Input Stories

At Oskaloosa Middle School in Iowa, the future of manufacturing is taking shape today. The Quest for the Crystal of Innovation (also known as the Innovators Quest)—a gamified experience that introduces students to modern manufacturing careers—is engaging students in hands-on challenges in robotics, circuitry and teamwork.

In an age where classrooms increasingly rely on digital learning, this active, physical experience helped some students uncover new strengths and interests—potentially leading to careers that will last a lifetime.

The quest: Developed by the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s workforce development and education affiliate, thanks to a grant from American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Innovators Quest is made up of four “realms” laid out in a board game format.

• These realms include hands-on building challenges that introduce students to core manufacturing skills, like problem-solving, teamwork and communication.
• As they seek to recover the “Crystal of Innovation,” students in grades 4 through 9 try their hands at 3D printing, robotics and other cutting-edge manufacturing concepts.

Manufacturers’ involvement: Manufacturers, associations, workforce partners and community engagement groups can sponsor Innovators Quest kits, which they can use at schools, summer camps, local community events, MFG Day events, company family days and more.

• By facilitating the experience, manufacturers serve as the connector between Innovators Quest and real-world manufacturing.

The reception: “It’s been fun to see the ones who really light up,” said Kristen McMains, talent outreach specialist at Musco Lighting, who brought the experience to Oskaloosa’s classroom. “Teachers have told us, ‘That student doesn’t usually engage like this,’ and suddenly, they’re the one leading their group.”

• “I learned that I’m pretty good with wires and building stuff,” said Kolter Ozinga, an 8th grader who participated in the experience. “I like electrical work and teamwork.”

The big picture: Innovators Quest comes at a critical time for the manufacturing workforce. A 2024 study by the MI and Deloitte projected that as many as 1.9 million manufacturing jobs could be left unfilled by 2033, when current 5th graders will be graduating high school. Today’s youth could be key to filling this talent gap—if they know the careers are out there.

• “Kids can’t be what they can’t see,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “By sparking their interest in skills used in modern manufacturing, this student engagement activity illustrates the limitless possibilities of the many careers in our industry. The time to invest in our future workforce is now.”

Get involved: Interested in bringing Innovators Quest to your community? The MI is accepting orders for Innovators Quest kits through Jan. 31. Learn more about the kit and place your order today.

The Bethesda, Maryland–based Centrus Energy Corp. will get an injection of $900 million from the Department of Energy to expand enrichment operations at its Ohio and Tennessee facilities (OilPrice.com).

What’s going on: The U.S.-owned, U.S.-controlled uranium enrichment company announced earlier this month that it had been chosen by the DOE for a $900 million task order to build out its enrichment and centrifuge manufacturing capabilities at its facilities located in Piketon, Ohio, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

• “The competitively awarded funding will support a previously announced multibillion-dollar expansion that includes commercial-scale production of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU), a critical fuel for next-generation nuclear reactors, alongside additional production of conventional low-enriched uranium (LEU) for the existing reactor fleet.”
• Centrus has already begun adding to its workforce in anticipation of the project, which is forecast to create about 1,000 construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs in Ohio and hundreds of new direct jobs in Tennessee.

Why it’s important: There is growing bipartisan support to shore up domestic uranium enrichment to power nuclear reactors.

• Russia remains a dominant global supplier of enrichment capacity, particularly for HALEU, which has become a strategic vulnerability as advanced reactor projects move closer to deployment.

NAM involvement: The NAM is one of the foremost advocates for strengthening nuclear power in the U.S. Last year, the NAM pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright to allocate this funding to spur “the Department of Energy’s collaboration with the private sector to restore American leadership in producing nuclear fuel.” Timmons cited Centrus as an important example and urged further investment in the domestic nuclear supply chain.

The details: Under the DOE order, Centrus will install additional centrifuge cascades to increase HALEU output and produce LEU feedstock for those cascades, as well as expand LEU volumes for commercial utilities and support national security mandates.

