering people with the confidence and tools to change the way they approach CNC programming and manufacturing in general,” said Dr. Tiffany Ling, clinical faculty in mechanical engineering and operations director for manufacturing workforce development at St. Thomas. “In collaboration with our industry partners, we’re creating opportunities for machinists and engineers to upskill with digital tools that directly translate to better performance, faster production, and smarter decision-making on the shop floor.”

Partnering with the Air Force Research Laboratory and Third Wave Systems, it delivers a self-paced online course and two-day bootcamps (August 25-26 and 27-28) to upskill machinists and engineers. More sessions will be available next year.

With 600,000 manufacturing jobs unfilled, this initiative could sharpen U.S. competitiveness in a sector hungry for talent.

“Optimized dual NURBS curve interpolation for high-accuracy five-axis CNC path planning” NATURE

A new study suggests an optimized dual NURBS curve interpolation method can be used to enhance five-axis CNC path planning with sub-micron accuracy—down to 0.1 μm.

That’s a bit of a mouthful, but I’ll attempt to explain:

Traditional NURBS (non-uniform rational basis spline) interpolation often stumbles with sharp curvatures, but this innovation splits the curve into two synchronized segments, enhancing stability at high machine speeds—resulting in up to 15% faster processing.

This algorithm is great for complex surfaces such as turbine blades, reducing machining errors by 30% through a dual-curve approach that smooths tool paths and minimizes jerk. The method’s real-time adaptability, tested on a Siemens Sinumerik 840D, cuts computational load by 25%.

This leap forward challenges outdated CNC limitations, enabling tighter tolerances and more options for things like aerospace and automotive parts.

“Energy Department Report Raises Blackout Risks from AI and Increased Electrification if Current Utility Plans Continue” IER

A stark Department of Energy report warns that U.S. power shortages could spike by 2030 if current utility plans persist, threatening not just heavy industries but the entire grid in general.

Driven by things like AI data centers and automotive electrification, demand could soar—adding 35 to 108 gigawatts by decade’s end, with 50 gigawatts tied to data centers alone.

The grid faces a simple math problem: 104 gigawatts of firm generation (coal, gas, nuclear) are slated for retirement over five years, while only 200 gigawatts of new capacity—mostly wind and solar—enter the mix. This mismatch could inflate blackout risks 100-fold, per DOE projections, from 8 hours to 800 hours annually.

The DOE’s 100-fold risk estimate hinges on unchanged plans, and it overlooks certain new arrangements like nuclear restarts (e.g., Three Mile Island, 2027 target). Still, increasing reliance on intermittent renewables raises eyebrows. It’s true that wind and solar can’t deliver “firm power” output, needing backup power storage off peak production hours that’s lagging to scale. And while battery-based backup options are growing, they’re far from the scale yet needed.

For manufacturing hubs, where AI datacenters and power-hungry factories collide, this is a wake-up call to rethink energy infrastructure foundations.

The challenge is clear: adapt or the future is dark.

“New AI model could revolutionize U.S manufacturing” NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The National Science Foundation unveiled MaVila—a new AI model that aims to transform U.S. manufacturing. This new tool, developed by California State University Northridge’s Autonomy Research Center, blends image analysis and natural language processing to “see” factory flaws, suggest fixes, and adjust machines in real time.

Trained on manufacturing-specific data via NSF-funded high-performance computing (HPC) systems, MaVila needs far less data than typical AI, potentially leveling the field for small firms. Its debut marks a shift from AI’s dominance in medicine and finance, targeting the precision and timing demands of factories.

MaVila takes a different approach. Instead of relying on outside data, like information on the internet, it is trained with manufacturing-specific knowledge from the start. It learns directly from visual and language-based data in factory settings. The tool can "see" and "talk" — analyzing images of parts, describing defects in plain language, suggesting fixes and even communicating with machines to carry out automatic adjustments.

So, what makes this system better than existing options?

MaVila’s edge lies in its lean data needs and real-time adaptability compared to other solutions like IBM’s predictive maintenance, which relies on vast amounts of sensor data to forecast machine failures. SAP’s AI-driven digital twins offer virtual process optimization, but MaVila’s language-to-machine commands add a unique layer, potentially cutting setup times. Appinventiv’s AutoML solutions automate workflows, yet lack MaVila’s vision-language synergy, which sounds fairly user-friendly and could streamline small-firm adoption.

It’s not a direct apples-to-apples comparison, though; IBM and SAP leverage broader ecosystems, while MaVila’s niche focus might limit scalability. But if MaVila scales well it could streamline a lot of stuff, potentially making the case that targeted AI trumps generic approaches.

“Free trade ‘essential’: China’s He Lifeng warns Western reshoring threatens supply chains” SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

China’s Vice-Premier He Lifeng took to the podium at the third China International Supply Chain Expo, bleating about how Western reshoring—fueled by tariffs and “de-risking”—jeopardizes global supply chains.

“Some countries are currently intervening in the market in the name of de-risking, using measures such as additional tariffs and restrictions to promote so-called ‘manufacturing reshoring’,” He said at the opening ceremony of the third China International Supply Chain Expo on Wednesday.

“The redundant development of industrial and supply chains has reduced the overall efficiency of the global economy.”

“Free trade remains an essential requirement for world economic development... There are no winners in tariff wars or trade wars.”

Don’t buy the sob story. Reshoring’s disruption is intentional, shaking loose a subsidized, state-backed model built on forced tech transfers and IP theft—practices He conveniently ignores. China’s export diversion to Vietnam and Mexico can’t offset the 21% U.S. shipment drop in April, a trend He’s desperate to downplay.

This is a power shift, not a crisis.

With $1.2 trillion in U.S. incentives, reshoring could claw back 10% of global manufacturing by 2030, leaving China in the dust. He’s betting on bluster, but his warnings are more about saving face than saving supply chains.

“Tariffs or not, automation is still key to reshoring manufacturing” MANUFACTURING DIVE

HowToRobot’s Søren Peters makes the argument that tariffs may prompt reshoring, but automation is the real driver of sustainable manufacturing success.

U.S. firms reported 287,000 jobs from reshoring and foreign direct investment in 2023—a 26-fold jump since 2010 and well before tariffs were even considered an option. Peters points to an 88% rise in industrial robots as the backbone. He cites a case where a U.S. manufacturer slashed automation costs by $1.8 million, over 50% of the original price, by tackling edge cases.

Peters downplays how China’s robot density—outpacing the West—relies on state subsidies we can’t match, giving them a head start. His optimism hinges on 1,100 U.S. system integrators, but finding the right partners amid a rush to reshore could be a challenge.

Peters is onto something, though: tariffs are a sideshow. The real battle is in the remaking of factories—existing or net new—where smart automation could outlast policy swings if we close the skills gap and expertly deploy advanced robotics and automation.

“Copper Tariffs Won’t Bring Back US Manufacturing” BLOOMBERG

Matthew Yglesias is playing undertaker, declaring Trump’s 50% copper tariffs—going into effect August 1st—dead on arrival for America’s manufacturing revival.

His piece paints a grim picture: tariffs will spike costs, kneecap producers from carmakers to homebuilders, and fail to resurrect U.S. copper mining. It’s a tidy narrative, loaded with skepticism about protectionism’s power to bring back factories. But while Yglesias is busy writing manufacturing’s obituary, he’s missing the heartbeat of a sector that’s far from flatlining.

