Policy and Legal

2026 NAM State of Manufacturing Tour Stops in Dallas, Texas, for Manufacturing Institute’s State of the Manufacturing Workforce Address

DALLAS – The National Association of Manufacturers—the official partner of America250—continued its 2026 NAM State of Manufacturing Tour today in Dallas, Texas, under the theme “Building the Workforce of the Future.”

NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, Manufacturing Institute President Carolyn Lee and Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO and NAM Board Chair Blake Moret visited the Dallas College Garland Center and global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, NTT DATA, an official sponsor of the tour along with Schneider Electric. The stops today highlighted the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of manufacturing careers in America, while emphasizing the need for a highly skilled workforce to sustain innovation and economic growth.

In Texas, nearly 1 million manufacturing workers drive a sector that contributes hundreds of billions of dollars to the state’s economy, representing between 11% and 13% of economic output and making it one of the biggest manufacturing workforces in the nation.

Lee gave the MI’s annual State of the Manufacturing Workforce address at NTT DATA’s North American headquarters. “For years, manufacturers have said the same thing: if you want a strong economy, you need a strong manufacturing workforce,” she said. “If you want innovation that leads the world, you need people with the skills to put it to work. Workforce is not a side issue. It’s the strategy. We have the chance to harness creativity, unleash competitiveness and build a stronger future. But that future is not possible without our single greatest asset: the manufacturing workforce. We don’t just need people. We need talent. And that means our workforce needs the skills to succeed.”

Timmons convened a panel with Lee, NTT DATA Products Industries Global Leader and NAM board member Prasoon Saxena and Celanese Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Sameer Purao, focused on AI and the workforce. The event concluded with a site tour of NTT DATA’s innovation center, showcasing how technology is advancing the manufacturing industry in the AI era.

“The strength of manufacturing and the 13 million Americans who make things in this country depends on how seriously we invest in those workers and the millions who follow,” said Timmons who also serves as chair of the MI’s Board. “At this moment of inflection, transformative technology demands a new generation of skills. A rapidly evolving industry requires us to train, upskill and retain our people with greater urgency. Leaders in Washington have a responsibility to advance policies that strengthen our workforce. The MI champions those policies every day.”

“We are proud to host the NAM and Manufacturing Institute today,” said Saxena. “We know that manufacturing’s future will be defined by how effectively we integrate advanced technologies like AI with a highly skilled workforce. Industry 5.0 is our north star where data and AI with human expertise converge to create resilient, sustainable operations.”

The group also toured one of the MI’s FAME chapters in Texas, whose mission is to drive workforce development initiatives across the state. “Texas has led the way with FAME expansion in recent years—which is something we had the opportunity to see firsthand this morning,” said Lee. “Dallas College has been an outstanding educational partner, serving two chapters in Texas, the FAME Dallas Chapter and Metro360 Chapter. It is a model for how durable solutions for manufacturers can thrive with community cooperation.”

“We were honored to welcome the NAM and MI to Dallas College and to showcase the strength of our Texas FAME program,” said Dr. Veronique Tran of Dallas College. “Through FAME, we are creating a direct, employer-led pathway into high-skill, high-wage manufacturing careers—combining classroom instruction with paid, hands-on experience that prepares students to contribute from day one. We are grateful for the collaboration with the MI and appreciate their leadership in scaling solutions that strengthen our workforce.”

From Dallas, the 2026 NAM State of Manufacturing Tour will go on to Houston, Texas, and conclude on Friday, Feb. 27, in Phoenix, Arizona. The tour made stops in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin prior to today’s events in Dallas. Throughout the tour, the NAM will continue meeting with policymakers, manufacturers of all sizes, students and business leaders, advocating for the people and policies that will ensure the United States is the best place in the world to do business. To learn more about the tour and the NAM’s mission, visit https://nam.org/stateofmfg/, and to learn more about the State of the Manufacturing Workforce address, visit https://themanufacturinginstitute.org/state-of-mfg-workforce.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.95 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.

–The MI-

The Manufacturing Institute works to build and strengthen the manufacturing workforce for individual opportunity, community prosperity and a competitive manufacturing industry for the future. This is done through implementing groundbreaking initiatives, convening industry leaders, conducting innovative research and promoting public policy that supports the sector as it meets the opportunity of modern manufacturing. As the 501(c)3 nonprofit workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, the MI is a trusted adviser to manufacturers, equipping them with solutions to address the toughest workforce issues. For more information on the MI, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.

-NTT DATA-

NTT DATA is a $30+ billion business and technology services leader, serving 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We are committed to accelerating client success and positively impacting society through responsible innovation. We are one of the world’s leading AI and digital infrastructure providers, with unmatched capabilities in enterprise-scale AI, cloud, security, connectivity, data centers and application services. Our consulting and industry solutions help organizations and society move confidently and sustainably into the digital future. As a Global Top Employer, we have experts in more than 70 countries. We also offer clients access to a robust ecosystem of innovation centers as well as established and start-up partners. NTT DATA is part of NTT Group, which invests over $3 billion each year in R&D.