• The first of the new capacity will come in 2029, the company said.
• In addition to the $900 million, the task order includes possible funding, at the DOE’s discretion, of up to $170 million for HALEU production and delivery, bringing the total potential value to about $1.07 billion.

The NAM says: “Increasing domestic supplies of nuclear fuel will help the U.S. boost its output of nuclear power, which is crucial for manufacturers to continue to access stable, clean and abundant baseload power in the U.S.,” said NAM Director of Energy and Resources Policy Michael Davin.

• “Domestic sources of nuclear fuel and secure supply chains will also allow the U.S. to avoid relying on foreign adversaries to fuel its nuclear fleet.”

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved seven manufacturer-supported Clean Air Act–related measures, thanks in part to NAM advocacy.

What’s going on: The approved measures—which constitute the most comprehensive revision to the CAA in over three decades—“will foster our industry’s ongoing efforts to improve air quality while preventing unnecessary burdens that reduce economic growth and tax revenues that are vital to local communities,” NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen and NAM Director of Energy and Resources Policy Mike Davin told Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-NJ) ahead of a full markup Wednesday morning.

• The action follows NAM-backed approval of the measures last month by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment.

Why it’s crucial: There are “mounting permitting challenges facing American businesses under increasingly unattainable air quality standards,” the NAM said. “Unless addressed, these challenges will essentially block permitting approvals for projects critical to economic growth, manufacturing infrastructure and jobs.”

The details: Prior to the hearing, the NAM had called on committee members to “favorably report to the House floor” the following measures specifically:

• The New Source Review Permitting Improvement Act, which would reform the New Source Review program for existing sources by clarifying which types of facility modifications require an owner to obtain an NSR
• The Clean Air and Economic Advancement Reform Act, which would make the National Ambient Air Quality Standards “process more workable for manufacturers,” while keeping regulatory guardrails in place to protect local communities
• The Clean Air and Building Infrastructure Improvement Act, which aims to clarify the preconstruction permit process and compliance requirements
• The Air Permitting Improvements to Protect National Security Act, to establish presidential authority under the CAA to waive the requirement for an advanced manufacturing plant or critical mineral facility to offset increased emissions
• The Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act, which would amend the CAA to mandate revisions to regulations around the review and handling of air quality monitoring data influenced by “exceptional events”
• The Reducing and Eliminating Duplicative Environmental Regulations Act, to eliminate the requirement that the Environmental Protection Agency review a project already subject to environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act
• The Foreign Emissions and Nonattainment Clarification for Economic Stability Act, which would amend the CAA to clarify standards for emissions that come from outside the U.S.

Artificial intelligence, the manufacturing labor shortage, training programs and more—all were covered in a recent episode of the “Workforce 4.0” podcast, featuring Manufacturing Institute President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee.

What’s going on: Among the first topics addressed by Lee last week when she chatted with podcast host Ann Wyatt for the episode “Manufacturing Hiring Trends: And What Employers Need To Know In 2026” was the still-persistent concern that AI will “take” jobs from human workers.

• “[W]hen you ask the average manufacturer, especially a large manufacturer, they would say they’ve been working with robotics and automation for many years now,” Lee told Wyatt. “This is not new. … Large language models and generative AI [are] new … but … manufacturers have [always] been at the forefront of technology evolution and innovation, and it has not eliminated all people. I see people wherever I go.”
• In fact, the more widespread automation and other AI applications have become, the more appealing some of the work has become. Lee told the story of a manufacturing worker nearing retirement age who told her, “I’ve been in this sector for 40 years. I’m 65. I want to stay longer because the job is safer. It’s interesting, I’m learning more in the last five years than I’ve learned my entire previous career, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
• Manufacturers just need to train their workforces on the technology so their teams “are able to evolve” with it.