Let’s start with the bad news: Yglesias isn’t wrong to highlight the pain. Copper prices are already jittery, with futures spiking 2.6% after Trump’s July tariff announcement. The U.S. imports 40% of its copper, mostly from Chile, and a 50% tariff could jack up costs for pretty much everything that uses wiring. Yglesias leans hard into this, arguing tariffs are a self-inflicted wound, inflating costs without creating new mines.

He’s got a point: opening a copper mine takes years, not months, and regulatory red tape doesn’t exactly help.

But that’s also where Yglesias trips over his own pessimism. The Financial Times tells a different story, one where tariffs are already rattling global supply chains in America’s favor. Chinese copper exports dropped 25% in Q1 2025, thanks to early tariff threats, pushing U.S. firms like Freeport-McMoRan to ramp up domestic production. Freeport’s Arizona mines are doing great, with plans to double output by 2027.

Trump’s February 2025 executive order invoked the Defense Production Act to fast-track critical mineral projects, including copper, slashing permitting times and funneling loans to new mines. Yglesias dismisses tariffs as futile, but they’re forcing a rethink of globalized supply chains, nudging investment toward U.S. soil.

To Yglesias, manufacturing’s a lost cause, still stuck in the 1980s rust-belt rut. Wrong. The sector’s been clawing its way back—800,000 factory jobs added from 2021 to 2024, driven by policy muscle like the CHIPS Act and private bets on semiconductors, EVs and aerospace.

Tariffs aren’t a magic wand, they’re a crowbar, prying open opportunities for domestic producers.

Yglesias’ quick take misses the long game. Tariffs may be messy, costly, and no guarantee of a manufacturing utopia. But they’re a signal to the world: America’s done relying on imports for key resources.

“Investors appear to like a company with big space manufacturing ambitions” ARS TECHNICA

Microgravity lets molecules dance differently. Free from Earth’s pull, they form purer, more stable structures. Varda’s ritonavir crystals, grown on their orbital assembly satellite W-1, showed no degradation post-reentry, a promising sign for the core engineering premise that they’re betting could transform drug development.

Beyond pharma, their capsules support hypersonic tests for the U.S. Air Force and NASA, hinting at defense applications that could outpace terrestrial tech. (Although one would think just getting missile tests to space at all is the essential part).

Most crucially, it’s a chance for the U.S. to out-innovate China in a high-stakes arena where Beijing’s already flexing its muscle. China’s state-backed firms like CASC are launching reusable rockets and eyeing space-based solar by 2035. The U.S. edge lies in agility: Varda’s lean team, backed by private capital, claims to pivot faster than China’s bureaucracy.

“We’re scaling up production and next-gen spacecraft,” says co-founder Delian Asparouhov, eyeing reusable capsules to slash costs.

Investors like Peter Thiel and Khosla Ventures see the vision: space can be the perfect location for certain kinds of high-value manufacturing. Varda just raised $187 million in Series C funding to make space manufacturing not just a sci-fi theoretical but a real U.S. advantage in the global tech race.

“The ‘productivity paradox’ of AI adoption in manufacturing firms” MIT SLOAN

U.S. factories pivoting to industrial AI will hit a speed bump: a 1.33% productivity dip in the first 12-18 months, per MIT Sloan research, before gains in efficiency and output kick in.

This “J-curve” effect bogs down firms chasing automation and leveraging tech like robotics or predictive maintenance. With 65% of manufacturers testing AI since 2023, the tech’s potential to streamline production is undeniable, but the path isn’t smooth.

This decline isn’t only a matter of growing pains; it points to a deeper misalignment between new digital tools and legacy operational processes, the researchers found. AI systems used for predictive maintenance, quality control, or demand forecasting often also require investments in data infrastructure, staff training, and workflow redesign. Without those complementary pieces in place, even the most advanced technologies can underdeliver or create new bottlenecks.

Early adopters face the steepest hurdles—retooling data systems while being the first to discover bugs, retraining workers with scant documentation, syncing AI with old machinery—that can stall progress. Smaller plants, especially those with less tech-savvy crews, risk longer slumps if training lags. Still, workers mastering AI tools, like welders using defect-detection software, can boost output by up to 14%.

Just over 1% productivity dip for a full-line rethink sounds less like a J-curve and more like a brief, expected stall that can be accounted for.

“Bridging Manufacturing’s Skills-Tech Divide” ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

American manufacturing is always trying to ride a tech wave—AI-driven CNC machines, robots whirring alongside workers, and digital twins simulating entire factories. But there’s a big catch right now: a yawning skills gap that’s threatening to derail progress.

As factories deploy the latest tools, there aren’t enough workers who can program, maintain, or optimize these systems. The U.S. risks hindering any industrial comeback unless it bridges this divide.

Advanced manufacturing demands skills that traditional shop-floor training doesn’t cover. CNC programmers need to understand G-code and machine learning to tweak settings on the fly. Maintenance techs aren’t just fixing motors or linear actuators anymore—they’re troubleshooting IoT sensors and other high-tech stuff.

So, what’s driving this gap? For starters, education’s lagging. Vocational programs, once the backbone of manufacturing, train welders and machinists but rarely teach Industry 4.0 skills like data analytics or robotics integration.

Companies like Siemens are partnering with platforms like Tulip Interfaces, whose no-code software lets workers build apps to monitor production lines, cutting training time by 30%. Apprenticeships are making a comeback, too—GE’s program in North Carolina blends shop-floor work with data science, turning rookies into hybrid techs in under a year.

China, meanwhile, pumps out 10 million STEM graduates annually, dwarfing U.S. efforts. If America wants to compete, it needs to move faster—public-private bootcamps, tax breaks for training, or perhaps even late-career code-heavy training for older tradies who could meet younger workers with less hands-on experience in the middle.

“Trade War? No Problem—If You Run a Trade School” BLOOMBERG

U.S. trade schools, like Texas State Technical College, are seeing enrollment jump 4.9% from 2020 to 2023, as young workers ditch four-year degrees for skills in welding, machining, and electrical work.

With 42% of Gen Z opting for vocational training to avoid student debt, these programs are producing talent for a manufacturing sector hungry for skilled labor.

Employers, from aerospace giants to smaller startups, clamor for these graduates, with median salaries for skilled trades hitting $60,000—outpacing many college grads.

For communities in Texas and beyond, an influx of 10,000 new trade students annually signals a rebirth of hands-on work. Manufacturing’s comeback hinges on these skilled hands, not just new factories. But the boom isn’t flawless: schools struggle to scale instructor hiring and equipment upgrades to match enrollment.

And I have to wonder: are we training these kids in the hands-on skills but not also folding in other technical skills that will define many of the skilled trade jobs ten or twenty years from now?

“Ohio awards $310 million to Anduril Industries for advanced manufacturing facility” 10TV.COM

With a $310 million grant, Ohio’s rolling the dice on Anduril Industries’ Arsenal-1, a sprawling 5-million-square-foot facility near Columbus which will create AI-powered drones and other autonomous systems for the Department of Defense. This move comes amid a broader push by the Pentagon to enhance their drone capabilities.

Anduril are expected to provide 4,000+ jobs, a $530 million payroll, and a $910.5 million total investment over the next decade.

