U.S. Manufacturing Today

In today's episode, Matt Horine speaks with Leo Rodriguez, VP of Los Angeles-based River Plate Inc., a family business founded in 1992 that evolved from freight coordination into an omni-channel 3PL providing warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment for DTC, Amazon, and wholesale retail. Rodriguez explains how e-commerce shifted operations from linear B2B shipping to multi-channel integratio...

US Manufacturing Today host Matt Horine interviews Nikki Barua, CEO and co-founder of Flipwork.ai , about the human side of AI transformation in manufacturing and why many initiatives stall. Barua argues companies often start by broadly deploying LLM licenses without clarity on job-specific value, structure, or new habits, creating an “exponential divide” as AI advances faster than people adapt. S...

Host Matt Horine discusses the “Battery Belt,” where eight states from Michigan to Georgia have attracted over $250B in announced EV and battery investments, and argues the key constraint isn’t permitting or supply chains but experienced people—engineers, operations leaders, and technical executives—to run new greenfield facilities. Guest Michael Chambers of the Chambers Group explains his APEX re...

The episode of US Manufacturing Today focuses on whether massive reindustrialization investments translate into real productive output, jobs, and supply chain resilience or become stranded, announcement-driven projects. Host Matt Horine interviews Patrick J. Wolf, executive director and chair of the Institute for American Manufacturing and Technology (IAMT), which conducts research through Aegis (...

In this episode, Matt Horine points out that manufacturing was central to American independence and remains vital as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary. It traces how Britain’s mercantilist policies and acts like the Iron Act (1750) and Wool Act suppressed colonial manufacturing, leaving the Continental Army dangerously dependent on foreign supplies, including gunpowder and basic clothing a...

Matt Horine interviews Maxter Healthcare leaders Kevin Shutack, Nick Gilman, and Donny Chan about Master Healthcare's $500 million investment to build its first US nitrile glove manufacturing facility in Brazoria County, Texas, aimed at strengthening domestic PPE supply chain resilience after COVID-19 shortages. They explain why the pandemic accelerated a long-held vision, how site selection p...

In this episode, Matt Horine aggregates major manufacturing headlines and argues the U.S. industrial rebuild is already underway, with constraints shifting from politics and capital to operations. It highlights a DOJ Sherman Act indictment alleging four container makers controlling ~95% of global dry containers colluded to cap output and double prices during 2019–2021, underscoring supply-chain de...

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today, host Matt Horine welcomes Shannon Everett of American Truckers United (ATU). Shannon shares his deeply personal journey in the trucking industry and exposes systemic issues that threaten the livelihoods of American truck drivers. The discussion covers the alarming rise of non-domicile commercial driver’s licenses, wage dumping, fraud, and the overarching...

U.S. Manufacturing Today host Matt Horine interviews A.W. Schultz, Founder of AW Schultz Training and Industrial Transformation, about the shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 and what it means for manufacturers. Schultz describes Industry 5.0 as a rebalancing built on resiliency, sustainability, and a human-centric approach, arguing many digital investments underperform because people aren’t i...

In today's episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today, Matt Horine interviews Spencer Penn, Co-founder and CEO of LightSource, an AI-powered procurement platform for direct materials. Penn recounts leading sourcing for Tesla’s Model 3 scale-up and seeing $30B of parts managed via spreadsheets and email, inspiring him to found LightSource in 2021. The conversation argues procurement is strategically c...

In a solo episode of US Manufacturing Today, host Matt Horine argues that four converging developments signal the most significant U.S. industrial moment since World War II: manufacturing’s expansion, freight tightening, historic Defense Production Act actions, and defense demand spilling into commercial industry. March ISM manufacturing PMI rose to 52.7 (third straight month of expansion) with br...

This episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today features James DeMuth, CEO and co-founder of Seurat Technologies, discussing why reshoring at scale requires new manufacturing methods beyond traditional casting and machining. DeMuth explains how his work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on fusion power revealed a need for alloys and complex geometries suited to 3D printing, but limited by slow la...