Humans in demand: Human workers are still very much in demand. In fact, the manufacturing industry still has a dearth of about 400,000 workers—a shortfall that, if current trends continue, will grow to 1.9 million by 2033, Lee said, citing data from a joint MI–Deloitte 2024  report.

• “When we do this updated paper, which will be in ’27, I think it will show a much bigger number because our retirements will have continued … [and] all this domestic investment is going to create new jobs,” she went on. That, coupled with the advancement of AI, will make workforce training—the kind the MI does—and worker upskilling even more important.

FAME-ously crucial: Lee and Wyatt discussed the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME), a national apprenticeship-style training program started in 2010 by Toyota and now run entirely by the MI.

• FAME now has “over 42 chapters in 17 states, training thousands of students in maintenance for an [Advanced Manufacturing Technician] degree,” according to Lee.
• “It is really an employer-led model where the employers are driving that commitment, driving the training, working in concert with community colleges and then local business entities to help support that network,” she said. “And then you’re growing the pool of talent and you’re building practices to solve this together so that we’re not fighting over a shrinking pool; we’re actually growing that pool.”

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued multiple warnings urging consumers to immediately stop using certain imported mattresses that fail mandatory federal flammability standards. The alerts follow a pattern of recent recalls targeting noncompliant products that pose a risk of serious injury or death from fire.

What’s going on: The CPSC recently warned consumers to stop using Crayan mattresses after finding they violated the federal flammability rule, citing a serious fire hazard. The Chinese firm has been uncooperative in the implementation of a June 2025 recall.

• The warning builds on similar action last fall involving Elitespace mattresses, after the noncompliant seller, Foshanshiyiliangjiajukejiyouxiangongsi, of China, doing business as Elitespace Home, failed to recall their product or offer a remedy to consumers.

Dangerous competition: Noncompliant imports undercut responsible manufacturers by avoiding safety requirements, endangering American consumers. Allowing these unsafe products to stay on the market creates dangerous competition, rewarding copycats who cut corners while exposing families to preventable fire risks.

• These recalls demonstrate how appropriate enforcement can help level the playing field and keep consumers safe.

The NAM says: “Manufacturers are committed to keeping American families safe,” said NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Jake Kuhns. “CPSC oversight of noncompliant products is vital to protecting families and the manufacturers that play by the rules.”

In October, the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index recorded a 1.4% annual gain, up slightly from 1.3% in September. The 10-City Composite saw an annual increase of 1.9%, down from 2.0% the previous month, while the 20-City Composite rose 1.3% year-over-year, down from 1.4%. Among the 20 cities, Chicago posted the highest annual gain at 5.8%, followed by New York at 5.0% and Cleveland at 4.1%. Tampa again recorded the lowest annual return, with prices falling 4.2%.

On a month-over-month basis, the U.S. National Index ticked down 0.2% before seasonal adjustment. At the same time, the 10-City and 20-City Composites both decreased in October, declining 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively.

High mortgage rates and inflation have begun to overwhelm home price resilience as affordability has slowed demand. Before seasonal adjustment, 16 of the 20 cities saw prices drop in October. The Midwest and Northeast markets continue to sustain growth as broader conditions across the country soften. Meanwhile, in addition to Tampa, the Sun Belt continued declining, including Phoenix (down 1.5%), Dallas (down 1.5%) and Miami (down 1.1%).

Following the weakest growth in more than two years in September, a new equilibrium has emerged within the housing market. Short-term momentum has stalled, and persistent affordability challenges have resulted in minimal price appreciation and declines in some regions.

In December, Texas factory activity contracted after rising the prior month. The production index plummeted 23.7 points to -3.2, dropping below the series average of 9.6. Furthermore, most other measures declined notably from November. The new orders index decreased 11.2 points to -6.4. Capacity utilization moved down 23.9 points to -4.5, while shipments plunged 25.7 points to -10.6.

