U.S. industrial production increased in April 2026 to the highest level since 2019, according to the latest report from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Capacity utilization increased by 0.4 percentage points from March 2026.
Jannik Wiedenhaupt from Supplyco AI addressed a tension felt across the manufacturing industry: manual, repetitive tasks are draining resources and preventing experts from focusing on high-value work.
AI is helping manufacturers reclaim time by reducing administrative work – enabling sales representatives and service teams to focus on customer relationships, support, and shop-floor expertise.
Milton Guerry, president of Schunk USA, shares how AMT membership gives the company a stronger voice through industry connections, data, and insights – helping Schunk navigate uncertainty, inform strategy, and support long-term growth.
Record investment, a national push toward Industry 4.0, and a growing roster of global firms upgrading their Thai facilities – Southeast Asia's manufacturing story this month is all about Thailand. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
Respondents to the 2025 Reshoring Survey of over 500 manufacturers indicated that if trade policies were stable and provided less uncertainty, even if input costs were higher, manufacturers could support more investment in U.S. manufacturing.
New orders of metalworking machinery totaled $681.3 million in March 2026, increasing 40.3% from February 2026 and 31.5% from March 2025. Manufacturing technology orders totaled $1.61 billion for the first quarter of 2026, up 27.8% year over year.
Economic Momentum Returns; Confidence in manufacturing tech investment; Tariff refunds vs. relief; and more.
CCMT 2026 closed with record attendance and broad international participation, and the investment announcements from China suggest the momentum on the show floor is reflected in the broader market. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
Anniversaries, awards, and expansion news from MTI, Hwacheon, Ellison Technologies, Okuma, Knuth, and Mitsubishi Electric lead this update, alongside facility growth at QualiChem and leadership moves across Autodesk, Marposs, and Spinner.