U.S. Manufacturing Today host Matt Horine interviews Darragh de Stonndún, CEO of Automated Industrial Robotics (AIR), about why automation is accelerating and how manufacturers can deploy it successfully. He shares his path from a Guinness apprenticeship in Dublin to engineering and decades in industrial automation, emphasizing attention to detail and disciplined execution. AIR’s platform model u...

In this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today, host Matt Horine is joined by Tony Kelbert and Dan Echternkamp, founders of Aerospace Growth Strategies, to discuss sustainable growth for machine shops. They delve into common issues in the industry, such as balancing spindle hours and morale, and why traditional growth strategies often fail. Tony and Dan share their insights on developing purpose-driv...

U.S. Manufacturing Today features Bryce Carpenter, Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at Conexus Indiana, discussing why AI and automation efforts in manufacturing often stall at pilots and how to scale them into operational results. Carpenter explains Conexus as an industry-led nonprofit working with 130 Indiana manufacturers and public and education leaders to accelerate solutions by aligning...

In this solo episode of US Manufacturing Today, the host argues that three underappreciated forces are converging to create a structural advantage for U.S. manufacturers: tightening freight capacity, trucking labor enforcement, and a historically wide Brent-WTI oil spread. Despite a soft freight narrative, carrier exits are shrinking long-haul capacity, spot rates have overtaken contract rates, an...

In today's episode, host Matt Horine interviews Tom Welge, CEO of Gilster-Mary Lee, and Troy Compardo, CEO of the Boone Center, about workforce innovation through employing people with disabilities and neurodiverse individuals. Welch shares Gilster-Mary Lee’s evolution as a long-standing private label food manufacturer and how labor shortages drove efforts starting in 2019 to recruit and suppo...

This episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today features Derik Ellis and Molly Lenty of Vessel, a platform designed to help manufacturers and the experts who serve them turn operational data into insight by unifying shop-floor systems with business outcomes through smart assessments and supply chain intelligence. Molly shares her transition from 25 years in corporate banking and economic development to h...

In today's episode, Matt Horine speaks with Scott Maier, CEO of Virginia-based Blue Star NBR. Scott explains why the U.S. still imports about 99% of nitrile gloves and how pandemic shortages exposed major supply-chain risk. He outlines the capital, scale, and technical complexity required to reshore commodity glove production, and argues gloves are strategic for industries like semiconductors,...

Matt Horine argues that U.S. manufacturing is seeing a real “vibe shift” and structural turn in early 2026, based on shop-floor signals rather than GDP. It highlights ISM Manufacturing PMI rising to 52.6 (expansion) with strong new orders, production, and rebuilding backlogs, plus buyers positioning ahead of anticipated tariff-related price changes. The host discusses supply-driven cooling in pric...

In this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today, host Matt Horine welcomes Alex Huckstepp, Co-founder of Uptool—a manufacturing technology startup focused on solving quoting and sourcing bottlenecks through AI-driven solutions. Alex discusses his journey into the manufacturing industry and the founding of Uptool with his co-founder. They delve into the importance of speeding up the quoting process, th...

In this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today, Matt Horine talks to Renan Devillieres, Founder and CEO of OSS Ventures, about the evolving landscape of American manufacturing. Renan, with his unique background in economics, venture capital, and industrial operations, discusses the importance of innovation in manufacturing, the intersection of startups and industrial technology, and the significant r...

In this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today powered by Veryable, host Matt Horine discusses the future of the American manufacturing landscape with Chris Luecke, Host of the Manufacturing Happy Hour podcast. The conversation delves into the origins and evolution of Manufacturing Happy Hour, the key themes recurring in industry discussions, and the critical role of culture in manufacturing. Chris s...

Today we are re-casting a prior interview done on the Inspired Stories Podcast, hosted by Anthony Codispoti. Check out the original recording at the links below. Website -   ⁠https://inspiredstoriespodcast.com/matt-horines-reindustrialization-mission-building-on-demand-labor-for-american-manufacturing/⁠ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY4qRWcOftM&t=207s   Apple Podcasts -   https://p...

In this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today, hosted by Veryable, the focus is on American industry and its critical role in national independence and economic self-determination. The guest, John Gardner, author of 'Manufacture Local' and a seasoned professional in precision machining, discusses the historical significance of localized production in the US and its implications today. Highli...