The rate of reshoring has boomed from 6,000 jobs per year in 2010 to 350,000 in 2022, a 53% increase from the 2021 record. Reshoring and foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing job announcements are continuing at a record pace, adding 101,500 jobs in the first quarter of 2023.
The National Metalworking Reshoring Award honors companies that have contributed to the trend by effectively reshoring products, parts, or tooling made primarily by metal forming, fabricating, casting, or machining, including additive manufacturing.
Hobson & Motzer, a Durham, Connecticut-based precision machining and assembly contract manufacturer specializing in the medical device industry, received the 2023 National Metalworking Reshoring Award in recognition of its success in bringing manufacturing back to the United States. I was honored to present the 2023 award on Sept. 11, 2023, at FABTECH 2023 at McCormick Place in Chicago to Anthony Bracale, director, sales and marketing at Hobson & Motzer. Hobson & Motzer reshored a family of high precision stamped, machined, and assembled components for a medical device company. They replaced a Taiwanese supplier due to having the resources and technology necessary to scale and deliver consistent quality. This case embodies several of the strongest benefits and drivers of reshoring:
Quality and efficient, effective cooperation of engineering and manufacturing enhanced by proximity.
Overcoming one of the biggest barriers to reshoring: availability of skilled workforce. They have four apprenticeship programs with a total of four to five apprentices at a time and have plans to add even more.
A word from our winner “We are a manufacturer of precision metal components and assemblies,” Bracale says. “We primarily serve the medical device industry. We take on jobs that many won’t or can’t do. It’s the kind of work we look for, and often is the kind of work that finds us,” Bracale concludes. Reshoring work done by companies like Hobson & Motzer is a key part of the invigoration into manufacturing in the United States. Recognizing the accomplishments of Hobson & Motzer is important.
Past Award-Winning Reshoring Champions
2022 National Metalworking Award
Hardinge, Inc., a multinational machine tool and accessories company, received the 2022 National Metalworking Reshoring Award in honor of its success in bringing manufacturing back to the United States. Hardinge shifted the manufacturing of its milling and turning machining center solutions from its Taiwan plant to its plant in Elmira, New York.
2021 National Metalworking Award
Acme Alliance LLC, a leading die caster in Northbrook, Illinois, received the National Metalworking Reshoring Award in 2021 in recognition of its success in bringing manufacturing back to the United States. In one case, its reshoring fixed a quality problem and cut the customer’s inventory by 94%. Acme also has successful facilities in Brazil and China. By not shipping from those facilities to the United States, Acme has proven that reshoring is not only possible, but the right business choice.
Two Winners for the 2020 National Metalworking Award Trenton Forging
Founded in 1967, Trenton, Michigan-based Trenton Forging has been an innovative leader in the forging industry from the beginning. Trenton Forging earned the award by winning a large contract from a Japanese Tier 1 supplier to a U.S.-based Japanese automaker, defeating an offshore forging house.
Die-Tech & Engineering is a family-owned business located in Wyoming, Michigan. Die-Tech & Engineering manufactures quality plastic injection molds and die cast dies known for speed and the appropriate use of advanced technology. Die-Tech was chosen for the award because molds and dies are complex, labor-intensive products that many assume are not competitively produced here.
2019 National Metalworking Reshoring Award:
Sherrill Manufacturing was chosen for its success in demonstrating that it is feasible to reshore completely lost product categories, including everyday products such as flatware. When Oneida Limited ceased operations, all U.S. flatware production had been lost, primarily to Asia. Sherrill Manufacturing took over the Oneida flatware factory, launched innovative products under the Liberty Tabletop branded and found a more efficient way to market those products. Sherrill is now growing consistently.
2018 National Reshoring Award:
Mitchell Metal Products of Merrill, Wisconsin, received the first National Metalworking Reshoring Award in recognition of the company’s success bringing manufacturing back to the United States. Mitchell Metal Products was selected after using reshoring to complete more end products with less lead time.
Apply today!
The 2024 National Metalworking Reshoring Award will be presented at IMTS 2024, the premier manufacturing technology show held in Chicago every two years. IMTS 2024 takes places Sept. 9-14 at McCormick Place. OEMs and contract manufacturers are encouraged to apply by June 30, 2024.
The award is made possible by: the Reshoring Initiative®Reshoring InitiativeReshoring Initiative; the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA); AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology; SME; and the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA).
For questions about the National Metalworking Reshoring Award, contact Harry Moser at 847-867-1144 or harry.moser@reshorenow.org.
For more information on AMT’s reshoring work and supply chain efforts, visit the supply chain resources page on IMTS.com.