Arsenal OS, Anduril’s digital production engine developed in-house, promises to redefine manufacturing efficiency (although we’ve heard that before). Combined with the massive investment and ties to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, it’ll position Ohio as a new nerve center for aerospace and defense innovation.

It’s a hefty investment for Ohio, but the economic return should be worth it: a $2 billion annual economic boost by the end of the term they agreed upon.

“Lithium battery company moving operation to Illinois this year. See where it's setting up shop” JOURNAL STAR

Pure Lithium, a Boston-born battery innovator, is packing up and moving to Chicago’s Fulton Market district, backed by a $46 million investment to kickstart production of lithium metal batteries.

Set to launch this fall, their facility will create at least 50 jobs, targeting drones, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and grid storage. This dovetails with the global race to secure sustainable battery tech, especially as demand for cobalt-free, high-performance cells surges.

Illinois’ “Reimagining Energy and Vehicles” program sweetens the deal, emphasizing the state’s all-in push for a clean energy future. Governor Pritzker’s talked about a “green revolution,” but taxpayers footing the bill will of course want hard proof of economic returns.

Pure Lithium’s claim to fame—batteries without graphite, nickel, or manganese—could shake up supply chain demands, but scaling from lab to factory floor is no small feat. Early hype doesn’t always deliver. Still, Chicago’s workers and businesses stand to gain.

I’m Concerned About The Cars

I’m a Car Guy, through-and-through. I like speed, noise and quality engineering.

That’s why our recent podcast with Kevin Williams from InsideEVs left me in a state of shock. Much to my chagrin, he laid out the facts surrounding the Chinese automotive industry, and how they’re outpacing not just U.S. automakers but brands across the West.

Granted, BYD and Xiaomi can’t offer the noise of a Detroit V8 or howling flat-six from Stuttgart, but they’re demonstrating that they don’t necessarily have to in order to compete globally.

Their EV market is booming, their vehicle quality has substantially improved, and Williams’ firsthand coverage has a lot of Car Guys like me all riled up.

“Ford says Michigan EV battery plant 'on track' for production tax credits” REUTERS

Ford’s $3 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, now 60% complete, is set to snag federal production tax credits after a revised tax bill preserved incentives for U.S.-made batteries.

Slated for 2026 production, the 2-million-square-foot facility will employ 1,700 workers and produce low-cost lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries using tech licensed from China’s CATL. As global EV demand wavers, this plant strengthens America’s position in the battery supply chain. And despite the recent flip-flopping of both the White House and American consumer tastes, there’s no foreseeable future where the U.S. doesn’t need lots and lots of new batteries when factoring in grid storage.

Yet, the plant’s CATL ties have drawn fire from lawmakers wary of Chinese influence; Ford’s had to navigate a political minefield to secure the deal.

And it is a big deal for Michigan, where manufacturing jobs have hemorrhaged for decades. Those 1,700 positions, with wages averaging $80,000, are a lifeline for Marshall.

Scaling back from 2,500 jobs and 35 gigawatt-hours to 1,700 and 20 gigawatt-hours due to softening EV sales adds a dose of reality, but a projected $80 million annual payroll helps anchor the region’s economy. Ford’s playing the long game, betting on EVs despite policy turbulence. They’re right to do so.

“MP Materials seals mega rare-earths deal with US to break China's grip” REUTERS

MP Materials just clinched a multibillion-dollar deal with the Department of Defense to speed up U.S. rare earth magnet production with the aim of breaking China’s stranglehold on the metals that make high-strength magnets possible. (At least in current bulk form. Companies like Niron are working to remove neodymium and other rare earths from magnets entirely.)

The plan: a new “10X Facility” by 2028, boosting output to 10,000 metric tons annually, plus $150 million to expand heavy rare earth processing at California’s Mountain Pass mine. With $1 billion in financing from JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs, and a 10-year DoD purchase guarantee, MP’s stock is on its way up. [HOW MUCH -ED]

MP want to break China’s grip on rare earth processing—much needed after its April export curbs slashed magnet shipments by 75%. Communities near Mountain Pass and the yet-to-be-chosen 10X site could see 500 new jobs, with machinists and technicians earning $70,000 on average.

MP’s past reliance on Chinese processing raises questions about execution. Until recently, MP shipped much of its rare earth concentrate to China for refining into usable materials like neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) oxide. Scaling up U.S.-based processing involves complex, capital-intensive steps—separating heavy rare earths like dysprosium and terbium, refining them into magnet-grade materials, and integrating that process into the new facility.

“Energy Secretary Chris Wright to break ground on first US rare earth mine in 70 years” WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Energy Secretary Chris Wright will break ground on Ramaco Resources’ Brook Mine in Ranchester, Wyoming—the first U.S. rare earth mine in over 70 years.

The new $500 million mine will extract metals like neodymium and dysprosium. With a $6.1 million Wyoming grant and DoE funding, the mine and its processing plant could provide 1,000 jobs by 2028.

But rare earth mining is no picnic—processing involves toxic chemicals and heavy water use, and Ramaco’s coal-to-rare-earth pivot carries risks of environmental missteps.

Communities near the mine expect an economic boost, with $65 million in annual activity. Wyoming’s banking on critical minerals, but execution will make or break this milestone.

Timestamp:

01:00 – Kevin Williams’ viral “Chinese cars are good” reporting
05:00 – Debunking software-defined vehicles in the West
08:00 – BYD, Xiaomi, and China’s EV quality edge
12:00 – IP theft vs. learning by doing: what’s really going on
18:00 – Nationalism, media backlash, and the fragility of Western auto pride
24:00 – Why OEMs ignored China’s rise—and now regret it
30:00 – Which Chinese brands are actually good? And which are failing?
34:00 – Tesla’s fading advantage in China
38:00 – What U.S. and European automakers need to do—now

Key Topic:

• How Chinese EVs leapfrogged Tesla in infotainment and ride quality

• Why "IP theft" isn’t the core issue—complacency is

• OEMs’ blind spot: millions of sales in China, zero situational awareness

• The backlash to truth-telling in auto journalism

• InsideEVs’ Kevin Williams on what Western execs won’t say out loud

🔧 Read Kevin's latest: InsideEVs.com

Sponsor

This episode of TOOL OR DIE is brought to you by DOSS, the adaptive ERP.

DOSS kills implementation hell by working directly with your team, connecting all your systems to minimize data entry so you can focus on production. Instead of barging in like a bull in a china shop, they take a deep look at your actual operations and build a system that matches how you operate today, replacing only the parts that need improving—rather than trying to fix what’s already working great.

DOSS — One Platform, Total Visibility

TOOL OR DIE is hosted by Joel Johnson, former science & tech journalist turned corporate strategist who built brands like Gizmodo, WIRED.com, and Wirecutter; and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us), known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles. Each week, they speak with the people actually rebuilding American manufacturing—one machine, one company, one idea at a time.

Follow them at:
LinkedIn: joeljohnson | alexroy
X: @joeljohnson | @alexroy144

Numberall Stamp & Tool Co. is a family-run, rural Maine manufacturer making industrial marking tools for everything from lobster traps to Apollo missions. You’ve probably touched something they helped serialize—metal tags, numbered seals, marked valves—and never known it.

But the company’s real story is in its resilience. Founded during the Great Depression to stamp poultry leg bands, Numberall grew into a small but essential supplier for defense, aerospace, medical, and heavy industry. Now in its third generation, it’s modernizing under pressure—holding tight tolerances, adding CNC machining, and training the next wave of machinists (when they can find them), all from a town of 800 people.

