U.S. Manufacturing Boom takes center stage at IMTS 2026
$8 trillion in new investments, Big Beautiful Bill provisions, and a surge in reshoring are sparking industrial innovation and economic growth.
With a GDP of $30.5 trillion, the United States is the largest economy globally, and with a 2025 annualized personalized consumption expenditure of $20.8 trillion, it remains the top destination for domestic and foreign investment.
"If our $2.9 trillion U.S. manufacturing economy were measured as a country, it would rank as the eighth-largest country in the world," says Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT -- The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. He also notes that foreign direct investment exceeded $275 billion in 2024, and since January 2025, new investments in U.S. manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure have totaled more than $8 trillion.
Beyond market size, advantages for investing in U.S. manufacturing include customer proximity, closer integration with engineering, lower freight and duty costs, shorter supply chains -- which reduce geopolitical risk -- and reliable, low-cost energy.
"The 2025 Reshoring Survey found that 43% of contract manufacturers have already reshored work for customers or are actively fulfilling reshoring orders, while another 16% are currently quoting reshoring projects," says Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative.
"Where manufacturing and investments in other developed economies have stalled, the United States is growing stronger," Woods adds. "For example, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) strengthens investment conditions. AMT played a leading role in shaping this legislation, delivering long-sought tax incentives, investment opportunities, and financial relief to manufacturers."
Key OBBBA provisions benefiting the IMTS community include:
- Reinstates and makes permanent 100% bonus depreciation for qualified assets, including manufacturing equipment, machinery, and facilities.
- Doubles the Section 179 small business expensing cap, from $1.25 million to $2.5 million.
- Makes permanent the Section 199A pass-through business deduction of 20%.
- Allows U.S.-based R&D costs to be fully expensed in the year incurred.
- Permanently sets the estate tax exemption for small business owners at $15 million (individual) and $30 million (joint).
Restores EBITDA-based deduction rules through 2029, allowing greater deductibility of interest expenses.
Growth Sectors
Precision manufacturers, a key IMTS audience, are poised to benefit from growth in aerospace, defense, and semiconductor sectors. Commercial air travel demand is strong; aircraft production issues are being resolved; and global defense spending is rising. OBBBA also increased the semiconductor investment tax credit from 25% to 35% to support domestic chip production. Construction investments in AI infrastructure are surging, and U.S. data center growth is expected to expand rapidly, supported by abundant energy and water resources. The United States is the world's top energy producer, exporting 30% of its production in 2024.
"There are abundant opportunities in key industries and more ways than ever for manufacturers to improve operational efficiencies," says Woods. "Technologies featured at IMTS can boost gross profit, sales per employee, and enable manufacturers to target new customers with enhanced capabilities. Beyond high-profile solutions like machining centers, AI, software, and automation, tens of thousands of time-saving machines and tools help free up people for higher-value work that generates better margins."
IMTS 2026 runs Sept. 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.
Want more information? Click below.
Rate this article
View our terms of use and privacy policy ::m::