IMTS 2026, the Western Hemisphere’s premier manufacturing technology event, showcases the innovations driving the future of industrial productivity.
McLean, Va. (November 18, 2025) — The U.S. manufacturing industry – the world’s second largest and a global leader in advanced manufacturing – continues to grow stronger through new opportunities and technological innovations. These drivers converge at the 2026 edition of IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, connecting production facilities, contract manufacturers, and job shops with the innovations, opportunities, and people shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing.
“There’s never been a more exciting time to attend IMTS or be in manufacturing,” says Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. IMTS 2026 runs Sept. 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, where the industry gathers to explore technologies fueling the future, including automation, robotics, machining, AI, additive manufacturing, and digital solutions.
The event offers a once-every-two-years opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the manufacturing technology ecosystem. With more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space and 1,800 exhibiting companies, IMTS enables attendees to discover foundational and advanced technologies that enhance competitiveness on a global scale.
“U.S. manufacturing leads the world because we innovate faster, adopt more efficiently, and foster a culture of pushing boundaries,” adds Woods.
Strength Generates Opportunity
With a GDP of $30.5 trillion, the United States is the largest economy globally, and with a 2025 annualized personalized consumption expenditure of $20.8 trillion, it remains the top destination for domestic and foreign investment.
“If our $2.9 trillion U.S. manufacturing economy were measured as a country, it would rank as the eighth-largest country in the world,” says Woods. He also notes that foreign direct investment exceeded $275 billion in 2024, and since January 2025, new investments in U.S. manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure have totaled more than $8 trillion.
Beyond market size, advantages for investing in U.S. manufacturing include customer proximity, closer integration with engineering, lower freight and duty costs, shorter supply chains – which reduce geopolitical risk – and reliable, low-cost energy.
The 2025 Reshoring Survey confirmed these domestic advantages and identified one opportunity to make U.S. manufacturing even stronger: a larger and better-trained skilled workforce would motivate OEMs to reshore 30% of what they currently import – a greater motivator than lower taxes or tariffs, deregulation, or a decrease in value of the U.S. dollar.
“The 2025 Reshoring Survey found that 43% of contract manufacturers have already reshored work for customers or are actively fulfilling reshoring orders, while another 16% are currently quoting reshoring projects,” says Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative.
“Where manufacturing and investments in other developed economies have stalled, the United States is growing stronger,” Woods adds. “For example, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) strengthens investment conditions. AMT played a leading role in shaping this legislation, delivering long-sought tax incentives, investment opportunities, and financial relief to manufacturers.”
Key OBBBA provisions benefiting the IMTS community include:
Reinstates and makes permanent 100% bonus depreciation for qualified assets, including manufacturing equipment, machinery, and facilities.
Doubles the Section 179 small business expensing cap, from $1.25 million to $2.5 million.
Makes permanent the Section 199A pass-through business deduction of 20%.
Allows U.S.-based R&D costs to be fully expensed in the year incurred.
Permanently sets the estate tax exemption for small business owners at $15 million (individual) and $30 million (joint).
Restores EBITDA-based deduction rules through 2029, allowing greater deductibility of interest expenses.
Growth Sectors
Precision manufacturers, a key IMTS audience, are poised to benefit from growth in aerospace, defense, and semiconductor sectors. Commercial air travel demand is strong; aircraft production issues are being resolved; and global defense spending is rising. OBBBA also increased the semiconductor investment tax credit from 25% to 35% to support domestic chip production. Construction investments in AI infrastructure are surging, and U.S. data center growth is expected to expand rapidly, supported by abundant energy and water resources. The United States is the world’s top energy producer, exporting 30% of its production in 2024.
“There are abundant opportunities in key industries and more ways than ever for manufacturers to improve operational efficiencies,” says Woods. “Technologies featured at IMTS can boost gross profit, sales per employee, and enable manufacturers to target new customers with enhanced capabilities. Beyond high-profile solutions like machining centers, AI, software, and automation, tens of thousands of time-saving machines and tools help free up people for higher-value work that generates better margins.”
IMTS highlights these innovations in AMT’s Emerging Technology Center (ETC). “The ETC showcases technology addressing today’s most pressing manufacturing challenges, including automation, process integration, reshoring, aerospace and defense growth, and productivity per worker,” says Bonnie Gurney, vice president of strategic partnerships and industry relations at AMT.
To connect with the leaders, technologies, and insights defining the future of advanced manufacturing and the U.S. industrial economy, register for IMTS 2026. Explore more exhibitors and features at IMTS.com.
IMTS 2026 represents a once-every-two-years opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the manufacturing technology ecosystem that includes machine tools, automation, AI, and more.
IMTS+ Series: The World According To... With Doug Woods
Video Name: The World According To… With Doug Woods
Video Link: https://www.IMTS.com/WAT-Woods
Video Caption: In the latest episode of the IMTS+ series “The World According To,” AMT President Doug Woods discusses the resurgence of U.S. manufacturing and the transformative impact of advanced technologies such as industrial AI and robotics.
IMTS 2026 Video
Video Name: Achieve the Impossible
Video Link: https://youtu.be/oI0G7inAGrM
Video Caption: Every two years, the manufacturing technology industry comes together at IMTS to redefine and transform the future by achieving the impossible.
IMTS Photos and Logos
About IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show
IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show is where the creators, builders, sellers, and drivers of manufacturing technology come to connect and achieve the impossible. Attendees discover advanced manufacturing solutions that include innovations in CNC machining, automation, robotics, additive, software, AI, and transformative digital technologies that are driving the industry forward. Owned and produced by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, IMTS is the largest and most defining trade event for manufacturing technology in the Western Hemisphere. With more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space, the show attracts visitors from more than 110 countries. IMTS 2024 had 89,020 registrants, featured 1,609 exhibiting companies, and included a Student Summit that attracted 14,713 visitors. IMTS 2026 will be held Sept. 14-19, 2026, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Discover more at IMTS.com and connect with IMTS on social.
About AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology
AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology represents U.S.-based providers of manufacturing technology – the advanced machinery, devices, and digital equipment that U.S. manufacturing relies on to be productive, innovative, and competitive. Located in McLean, Virginia, near the nation’s capital, AMT acts as the industry’s voice to accelerate the pace of innovation, increase global competitiveness, and develop manufacturing’s advanced workforce of tomorrow. With extensive expertise in industry data and market intelligence, as well as a full complement of international business operations, AMT offers its members an unparalleled level of support. AMT also produces IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, the premier manufacturing technology event in the Western Hemisphere. Learn more at AMTonline.org.