Daniel, Alex, and Dieter—two generations of the Numberall family—join TOOL OR DIE to explain how rural manufacturers survive offshoring, boom-bust cycles, and demographic shifts. From WWII bomb sights to GE medical cuffs to engraved tags on the moon, this episode explores what legacy craftsmanship looks like when it’s still alive and evolving—and what it will take to pass it on.

Timestamps

01:00 – Numberall’s founding: chicken bands and rotary stamps in 1930s New York
04:00 – The move to Maine and becoming a three-generation family business
07:00 – What modern industrial marking looks like—and why it still matters
10:00 – Surviving downturns: dot-com crash, 2008, COVID, and inflation
14:00 – CNC modernization and cutting down weeklong jobs to hours
17:00 – Why tight tolerances matter in precision stamping
21:00 – Small team, long tenures: how to grow without losing legacy skills
25:00 – Workforce scarcity in rural towns and the automation trade-off
30:00 – From Apollo to Saudi oil rigs: Numberall’s surprising global footprint
34:00 – The role of human-readable marks in a digital supply chain
37:00 – Made in Maine: rebuilding manufacturing from small-town shops
40:00 – What federal support would actually help Main Street manufacturers

Key Topics

• Numberall’s 95-year evolution and intergenerational leadership

• How industrial stamping still outperforms lasers in speed and simplicity

• Tight tolerances and raised engraving: the machining behind the marks

• Surviving multiple manufacturing downturns as a small supplier

• The strategic role of rural U.S. manufacturers in global supply chains

• CNC upgrades and macro programming for legacy products

• Why reshoring alone isn’t enough: training, capital, and market access

• Engraving bomb sights and stamping serials for the moon missions

  
  🔧 Learn more: numberall.com

Sponsor

This episode of TOOL OR DIE is brought to you by DOSS, the adaptive ERP.

DOSS kills implementation hell by working directly with your team, connecting all your systems to minimize data entry so you can focus on production. Instead of barging in like a bull in a china shop, they take a deep look at your actual operations and build a system that matches how you operate today, replacing only the parts that need improving—rather than trying to fix what’s already working great.

DOSS — One Platform, Total Visibility

TOOL OR DIE is hosted by Joel Johnson, former science & tech journalist turned corporate strategist who built brands like Gizmodo, WIRED.com, and Wirecutter; and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us), known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles. Each week, they speak with the people actually rebuilding American manufacturing—one machine, one company, one idea at a time.

Follow them at:
LinkedIn: joeljohnson | alexroy
X: @joeljohnson | @alexroy144

“The US needs to reinvent manufacturing for the AI age, or risk losing out to China, Marc Andreessen warns” BUSINESS INSIDER

Marc Andreessen’s got a wild idea: “alien dreadnought” factories—a term coined by Elon Musk that’s gained some traction in Silicon Valley circles. It’s hard to argue with him on this. He warns that without leading in AI-driven robotics, the U.S. risks losing ground to China’s automation push.

Andreessen’s not wrong: China’s “Made in China 2025” plan is flooding their factories with millions of robots, while we’re sweating over a 3.8 million worker shortage by 2033, half of which might stay vacant due to a skilled labor deficit.

These hyper-automated “alien” plants—churning out robots, drones, and EVs—are no sci-fi pipe dream; they’re possible. If he gets his way, it’s the kind of thing that could close the gap to our rival peers.

Why let China’s state-backed robotics plan outpace us when we could build Andreessen’s “dreadnought” plants that make everything from autonomous tractors to medical drones right here?

“Rare earth magnet users jolted into paying premium prices for ex-China supply” REUTERS

China’s April 2025 export restrictions on rare earth magnets slashed exports by 75%, causing auto plant shutdowns and forcing companies to seek non-Chinese sources.

Neo Performance Materials’ new Estonia plant, launched in May, is swamped with demand, charging $10-$30 per kg premiums (EVs use 2-4 kg). Korean firm NovaTech plans a Vietnam plant, with clients paying 15-20% more. Neodymium-praseodymium oxide (NdPr) costs $80/kg outside China vs. $62/kg in China, a 30% premium.

You can see where this is going, but an American innovator has already found a solution: zero rare earth magnets.

Our recent podcast with with Niron Magnetics’ CEO Jonathan Rowntree throws a wrench into China’s rare-earth magnet dominance: their Minnesota-made iron nitride magnets, free of rare earths, hit 2.4 teslas—stronger than neodymium’s 1.4-1.6—using dirt-cheap iron and nitrogen from U.S. waste streams.

Some might argue we should just pay China’s ransom or wait for recycling to catch up. That’s a losing bet—recycling’s stuck at under 1%. Niron’s pilot plant is already churning out 5 tons a year in Minneapolis.

“An Industrial Policy With American Characteristics” FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Imagine a U.S. factory producing EVs as fast as China’s BYD—which owns everything from lithium mines to showrooms, which has allowed them to cut costs via vertical integration. Ma and Lee’s Foreign Affairs piece lays it bare: if we want to match China’s manufacturing muscle, we’ve got to build smarter and faster, not just bigger.

Their call for speed—think Shanghai’s AI accelerator built in 38 days—means slicing through red tape like the National Environmental Policy Act’s burdensome review process. Clustering seems to work too: China’s Hefei, a buzzing EV hub, shows how packing suppliers tightly cuts costs and time.

The United States cannot and should not organize its economy exactly like China’s. It would be prudent, however, for Washington to learn from the world’s manufacturing colossus. Borrowing best practices from competitors is not without precedent: at the height of Japan’s challenge to U.S. industry in the 1980s, the United States leaned in to competition while also adopting elements of the Japanese approach. U.S. auto manufacturers adopted Toyota’s inventory management practices—for example, organizing supply and production “just in time” to meet demand, minimizing factory stockpiles—and American business schools embraced the concept.

I’m against the “in order to beat China, we must become China” mindset but maybe we should indeed “build as fast as China”. American shops can’t just lean on allyshoring either; we need to dig our own raw materials and deploy tech-led manufacturing here in the U.S., and we need to do it yesterday

“Do Trump's tariffs have businesses moving production to US soil?” USA TODAY

In the heart of New Jersey, Cra-Z-Art's factory in Randolph is buzzing with robots, not workers, because let’s face it, paying $45,000 a year per operator isn’t exactly pocket change compared to China’s $15,000. The company makes toys, activities and school supplies.

“I need to control my 102-year-old company’s destiny by controlling its future and not relying on global tariffs when things could change daily,” [Lawrence Rosen, chairman of Cra-Z-Art] said. “By manufacturing in the USA, we save on freight, we save with automation. ... With automation, we can produce many of our products at a similar cost compared to increased costs with even 10% tariffs on freight.”

In a state with over 9,000 manufacturing companies employing hundreds of thousands, the story’s familiar. Gear Motions, up in New York, can’t find U.S. suppliers for 4% of their parts.

Tariffs are pushing local production, but also jacking up costs for imported components, with most businesses passing those to consumers.

New Jersey’s factories are finding ways to adapt, investing in tech and training workers for tomorrow’s jobs. So, while the road’s bumpy, don’t count out the Garden State’s shops just yet.

