Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Manufacturing

Jessica Ingle: Continually Improving

March 22, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Women’s History Month to highlight women who are making an impact on the manufacturing industry. Jessica Ingle is like a lot

Sarah Dvorak: Manufacturing is for Anyone Who Wants to Solve Problems and Serve Customers

March 16, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Women’s History Month to highlight women who are making an impact on the manufacturing industry. Sarah Dvorak didn’t

Asia Dillon: Making a Name for Herself as a Manufacturer

February 24, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Black History Month to celebrate and share the stories of Black American manufacturing leaders. Asia Dillon is not your

Rodney Reddic: Helping Texas Manufacturers Succeed

February 16, 2023

This blog is part of a series for Black History Month to celebrate and share the stories of Black American manufacturing leaders. For more than 20 years, Rodney

Revolutionizing American Manufacturing

February 2, 2023

A major focus of the current administration is revitalizing American manufacturing, and new technologies are changing the way things are made. Manufacturing

NASA and The MEP National Network Collaborate to Advance Manufacturing

July 6, 2022

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) is, as you might expect from the name, always looking for

Strengthening U.S. Manufacturing: Manufacturing USA® and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership

March 24, 2022

The infographic, Strengthening U.S. Manufacturing: Manufacturing USA® and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, highlights how Manufacturing USA and the

Sometimes It’s Not Easy Being a Small Manufacturer

February 23, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented big challenges for small manufacturers. That was the message of three leaders from manufacturing companies located in two

U.S. Manufacturing to the MEP National Network: Don’t Let Up!

February 17, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has asked much of manufacturing executives. They’ve had to make decisions about staffing and operations in the face of tremendous health

After a March (and More) of Madness, What’s Next for Manufacturers?

February 10, 2021

The six manufacturing executives participating in a Sept. 25, 2020, virtual conversation spent much of the time discussing what comes after the pandemic has

Pandemic Makes Plain Need for Manufacturing Workforce

February 4, 2021

In the Sept. 18, 2020, session of the “National Conversation with Manufacturers,” our three West Coast manufacturing leaders on the panel kept coming back to

Sometimes You Just Have To Go Fishing Says Manufacturing Executives

January 12, 2021

Sometimes you just have to go fishing. Seriously. That’s one of the messages manufacturing executives from West Coast and Mountain states passed along during a

How Daycare and Industrial Entrepreneurship Relate to Manufacturing’s Recovery

December 23, 2020

Two subjects that came up that I wasn’t expecting (but probably should have been) in a conversation with manufacturing executives were daycare and

Rethinking Business Risk After the Great Lockdown

December 16, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has made us more aware of the items we purchase on a regular basis and how they get to store shelves and to our doors. Anyone else still

COVID-19 — The Disease That Is Reshaping Manufacturing

December 9, 2020

Unless you’ve been living on private island (send invite immediately!), it’s no secret that the pandemic has changed the way manufacturers operate and run their

Midwestern Manufacturing Leaders Learning the Lessons of Testing Times

December 1, 2020

I think we’d all say that this year has been different than we thought it would be way back in January. Plans had to change; adaptations had to be made. Video

Where Manufacturing Is Growing (and Where It Is Not)

November 19, 2020

Over the past few years, I have written more than a few blogs and papers looking at manufacturing productivity across the 50 states. I wanted to update some of

Midwest Manufacturers — Make Do, Can Do, Will Do

November 17, 2020

As a proud son of the Midwest (yes, my family does exchange holiday cheese, and yes, it’s delicious, we have no regrets), I was particularly interested in the

Manufacturers Share Views on Leadership from the Pandemic Shop Floor

November 10, 2020

As a kid I used to be confused by the so-called curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Wouldn’t interesting times be … good? Why would I not want to be

Supplier Scouting Provides Solutions

October 29, 2020

Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy and create two-thirds of net new jobs that drive U.S. innovation and competitiveness. In recent months, in

Thinking Anew about Manufacturing

October 1, 2020

The last couple of months have caused manufacturers and MEP Centers to think anew about many things — supplier, customer and workforce relationships; the

Managing Productivity

June 12, 2020

I’ve made it my personal crusade to keep a focus on the fundamental importance of productivity to manufacturers, to the MEP Program, to the MEP Centers that do

The Women of U.S. Manufacturing

March 8, 2020

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women — while also marking a call to action

The Manufacturing Landscape: Looking Back and Looking Forward

January 28, 2020

I find that every so often it is good to step back and think about the current state of manufacturing in the broadest sense. We all see bits and pieces as part

The MEP National Network™ Connects with Minority Owned Manufacturers

November 19, 2019

Earlier this year, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, celebrated its 50th anniversary. The recognition

The Food Safety Modernization Act in a Nutshell

October 17, 2019

According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year 48 million people in the U.S. get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized

Rethinking Manufacturing

July 19, 2019

Recently, I got the chance to travel to Youngstown, Ohio. As I came into town, it struck me that Youngstown was like many other cities across America, including

4 Types of Robots Every Manufacturer Should Know

July 11, 2019

There is a lot of buzz these days in the manufacturing sector about robots — and how they can help manufacturers address some of the challenges they face in

“I threw the I-Ching yesterday, it said there might be some thunder at the well”

March 15, 2019

In singer-songwriter Bob Dylan’s 1970s rendition of his classic song “Idiot Wind,” he hints at meeting a fortune teller who warns of possible danger ahead. We

Working and Growing with Collaborative Robots

February 22, 2019

Robots have been a part of industry longer than you might think. The patent for the first industrial robot, Unimate, was granted in 1961. While robots were

Search

Email alerts

Subscribe to free e-mail alerts from the Manufacturing Innovation blog by entering your e-mail address in the box below.

Stay connected

About this blog

Manufacturing Innovation, the blog of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), is a resource for manufacturers, industry experts and the public on key U.S. manufacturing topics. There are articles for those looking to dive into new strategies emerging in manufacturing as well as useful information on tools and opportunities for manufacturers.

The views presented here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of NIST.

If you have any questions about our blog, please contact us at mfg [at] nist.gov.

Manufacturing Innovation Blog