Manufacturing, like many industries, is rapidly digitizing and developing new business models. The foundations of interconnectedness, laid years ago, put manufacturers in a strong position to act today. AMT President Doug Woods opened The MFG Meeting 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by outlining a clear vision for the future of industry, what it means for manufacturing leaders today, and specific examples of unexpected ways AMT is helping realize the vision.
As a trade association, AMT is responsible for keeping members informed of risks and opportunities resulting from market shifts and megatrends. In some cases, this means taking direct and early action to explore and understand emerging technologies and market trends. In other cases, it means pooling resources to achieve what is impossible for any single member. For industrial data, this starts with backing collective action on frameworks and standards.
“Open standards really are the key to leveraging data in manufacturing,” said Woods. In manufacturing and beyond, the digital world depends on interoperability. Establishing accepted terminology promotes consumer choice while enabling suppliers to compete on core competencies, which is why AMT backed the MTConnect standard beginning in the mid-2000s. That support continues today, even as demand for standardized data definitions has shifted from basic utilization tracking to sophisticated automated analysis and processing. Experience with MTConnect also opened new doors to an emerging digital ecosystem.
Since 2023, AMT has engaged with and served as market watcher for NVIDIA, the world’s largest company by market capitalization and a relatively new entrant to manufacturing technology. Open standards paved the way: NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform for 3D simulation and rendering is data-hungry and seeking industrial users and use cases. The OpenUSD specification provides the file format backbone for visualizations in Omniverse and competing tools, and harmonization with MTConnect provides an avenue for critical Internet of Things (IoT) and telemetry data from factory assets.
Beyond just open standards, AMT is directly investigating infrastructure and platforms that allow testing and experimentation on new technology. Programmable Cloud Labs are a modern, digital spin on “try before you buy,” using simulations and digital twins to shorten purchasing cycles. Fractional-AI factories are a novel capital expenditure model that can unlock supercomputer performance without spending eight-figure sums. These projects come at a time when the political climate for manufacturing has never been more favorable.
“Right now,” said Woods, “the White House and agencies are focused on developments in manufacturing.” That hasn’t always been the case, but today the Department of War, Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, and more are all interested in industrial capacity. It’s reflected in their programming, funding, and discussions with AMT staff. Notable federal efforts include the Genesis Mission to build an integrated national AI platform, Project Vault to source and secure critical minerals, and the Civil Reserve Manufacturing Network to rapidly spin up industrial capacity in wartime.
It is undeniable that manufacturing is in a period of rapid change, yet many of the basics remain the same. AMT unites an industry that has weathered many such changes and is thriving thanks to American innovation and ingenuity. Today, the face of that change is artificial intelligence. But as physical and digital worlds grow ever closer, another clear duality emerges: to appreciate where it has come from and respond to where industry is going.