MITUSA Toaster Update:

“Savannah Bet Its Economy on a Big Hyundai Plant. Now It Has to Find the Workers” BLOOMBERG

Hyundai’s metaplant near Savannah is a high-tech beast, with over 850 robots and 300 AGVs, aiming to produce half a million vehicles a year by 2031. That’s a big bet on American manufacturing—they’ve got 1,400 workers on board already, with plans for 12,500, and they’re searching for people to fill those positions.

But let’s not sugarcoat it. Finding those workers in a region with 2.9% unemployment is like trying to find a parking spot at a sold-out Braves game—tough. Hyundai’s pulling out all the stops, from roadshows to teaming up with colleges for EV training, even reaching out to ex-cons and military vets. It’s a scramble, and it better work, because a shiny plant with no one to run it is sub-optimal.

And then there’s the housing crunch—median sale prices up 55% to $380,000 since April 2020, making it a tough sell for workers looking to relocate. That’s the price of growth, sure, but it’s a real strain on Georgia’s employment metrics, especially with tourism and Gulfstream Aerospace already soaking up workers.

Still, Hyundai’s commitment is a signal: American manufacturing can compete even in a tight labor market, and foreign investment in the U.S. is very welcome.

“They tried Made in the USA. It was too expensive for their customers” REUTERS

Reuters wants you to believe slapping “Made in the USA” on a product is a one-way ticket to bankruptcy. Businesses like Emily Ley’s planner empire or Plufl’s quirky human dog beds are whinging about tariffs, claiming they can’t afford to bring production home. Ley says U.S.-made planners would cost $38 with lower-quality materials, pushing retail to $100. Plufl’s beds? $500 a pop if made stateside.

This sob story is overblown in my opinion.

First off, the “infrastructure’s not there” excuse is tired. Sure, manufacturing infra in the U.S. isn’t like China’s—yet. But domestic production isn’t some fantasy. Look at companies like American Giant or Red Wing Shoes. They’re producing premium goods stateside, and customers happily pay for quality and a patriotic flex. Ley’s planners don’t have to be $100; smart supply chain tweaks and lean production could shave costs. Plufl’s $150-per-unit memory foam? Negotiate harder or source from smaller U.S. suppliers who’d kill for the contract. Reuters acts like these businesses are helpless, but they’re just not hustling.

And let’s talk tariffs. Yeah, 145% stings, but it’s a push to rethink reliance on cheap overseas labor. The White House’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” offers tax breaks for equipment investment—use it! Instead of cutting jobs or ads, as Ley’s doing, invest in automation or local partnerships. Consumers will pay a premium for American-made if you sell the story right—sustainability, jobs, pride.

The article’s defeatist vibe misses the bigger picture: tariffs are a wake-up call. China’s grip on manufacturing isn’t unbreakable, and crying about costs won’t build factories. Small businesses can adapt—find local suppliers, streamline, or market the hell out of “American-made.” The idea that it’s too expensive is a cop-out. You’re telling me Plufl can’t figure out how to make a $299 dog bed for humans in the U.S.? Come on. Get creative, not complacent.

What’s your take—can these businesses step up, or are they doomed to China’s supply chain stranglehold forever?

“Rockford manufacturer behind major brands’ packaging embarks on $10M expansion” ROCK RIVER CURRENT

Forget the naysayers whining about American manufacturing being too pricey—J.L. Clark in Rockford is throwing down $10 million to prove them wrong. This 121-year-old packaging powerhouse, making tins and plastics for big companies like Hershey, Burt’s Bees, and Altoids, is doubling down on its hometown with new high-speed equipment and a 40% workforce boost—70 new jobs, from engineers to toolmakers.

While some businesses kvetch about tariffs and costs, J.L. Clark’s out here investing in robotics and automation, shouting, “The time is now!” as President Bob Morris puts it. It also demonstrates that it’s possible to expand with automation and hire more workers.

And they’re not doing it alone; local contractors and suppliers are getting a piece of the action, creating a ripple effect of jobs and growth. Plus, they’re hooking up the community with grants for shelters and food pantries.

That’s how you play the long game—take care of your people, your town, and your customers, as Morris says, channeling the company’s founder. This is what it looks like when you stop moaning and start building.

“AUSA adds new, rough terrain electric forklift to its line of construction EVs” ELEKTREK

Unlike gas-guzzlers that choke workers with carbon monoxide and carcinogens, the C151E runs clean and quiet, opening up gigs in emission-free zones.

AUSA’s not new to this game—they’re moving 12,000 units a year globally, and this forklift joins their electric telehandler and mini dumpers, rounding out a legit green lineup.

It’s not only about saving the planet (although that’s a nice bonus). Electric gear like this slashes fuel costs and lets you bid on jobs diesel can’t touch, boosting utilization rates and your bottom line. As Electrek puts it, “you can earn more work” with EVs—facts.

“Medical Device Manufacturer to Build Assembly Plant in Indiana” ASSEMBLY

Cook Medical is dropping $135 million on a new 110,000-square-foot assembly plant in Ellettsville, Indiana, like it’s no big deal. This medical device manufacturer, known for making life-saving gear like catheters and stents, is doubling down on American-made embolization coils—those tiny devices that block blood flow to treat aneurysms or tumors. The plant’s set to open in 2026, bringing 190 new jobs to the Hoosier State, from assembly line workers to engineers, with construction kicking off next month.

Indiana’s already a med device hotspot, and Cook’s move signals confidence in the region’s skilled workforce and infrastructure. They’re banking on tax breaks and a state eager to back manufacturing. Cook’s been in Indiana since 1963, and this expansion is about staying ahead of global demand, not chasing cheap labor abroad.

“Pentagon awards $5 billion contract to speed up ship manufacturing” DEFENSE NEWS

The Pentagon just dropped a $5 billion bomb to supercharge U.S. Navy shipbuilding, and it’s about time. The Defense Logistics Agency’s Maritime Acquisition Advancement Contract (MAAC) hands six companies—SupplyCore, Atlantic Diving Supply, Culmen International, ASRC Federal, Fairwinds Technologies, and S&K Aerospace—the keys to ramp up production of everything from aircraft carriers to unmanned vessels.

It’s a bugle call to a Navy that’s been dragging its feet while China’s fleet balloons toward 435 ships by 2030. We’ve been retiring more ships than we build, and that’s gotta stop.

The Navy’s leaning hard into 3-D printing for on-demand components and augmented reality maintenance systems on five vessels to troubleshoot at sea. No more waiting months for a widget while ships rust in port. They’re even sinking $989 million into modernizing 107-year-old drydocks in the 2026 budget. That’s the kind of forward-thinking we need when shipyards are creaking and deliveries are years behind.

As one Reddit user put it, though, this $5 billion won’t mean squat if we don’t get more welders and trade workers in the mix—cash doesn’t weld hulls

Big contracts often balloon into bloated messes, and $5 billion (with options to hit $10 billion) sounds like a lot of room for waste. But by partnering with private industry to streamline parts for destroyers, subs, and carriers, the Pentagon’s finally serious about catching up. The Navy’s “laser-focused” on China, says Acting Chief Adm. James Kilby, and with global threats heating up, they better be.

“Wisconsin's Labor Market Resilience: A Beacon for Midwest Manufacturing Recovery” AINVEST

Wisconsin’s labor market is supercharged. The state’s nonfarm payrolls jumped by 15,100 jobs year-over-year to 3,053,700 in April 2025, even as manufacturing saw a slight 0.7% employment dip. That’s a nice pivot.

