The Manufacturing Report

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, the U.S. textile industry quickly answered the call. But, safeguarding America from future disaster depends on supporting American manufacturing now. In this episode, Kim Glas, the president and CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations, shares how the government can bolster the U.S. textile industry and provides perspective on the conta...

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit America, grievous medical goods shortages revealed our nation’s nearly complete dependence on foreign supply chains. Since then, the U.S. government has endeavored to fortify our domestic manufacturing capacity. But has it been enough? Alliance for American Manufacturing Editorial Manager Matthew McMullan explains why President-elect Joe Biden aims to rebuild America...

With several important recent steps to rebalance currency already in the books, President-elect Joe Biden will assume office with powerful trade enforcement tools in hand. But will he use them? In this episode, Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul explains how currency policy can serve as a powerful tool to ensure that American workers aren't left a day late and a dollar short....

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to actualize his ambitious plans for clean energy investment, Alliance for American Manufacturing Vice President for State Governmental Affairs Brian Lombardozzi examines where the U.S. needs to go next to ensure that our clean energy future is long-lasting and equitable for all workers. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

In this special daily edition of The Manufacturing Report, Alliance for American Manufacturing Senior Vice President of Government Affairs & Policy Scott Boos shares how the Biden administration make sure that "American-made" is more than a slogan when it comes to infrastructure. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

In this first of a special series of daily episodes that explore the critical challenges and policies that will likely shape President-elect Joe Biden's administration, Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul explains why he classifies China as the "defining issue of our decade" and how Biden can reset the U.S.-China economic relationship. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

In this next installment of our deep dive into the West’s complicated relationship with China, host Scott Paul speaks with Washington Post Global Opinions Contributing Columnist Isaac Stone Fish to evaluate why iconic U.S. brands like Disney and the NBA continue to compromise ethics to business with China, and why these companies are at a critical crossroads right now. Listen to the first installm...

The Alliance for American Manufacturing’s (AAM) 2020 Made in America Gift Guide is out! Our annual list highlights some of the best manufacturers and makers in the U.S. to help you keep your holiday shopping Made in America — an especially meaningful goal as companies around the country face a make-or-break holiday season. In this episode, some of AAM’s staff gathers to spotlight some of the manuf...

With an estimated 1.5 million Uyghurs and other Chinese ethnic Muslims currently held in forced labor camps that fuel Chinese manufacturing, dozens of global brands like BMW, The Gap and Nike are sourcing goods tainted by slave labor from the region. In this episode, Uyghur-American activist Rushan Abbas, the founder and executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs, shares the story of her sister’s...

With millions of Americans still out of work as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the country, a national manufacturing plan offers tremendous hope for economic revival. In this episode, host Scott Paul outlines a bold new industrial policy, and EPI Senior Economist Dr. Robert Scott breaks down just how many jobs America stands to gain. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

With election day quickly approaching, President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden are revving up their rhetoric and focusing their attention on key battleground states, including industrial powerhouses Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. In this special Election 2020 episode, host Scott Paul and the Alliance for American Manufacturing's own Scott Boos and Elizabeth Brothert...

When 95 percent of sports equipment and apparel manufacturer StringKing's business was lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LA-based company quickly pivoted to PPE production. Within a six-week period, the company went from having two garment workers to 1,200. In this episode, StringKing Co-Founder Jake McCampbell shares how his company mobilized dozens of LA garment factories to meet the surgin...

During World War II, the Brooklyn Navy Yard served as a sprawling wartime factory, employing a staggering 70,000 workers at the time. When the COVID-19 pandemic swept New York City, the Brooklyn Navy Yard once again stepped up to serve frontline heroes. Now a home for manufacturers rather than shipbuilders, the Yard's many companies teamed up, in often unlikely partnerships, to produce 25 percent...

In 2016, the Rev. Georgiette Morgan-Thomas rescued the historic S&S hat factory in Philadelphia after a long career in social work. Earlier this year, we shared what brought the reverend to make this dramatic career switch and her plans for the factory, which she renamed American Hats LLC. Today, Rev. Morgan-Thomas reveals how she’s tackling the dramatic reduction in her brand’s wholesale business...

Amid supply chain headaches and a seismic shift in the retail landscape, Gina Locklear of organic sock brand zkano is launching her fall collection later this month, from her parents' legacy mill in Fort Payne, Ala. We caught up with Locklear to see how zkano is adapting to the pandemic's challenges. Listen to Scott Paul conversation with Locklear in 2019: soundcloud.com/keep-it-made-in-america/zk...

When "Working Man" Writer/Director Robert Jury found plastic injection molder Makray Manufacturing in Norridge, Ill., he discovered the perfect setting for his factory movie. Unfortunately, since the release of "Working Man", the film has been sadly prescient of Makray's fate. In this episode, Scott Paul continues his behind-the-scenes look at "Working Man" in a conversation with Jury and Makray M...

In this second part of Scott Paul's conversations with the cast and crew of the factory film "Working Man", he speaks with actor Billy Brown (How to Get Away with Murder) about the stark reality U.S. workers face and how "Working Man" has redoubled Brown's personal Made in USA commitments. Photo courtesy of Brainstorm Media.

It’s a rare thing for Hollywood to turn its gaze upon America’s industrial heartland and rarer still that it portrays factory communities with full accuracy. However, a new film accomplishes just that. Shot in an operational plastics plant in Illinois, “Working Man” reveals the devastation wrecked upon a community when the town’s lone factory closes. In this episode, Scott Paul speaks with the fil...

As Congress considers a massive investment in rebuilding America's crumbling roads, bridges, public transit, railways, and more, China is preparing to steal these valuable contracts from American workers. In this episode, researchers from Horizon Advisory explain China's playbook as it leverages the catastrophe of COVID-19 to infiltrate America's critical infrastructure. Read the report: https://w...

After years in the footwear industry, brothers Tim and Tommy Gibb were fed up with seeing jobs go overseas. In 2014, the brothers realized their dreams of bringing those jobs home with a flip flop that's manufactured in New Rochelle, N.Y., using sustainable materials sourced from other U.S.-based family-run businesses. In this in-depth interview, TIDAL New York Co-founder Tim shares the genesis of...

Duluth Pack CEO Tom Sega returns to the podcast to share how the Made in America outdoor gear company formed a unique partnership with another legacy brand to keep their communities safe and their employees paid. Photo courtesy of Duluth Pack

Channeling the same gutsy determination that guided her when she first launched her uniform manufacturing business, former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Terra Saunders recently repurposed her factory to make personal protective equipment (PPE). In this episode, Saunders shares how she transitioned from cheerleading to manufacturing and how she brought her workers back when the pandemic brought her bu...

“If you are a manufacturer, we need your help and we need your help now,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced in April. Nearly 2,000 Ohio manufacturers answered his call. Along with several hospitals and government agencies, they formed the Ohio Manufacturing Alliance to Fight COVID-19, a public-private partnership that has set a model for the rest of the nation. Photo courtesy of the Ohio Manufacturi...

Ben Napier, star of HGTV’s hit show Home Town, shares how his family, his Made in America businesses, and Laurel, Miss., are faring as the coronavirus shuts down most of the nation, along with an update on his show's upcoming spinoff series Home Town Takeover. Photo courtesy of Laurel Mercantile Co. and Vaughan-Bassett Media

Since its founding in 2012, American Giant has made valuing people over profits a core principle. This philosophy has guided the apparel company as it committed to making its clothing completely in the United States. Now, as America is besieged by the coronavirus crisis, American Giant is stepping up yet again. The company has dropped all of its apparel manufacturing to sew over one million masks...