U.S. Manufacturing Today

Manufacturing and American Independence: From Mercantilism to the American System

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 at Valley Forge. It highlights Ben Franklin’s maker-centered economic philosophy, then explains how the founders enacted the Tariff Act of 1789 to support government, pay debts, and protect manufacturers. Alexander Hamilton’s 1791 Report on Manufactures framed industrial policy as national security and endorsed protective tariffs for “infant industries.” Henry Clay’s 1824 American System integrated tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements, later advanced by Lincoln; the episode contrasts this history with post-1913 shifts toward income tax and lower tariffs and links offshoring and supply-chain vulnerabilities to renewed reindustrialization debates in 2026. Timestamps 00:00 America 250 Blueprint 01:17 Mercantilism and Suppression 01:57 Revolution Supply Crisis 03:15 Franklin Maker Ethos 05:02 Tariff Act 1789 05:43 Hamilton Infant Industry 07:50 Clay American System 10:10 Lincoln and Industrial Rise 10:44 Income Tax Tradeoff 11:45 Reindustrialization Lessons 12:39 Workforce Is the Engine 12:59 Closing and Resources Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://sustainment.com/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Navigating Trump 2.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com/navigating-trump-2-0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform ⁠ [https://company.veryableops.com/create-profile]

Maxter Healthcare’s $500M Reshoring Bet: Building America’s First Nitrile Glove Mega-Facility in Brazoria County, Texas

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 prioritized water, power, weather, logistics, and community after evaluating locations including Upstate New York and Florida, and why Brazoria County won. The guests describe the 215-acre, highly automated, hurricane- and flood-resilient plant using AI defect detection and producing 180–200 million gloves monthly today, with phase-one capacity rising and long-term plans for up to ~80 lines. They discuss serving healthcare, industrial, and federal government demand, policy signals, tariffs and raw-material challenges, and the push for long-term contracts to reduce import volatility and shortages. 00:00 Welcome and Episode Setup 01:47 Why Reshore Gloves Now 03:36 Site Search Across States 06:51 Choosing Brazoria County Texas 09:46 Markets and Federal Demand 12:25 Policy Tariffs and Supply Risks 18:05 Inside the Mega Facility 20:44 How Gloves Are Made at Scale 26:10 Winning Buyers on Value 29:52 Expansion Plans and Contracts 34:24 Supply Chain Disruptions Return 39:49 Advice for Onshoring Builders 42:25 Where to Learn More 43:12 Closing Takeaways and Outro Links Maxter Healthcare [https://www.maxtergloves.com/] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://sustainment.com/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Navigating Trump 2.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com/navigating-trump-2-0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform ⁠ [https://company.veryableops.com/create-profile]

Reindustrialization Sensing Session: Supply Chain Cartels, New Factories, Tax Incentives, Freight Tightening, and the Tacit Knowledge Bottleneck

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 dependency risks and the reshoring rationale. It covers JetZero’s planned 3M-sq-ft Greensboro, NC aircraft factory ($4.7B investment, 14,500 jobs, AI/digital with Siemens) and SendCutSend’s rapid-growth on-demand manufacturing model, which raised $110M at a $1B+ valuation. The host says tariff-driven inflation fears haven’t materialized in core goods CPI, and reviews the “one big beautiful bill” restoring permanent 100% bonus depreciation, expensing for production property and domestic R&D, and EBITDA-based interest limits. Freight data shows tightening trucking capacity and rising tender rejections, and a Fortune argument that tacit operating knowledge—not equipment—is the key bottleneck, with AI positioned to capture and scale it. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Format Shift 00:56 Trucking Safety Wins 01:14 Week’s Big Themes 02:08 Container Cartel Exposed 03:45 Why Reshoring Matters 04:54 JetZero Factory Build 06:08 SendCutSend Scales Up 07:18 Tariffs vs Inflation Data 09:14 Tax Code CapEx Boost 11:23 Freight Market Tightening 13:36 AI and Tacit Knowledge 15:42 Wrap Up and Next Steps Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://sustainment.com/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Navigating Trump 2.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com/navigating-trump-2-0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform ⁠ [https://company.veryableops.com/create-profile]

The Hidden Crisis in American Trucking: A Conversation with Shannon Everett of American Truckers United (Recast)

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 impact of illegal immigration on the trucking sector. Shannon outlines the survival strategies and necessary reforms to protect American truckers, emphasizing the importance of legislative action and public support. The conversation reveals the hidden challenges within the American trucking industry and underscores the broader implications for public safety and national security. Timestamps * 00:00 Introduction and Welcome * 00:10 Guest Introduction: Shannon Everett * 00:37 Shannon's Journey in the Trucking Industry * 02:55 Challenges in the Trucking Industry * 05:02 The Impact of Foreign Commercial Drivers * 10:36 Investigating CDL Anomalies * 18:41 Proposed Reforms and Solutions * 25:48 Call to Action and Conclusion Links * ⁠American Truckers United⁠ [https://americantruckers.com/] * ⁠Shannon Everett LinkedIn⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonkeverett/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://sustainment.com/]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Navigating Trump 2.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com/navigating-trump-2-0] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform ⁠ [https://company.veryableops.com/create-profile]

From Industry 4.0 to 5.0: Human-Centric Transformation, Reliability, and Leadership with A.W. Schultz

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 involved and change management is weak. He outlines common reliability challenges such as poor integration and gaps between strategy and execution, and explains adaptive work management as a culture-aware, non–cookie-cutter approach that emphasizes relevant metrics and organizational health. Schultz discusses maintenance strategies (reactive, preventive, predictive) using asset criticality and supply constraints, and stresses that transformation success depends on leadership, humility, and continuous feedback. He advises leaders to lead with courage, data, and heart and shares where to find his Factory of the Future Podcast. Timestamps Links AW on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/] A.W.Schultz Training and Industrial Transformation [https://www.awschultz.org/about/] Factory of the Future Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9XNaAMVMQqVNRdw_VZg5ZaTETybqtkXR] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Navigating Trump 2.0 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com/navigating-trump-2-0] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.veryableops.com] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform ⁠⁠⁠ [https://company.veryableops.com/create-profile]