Wisconsin’s leaning into automation and efficiency to boost output without bloated headcounts. Add in a 1.5% spike in professional services and 1.6% growth in education and health, and you’ve got a labor market that’s surviving and adapting.

It’s a feel-good story for cheeseheads. Wisconsin’s a beacon for the Midwest’s manufacturing revival, with infrastructure spending and a skilled workforce ready to roll. The state’s not waiting for a bailout—it’s capitalizing on precision machinery and automotive components to stay competitive. Compared to the national scene, where June 2025 saw 147,000 jobs added and unemployment holding tight at 4.1%, Wisconsin’s holding its own in a resilient economy.

What’s the vibe where you’re at? Is your local economy adapting like Wisconsin, or stuck reminiscing about the good old days?

But current magnets, like the ones in almost everything you own, need “rare earths” to function—rare earths that are sometimes mined in the United States, but never processed here. Which is why China often uses them as a trade lever, as they process more rare earths than any other country.

Niron changes all of that, using a process that requires no rare earths and is even more powerful than what’s available with standard neodymium magnets.

It’s huge.

Niron CEO Jonathan Rowntree joins TOOL OR DIE to explain how Niron’s tech could transform everything from EV motors to defense drones to data center cooling—and why America’s magnet crisis is bigger than most people realize. From the legacy of the Manhattan Project to the geopolitical chokehold of Chinese exports, this is a deep dive into the guts of the devices that run our world, and the urgent need to build domestic capacity from the atom up.

Timestamps

01:00 – What’s so hard about neodymium? And what is Niron doing differently?
04:00 – A rare earth-free magnet: iron nitride and how it works
07:30 – The environmental and geopolitical risks of traditional rare earth magnet supply
11:00 – Coming out of stealth and the global rare earth crisis 2.0
14:00 – Commercial pilot facility launched; full-scale factory coming in 2027
17:00 – Performance gains: higher thermal stability, motor efficiency improvements
21:00 – Small motor demand: drones, humanoid robots, and data center cooling
25:00 – Scaling U.S. magnet production from grams to 10,000 tons
29:00 – The capital challenge: what funding hard tech actually requires
33:00 – IP protection, cyber threats, and building a team for scale
36:00 – Why domestic magnet production could drive reshoring of entire supply chains
40:00 – What else needs to be rebuilt: copper, steel, automation, and skilled labor

Key Topics

• Iron nitride as a rare earth-free alternative to neodymium magnets

• The technical and geopolitical vulnerabilities of global magnet supply

• Niron’s commercialization roadmap: pilot facility to 10,000-ton factory

• Motor design, thermal stability, and efficiency performance tradeoffs

• Strategic applications: EVs, drones, defense, data centers

• Reshoring through component innovation: building near demand

• U.S. capital markets and the gap in scaling hard tech

• The future of skilled labor in an automated manufacturing world

🔧 Learn more: nironmagnetics.com

Sponsor

This episode of TOOL OR DIE is brought to you by DOSS, the adaptive ERP.

DOSS kills implementation hell by working directly with your team, connecting all your systems to minimize data entry so you can focus on production. Instead of barging in like a bull in a china shop, they take a deep look at your actual operations and build a system that matches how you operate today, replacing only the parts that need improving—rather than trying to fix what’s already working great.

DOSS — One Platform, Total Visibility

TOOL OR DIE is hosted by Joel Johnson, former science & tech journalist turned corporate strategist who built brands like Gizmodo, WIRED.com, and Wirecutter; and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us), known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles. Each week, they speak with the people actually rebuilding American manufacturing—one machine, one company, one idea at a time.

Follow them at:
LinkedIn: joeljohnson | alexroy
X: @joeljohnson | @alexroy144

Welcome to HIGH MIX, our weekly newsletter about the reindustrialization of the United States.

“An intelligent, practical path to reindustrialization” MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

I wasn’t smart enough for MIT but I am smart enough to see the value of an initiative like this.

MIT’s Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM) integrates AI, robotics, and social sciences to modernize U.S. factories, emphasizing sustainable production, workforce upskilling, and advanced management training.

Their “factory observatory” program, sending students to real-world plants, isn’t just academic tourism; it’s forging a new generation of engineers, which we can always use more of.

With heavyweights like Siemens and Amgen backing AI-driven seed projects, INM is targeting high-stakes sectors like biomanufacturing, where a single delay can cripple drug supply lines. Their symposia, pulling in industry and academia, spark ideas that could change how we build everything from chips to jets.

Great program, but somewhat expected from MIT. Now I want to see ivy leagues hop on the reindustrialization train.

“American Workers Will Build the AI Age” THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE

Palantir’s got their fingers in a lot of pies. Some are pretty controversial (putting it mildly), but their American Tech Fellowship is a great idea. It aims to train U.S. workers in AI and software skills, targeting talent in America’s heartland. (The military-inflected phrase “forward-deployed engineers” has be en vogue the last few months, but when it means “software people working with hardware people in the field” it’s actually a better way of getting real work done than the U.S. tech scene has historically enacted.)

Some VC types might scoff at training “flyover country” workers instead of exclusively Stanford dropouts, but that’s their loss. Palantir’s betting on the grit of shop-floor veterans and community college hustlers, who are more likely to already know how to build real things.

Building on their Meritocracy Fellowship, the program responds to booming demand for AI-savvy engineers, emphasizing automation of tasks and transformation of workflows.

Palantir’s focus on hands-on training—think coders debugging real-time AI models alongside machinists—means shops in places like Ohio or Michigan can lead, not follow.

“Stratasys launches North American Tooling Center of Excellence with Automation Intelligence” THE MANUFACTURER

Stratasys, in partnership with Automation Intelligence, launched the North American Stratasys Tooling Center (NASTC) in Flint, Michigan.

Not just a shiny new facility, it’s meant to be hands-on proving ground where manufacturers can test-drive Stratasys F3300 and F900 3D printers to make jigs and fixtures that slash production downtime. (Additive is never quite as good as other mass production processes in general, but it slays at tooling.)

Fadi Abro, Stratasys’ Director of Global Automotive & Mobility, calls it an “incubator for advanced manufacturing.” The center’s engineering support lets manufacturers iterate designs fast, like end-of-arm tooling for robotic arms and NAAMS blocks that can be tweaked in a matter of hours. By showcasing sample parts and hosting application-focused events, NASTC is meant to create examples of where additive manufacturing isn’t a gimmick but instead a lifeline for factories facing tight deadlines and tighter budgets.

Old-school manufacturers sometimes balk at 3D-printed tooling, preferring to stick with traditional machine-tooled metal fixtures. But there’s a place for additive in tooling and it’s growing.

“Trump and TSMC pitched $1 trillion AI complex — SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son wants to turn Arizona into the next Shenzhen” TOM’S HARDWARE

Masayoshi Son’s “Project Crystal Land” (awesome name by the way, very Sedona) is the latest VC moonshot for American manufacturing. (Open to it!)

The proposed $1 trillion Arizona hub isn’t just a single factory, but a sprawling ecosystem designed to pump out AI-powered industrial robots, with SoftBank-backed outfits like Agile Robots SE setting up shop to build automation tech that could revolutionize assembly lines.

