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Manufacturing in the U.S. will continue to be a global force in the coming years and decades—as long as several conditions are met, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said this week at CES, the world’s largest trade show held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada.

What’s going on: In “Charting the Future: Manufacturing, Innovation and America’s Competitive Edge,” a Wednesday interview with Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro, Timmons talked about what manufacturers need to succeed.

• The sector has a solid foundation on which to build, he said, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last summer. Our “competitive tax system’s … going to enable us to recruit investment, [have] job creation and … growth in the United States.”
• Several things are still needed, however, including comprehensive permitting reform, a reliable electrical grid, filled manufacturing jobs and immigration reform.

Starting with the fundamentals: Manufacturing, which is a high-tech, fast-paced, cutting-edge sector, suffers from a persistent perception problem, and that’s made it harder to fill needed jobs, Timmons said.

• Manufacturing currently has a shortfall of just over 400,000 workers—and that number is expected to rise to 2 million by 2033 if the trend continues, Timmons went on.
• To help fill those positions, the NAM works through its 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliation, the Manufacturing Institute, to develop and help run training and apprenticeship programs. “We’re trying to tell [manufacturing’s] story, and we’re trying to encourage young people, mostly [through] their parents … about what jobs and what opportunities are available.”

Reform permitting now: Timmons also talked about one of the NAM’s top priorities: permitting reform. It takes 80% longer to permit energy and infrastructure projects in the U.S. than it does in comparable countries.

• “The House has passed several pieces of the [permitting reform] program we’re very happy about, and the NAM team has been advocating on it very strongly,” Timmons said. But “we need to set it to move and move rather quickly, because if we don’t put these pieces in place, we don’t get that certainty” manufacturers need to make hiring, expansion and other decisions that propel the economy.
• A reliable electrical grid with dependable, abundant, safe baseload power is another priority, Timmons told the CTA CEO.

The immigration factor: Manufacturers also need immigration reform, he concluded.

• “Frankly, [we’re] getting tired of [the issue] being a political football,” Timmons said. “…It shouldn’t be so hard.”
• The NAM has long advocated for a comprehensive immigration policy that protects U.S. national security while meeting the economic needs of the country and its employers.