Perceptions of manufacturing business conditions remained negative in December, with the general business conditions index inching down 0.5 points to -10.9. At the same time, the outlook worsened, with the company outlook index falling 5.6 points to -11.9. The uncertainty index weakened 15.7 points to 0, remaining far below the series average of 17.

Labor market indicators suggest a decline in both headcounts and the workweek in December, with the employment index stepping down 2.3 points to -1.1 and the hours worked index falling 17.4 points to -7.5. More than 13% of firms reported net layoffs, while a smaller percentage (12.3%) noted net hiring.

Price pressures were little changed, but wage pressures accelerated in December. The prices paid for raw materials index stepped up 0.7 points to 36. Meanwhile, the prices received for finished goods index decreased 2.6 points to 8.2. The wages and benefits index rose 6.4 points to 21.8, moving above the series average of 21.

The outlook for future manufacturing activity remained positive in December, with the future production index edging up 0.5 points to 34.2. Meanwhile, the future general business activity index ticked down 0.2 points to 10.8, while the future company outlook index inched up 0.3 points to 16.5.

The S&P Global Manufacturing PMI was 51.8 in December, down from the November reading of 52.2. New orders declined for the first time in a year. At the same time, exports fell for the seventh consecutive month, as tariffs continued to impact sales to key markets, especially Canada. Meanwhile, input and output prices rose in December, but at the slowest rate in 11 months. Despite the slowing pace of price increases, inflation remains elevated from a historical context in December.

Production rose over the month, allowing stocks of finished goods to rise for the fifth consecutive month. Nonetheless, output increased at a slower rate than November’s survey record due to the contraction in new orders. Furthermore, the gap between the growth of production and the drop in orders was the greatest since the height of the global financial crisis. If demand and export sales remain weak, the continuing rise in unsold stock likely will result in a decline in output in future months. Meanwhile, delivery times lengthened in December to their longest level in seven months due to difficulties receiving inputs as a result of supplier capacity constraints.

Uncertainty around tariffs continued to weigh on business confidence, with overall business confidence easing from November to the lowest level since April. Despite the uncertainty, expectations of lower interest rates and new investment plans kept business confidence positive. Firms expanded labor capacity in anticipation of strong sales next year. As a result, employment rose solidly for a fourth consecutive month in December.

In December, global manufacturing activity eased from 50.5 in November to 50.4. Output rose for the fifth consecutive month but at a slower pace than November, as new orders remained stable from the prior month. The stagnation in new work was due, in part, to the ongoing contraction in international trade, with new export orders declining for a ninth consecutive month. Staffing levels stayed the same, while backlogs of work decreased slightly. 

India, Vietnam, Greece and Pakistan had the highest PMI readings in December. On the other hand, Mexico, Germany, Japan, Brazil and Russia were some of the larger nations to register declines in activity. The increase in manufacturing output occurred across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods categories.

Meanwhile, both input and output price pressures picked up in December but remained below long-run averages. Forward-looking indicators were positive, with business optimism remaining at November’s five-month high and investment goods producers seeing positive gains after stalling recently.

Existing home sales increased 0.5% over the month in November but fell 1.0% over the year. Housing inventory moved down to 1.43 million units, reflecting a 5.9% drop from October but a 7.5% jump from last year. The median existing home price was $409,200, up 1.2% from last year. The Northeast and South posted monthly increases in existing home sales, while the Midwest registered a decline, and the West stayed the same in November. 

Single-family home sales rose 0.8% from October but fell 0.8% from November 2024, with the median price increasing 1.2% from last year to $414,300. Condo and co-op sales fell 2.6% over the month and over the year to 380,000 units in November. Meanwhile, the median price for condos and co-ops inched up 0.1% from the prior year to $358,600.

Homes were typically on the market for 36 days in November, up from 34 days in October and 32 days in November 2024. First-time buyers made up 30% of sales in November, down from 32% in October but unchanged from November 2024.