Son’s vision, per Bloomberg, includes production facilities for advanced semiconductors, potentially tapping TSMC’s expertise in crafting Nvidia’s AI chips, though TSMC’s keeping mum on any direct involvement despite its $165 billion Arizona investment.

The pitch to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for tax breaks shows Son’s playing hardball, massaging federal and state muscle to relax capital chakras.

Son’s history of big bets gone bust, like WeWork’s $47 billion flop, are somewhat concerning. But America needs bold moves like this to compete in AI and robotics, not timid half-steps. If Son pulls this off, it could create an American manufacturing hub at the heart of the automation age, and (hopefully) outpace global rivals who’ve leaned on cheap labor for too long.

“The great reality check” KEARNEY

Kearney’s 2025 US Reshoring Index doesn’t pull punches. The index’s 311-point plunge—driven by a 10% spike in Asian imports to $957 billion against a measly 1% bump in U.S. output—really is a reality-check for American manufacturers and policy makers.

The report’s core offering is a straightforward metric: the manufacturing import ratio, pitting imports from 14 Asian low-cost countries and regions (LCCRs) against domestic production. It shows American shops are still playing catch-up, but the real story is the 50% surge in CEOs citing geopolitical heat—like U.S.-China trade spats—as a reason to bring manufacturing home. That, plus a 15% jump in execs planning to reshore some of their operations in the next three years, proves the will is there.

Kearney’s survey also highlights hurdles: a dire shortage of skilled workers, labor costs, and infrastructure that’s not keeping pace. Nearshoring’s not quite there yet either—Mexico and Canada’s exports to the U.S. dipped, with Mexico’s growth stalling.

But this index isn’t a funeral; it’s a blueprint. It screams for public and private coordination like education programs to churn out AI-savvy machinists or infrastructure investments to optimize the pipeline from shop to market.

“Health care costs: one of the biggest obstacles to reshoring American industry” STAT NEWS

STAT’s deep dive into employer health care costs hits a nerve for American manufacturers.

The article’s core claim—that health care costs, now ballooning to over $16,000 per worker in 2025, drive companies to offshore jobs—is backed by a stark example: a textile firm that ditched 1,500 U.S. jobs to dodge a $1,000-per-employee insurance spike.

That’s not ancient history; it’s a playbook still in use. Trump’s tariffs—25% on Canada and Mexico, 30% on China—are meant to lure jobs back, but STAT warns they could jack up prices for drugs and medical devices, squeezing employers who foot the bill for worker health plans.

[Universal socialized health care is probably so far off the American political table right now to not merit consideration, but health care costs to SMBs is one of the best arguments for it. —Joel]

“Complementarity Mindset: Mexico’s Economy During a U.S. Reshoring Push” CSIS

Mexico can boost U.S. manufacturing with low labor costs, USMCA trade perks, and proximity, per CSIS’s report. I agree with their assessment.

Mexico’s manufacturing capability can be an advantage for American factories, despite what our instincts might tell us. With labor costs a fraction of ours, Mexico churns out simple components quickly, letting U.S. plants focus on high-tech or high-margin products that require more skilled labor.

We (obviously) share a border with Mexico, which avoids the five-week slog across the Pacific from China. Those $475 billion in exports—body panels, widgets, electronics, you name it—come across the border in days, not weeks, keeping production humming without reliance on far-off suppliers.

Sure, Mexico’s got hurdles like pricey energy and crime, but the USMCA’s tariff exemptions give American manufacturers a leg up if they use Mexican components. Allyshoring is going to be an element of the reordering of global manufacturing.

“Massive ship carrying 3,000 cars sinks in international waters” USA TODAY

According to the Coast Guard, the ship carried 1,530 metric tons of very low-sulfur fuel oil, along with 350 tons of marine gas oil. Additionally, it was transporting 3,048 vehicles, including 70 electric and 681 hybrid.

What a mess.

The U.S. Coast Guard sprung into action, saving all 22 crew members with the help of a nearby merchant vessel.

The Morning Midas was transporting vehicles from Chinese brands like SAIC and Chery to Mexico when it sank. There’s not much information about how the fire started, but it’s worth mentioning that lithium (found in hybrid and EV batteries) doesn’t mix well with water. [Tell that to my shrink. —Ed.]

“Chinese Toymaker Takes Drastic Action to Survive Trump’s Tariffs” BLOOMBERG

“We’ve told our factories they need to move and we’ve told them that it’s an urgent matter and we told them we have to move,” [Ah Biao] said. “I don’t know where is safe. I can tell you that the wind is blowing in such a way that I don’t feel secure in my future to have a manufacturer in China — I really don’t.”

Shenzhen Kate’s mad dash to Vietnam shows just how hard tariffs are hitting Chinese manufacturers, and it’s an opportunity for American companies to join the game. When tariffs on Chinese goods jumped from 54% to 145% in April, this toymaker leased a factory in Vietnam.

But Vietnam’s no free lunch—labor costs there are climbing, and logistics problems make it a shaky bet compared to Shenzhen’s well-oiled machine.

While Chinese toymakers are scrambling to avoid tariffs, American manufacturers can step in. It’s not difficult to make action figures and board games; what’s difficult is making them inexpensively enough to still be cheap.

“Sourcing Agent Deceptions: How to Spot, Stop and Prevent International Manufacturing Scams” HARRIS-SLIWOSKI

Picture this: you’re a U.S. manufacturer, thinking you’ve scored a sweet deal with a “factory” in China, only to find out you’ve been fleeced for $2.4 million by a slick-talking sourcing agent operating out of a broom closet with a laptop and a dream. [It’s not a broom closet, it’s my bedroom, thanks. —Ed.]

Harris-Sliwoski’s exposé rips the mask off these scams, showing how agents jack up prices by 30-40% with hidden markups, passing off shoddy goods from cut-rate suppliers while you’re left holding the bag.

It’s like ordering a prime rib and getting served a hot dog. Their example of a home goods company burned by a fake factory hits home—imagine the sting of a major quality flop exposing your “trusted” agent’s lies. “Just trust your agent; it’s easier.”

These scams scream opportunity for American shops—why bleed cash overseas when our factories can deliver quality without the middleman’s con?

Cut the agent, go direct when you can, use a real broker or a service like Noramark.com, and ideally keep the profits stateside where they belong.

“Texas firm aims to build world's largest data energy complex with nuclear, gas, solar” REUTERS

Picture a dusty Texas plain transformed into a humming hive of energy, spitting out enough juice to power 8.2 million homes while feeding the AI data centers that’ll run tomorrow’s world.

Fermi America’s Hypergrid project, led by former Texas Governor and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, isn’t just a power plant—it’s a stake in the ground for American industry. This 5,800-acre behemoth near Amarillo, blending nuclear, gas, and solar, is set to pump out 11 gigawatts, with 1 gigawatt ready by late 2026.

That’s a lot of watts, and it should be quite reliable. That’s good news for Texas, who suffered a tragic energy grid failure in the winter of 2021, leading to the deaths of 246 Texans. (Surely a reason Texas has given themselves the right to cut datacenter power when necessary.)

Trump’s orders to speed up nuclear permits lit a fire under this, though some critics are concerned about potential safety risks. Nuclear’s tricky, but sitting on our hands while China builds 22 reactors to our zero is a one-way ticket to losing the tech tree. (Although we have no idea why the latest revision of the budget doesn’t just remove renewable incentives but adds a new tax—we need all the power we can generate.)

“Trump's energy dominance plans driving manufacturing renaissance in Milwaukee (Opinion)” MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Komatsu’s Milwaukee campus, a key U.S. manufacturing hub for mining equipment, to promote deregulation aimed at slashing environmental compliance costs.

Komatsu, employing over 1,000 workers, produces massive hydraulic excavators and electric trucks. Zeldin’s contribution to the “one big, beautiful bill” seeks to streamline EPA rules, arguing they burden manufacturers, while critics warn it could weaken air and water protections.

Climate activists aren’t thrilled, saying looser rules might dirty up Milwaukee’s water or air. Come on—Komatsu’s already building electric trucks; they’re not the bad guys. Deregulation done right could mean more jobs and faster production, letting U.S. factories like this one outbuild global rivals without drowning in paperwork.

Chris Nolte is a co-founder of Bloom, a Detroit-based operations marketplace (but with national reach) that helps emerging hardware companies scale. From electric motorcycles to autonomous robots and prefab homes companies, Bloom is helping hardware founders match with domestic manufacturers and logistics partners, then helping both sides finance, communicate, and operate with maximum speed.

Bloom is hard tech grease.

Nolte talks with TOOL OR DIE about the long tail of American manufacturing: why so many companies outsource by default, why so few people know that critical suppliers are still here, and how Detroit’s legacy supply chain can—and must—diversify beyond cars. From tariffs to tooling, high-mix manufacturing to culture change, Chris cheerfully explains the real reasons reshoring is hard to a hard-headed idiot (me) and what it’s going to take to make it work.

Thanks again to Newlab Detroit and Michigan Central for hosting us. We’ll be publishing a few more episodes than usual over the next few weeks; we met several great companies in Detroit and don’t want to sit on episodes.

Timestamps:

01:15 – What Bloom does: connecting hardware startups with overlooked U.S. manufacturing
04:00 – Beyond matchmaking: Bloom’s tools for financing, best practices, and logistics
07:15 – Why reshoring isn’t just patriotic—it’s strategic risk management
10:00 – Rethinking vertical integration and the myth of doing everything in-house
13:45 – The “missing middle” in American manufacturing: why scale is so hard
17:00 – Can Detroit build something that’s not a car? Why it must
22:00 – The hidden factories: who’s assembling TVs and scooters in the U.S. right now
26:00 – The real limiter: tariffs that penalize domestic production
30:00 – Why communication—not tech—is the real bottleneck for U.S. suppliers
33:45 – Bloom’s future: automating matching with AI, building the “Shopify for manufacturing”
37:00 – Rebuilding industrial culture with Zoomers, grit, and mutual respect

Key Topics:

• Building a modern network of domestic suppliers, 3PLs, and service shops

• The real costs and incentives behind offshoring—and what’s changing

• The bottleneck of American "medium-scale" manufacturing

• Tariffs, rare earths, and supply chain gaps

• Using software and shared infrastructure to de-risk hardware startups

• Detroit’s next chapter—and why it must extend beyond the automotive industry

• Cultural challenges in U.S. factories—and how better communication changes everything

• What it takes to speed up reshoring without giving in to nostalgia

🔧 Learn more: BuildWithBloom.com

Sponsor

This episode of TOOL OR DIE is brought to you by DOSS, the adaptive ERP.

DOSS kills implementation hell by working directly with your team, connecting all your systems to minimize data entry so you can focus on production. Instead of barging in like a bull in a china shop, they take a deep look at your actual operations and build a system that matches how you operate today, replacing only the parts that need improving—rather than trying to fix what’s already working great.

DOSS — One Platform, Total Visibility

TOOL OR DIE is hosted by Joel Johnson, former science & tech journalist turned corporate strategist who built brands like Gizmodo, WIRED.com, and Wirecutter; and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us), known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles. Each week, they speak with the people actually rebuilding American manufacturing—one machine, one company, one idea at a time.

Follow them at:
LinkedIn: joeljohnson | alexroy
X: @joeljohnson | @alexroy144

Dave joins TOOL OR DIE to explain how he’s made international shipping records searchable, visual, and dead simple to use for anyone, from journalists to supply chain strategists.

This episode isn’t just about customs data, though: it’s about what that data reveals. From revealing where most leather jackets are actually made (hint: not in New York or even Texas) to exposing how many companies quietly source goods from countries with poor labor practices, Dave’s perspective born from years soaking in manifests and supply chain problems reframed many of our presumptions about the last few years of impact from pandemics and tariffs.

Dave also walks us through the real post-COVID supply chain shifts (and what didn’t happen), the geopolitics of nearshoring and transshipping, and how companies are navigating tariffs, IP theft, and the long tail of ESG.

And most importantly: why adult diaper imports are more geopolitically significant than you think.

Timestamps

00:00 – What is Import Yeti? Open customs data, visualized and searchable
02:45 – From making mugs to mapping trade flows: the origin of the platform
04:30 – The viral value of searching company imports (and the serious business behind it)
06:45 – Why companies are finally moving away from China—slowly
09:10 – Ecosystems drive manufacturing hubs: from Silicon Valley to Pakistan leather
11:45 – Should the U.S. build a new Shenzhen—or many specialty zones?
13:00 – Why no one changed their supply chains after COVID
14:30 – China, ESG, and the illusion of ethical sourcing
17:00 – What happens when Vietnam has its own China moment?
18:30 – Reverse engineering global supply: Vietnam ≠ Mexico ≠ Pakistan
21:00 – Will rising economies adopt IP law—or repeat China’s playbook?
23:00 – Who pays for deeper insights? How Import Yeti’s model works
25:00 – Custom trade data as a tool for industrial planning and due diligence
27:00 – Tariff whiplash: the real impact of trade policy volatility
30:00 – The “de minimis” loophole and why it may finally be closing
32:00 – What data doesn’t show: raw materials, commodities, and the limits of visibility
34:00 – Transshipping and tariff dodging: the hidden reality of many “non-China” imports
36:00 – Sex objects, adult diapers, and the unexpected scale of niche imports
37:30 – Why America still lacks manufacturing for strategic essentials like PPE

Key Topics

• Making government trade data accessible—and why it matters

• Global supply chain realignments post-COVID, post-ESG, post-China

• Tariffs, transshipping, and the search for non-China manufacturing

• Data as leverage: sourcing, competition, and compliance

• The blind spots of global trade transparency

• What America didn’t build after COVID—and why it might matter next time

🔧 Learn more: ImportYeti.com | U.S. Customs Data Explained | UFLPA & Forced Labor Info



Sponsor

This episode of TOOL OR DIE is brought to you by DOSS, the adaptive ERP.

DOSS kills implementation hell by working directly with your team, connecting all your systems to minimize data entry so you can focus on production. Instead of barging in like a bull in a china shop, they take a deep look at your actual operations and build a system that matches how you operate today, replacing only the parts that need improving—rather than trying to fix what’s already working great.

DOSS — One Platform, Total Visibility

TOOL OR DIE is hosted by Joel Johnson, former science & tech journalist turned corporate strategist who built brands like Gizmodo, WIRED.com, and Wirecutter; and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us), known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles. Each week, they speak with the people actually rebuilding American manufacturing—one machine, one company, one idea at a time.

Follow them at:
LinkedIn: joeljohnson | alexroy
X: @joeljohnson | @alexroy144