Manufacturers Mean Business
Key Highlights
- IMTS 2026 will feature the latest in AI, automation, and digital manufacturing solutions, attracting industry leaders worldwide.
- The event underscores the significant investment flow into U.S. manufacturing, totaling over $10.5 trillion, and highlights opportunities for growth and innovation.
- Attendees include major manufacturers and machine shops seeking solutions to improve efficiency, speed, and competitiveness in global markets.
- Policy incentives like bonus depreciation and increased small business expensing are fueling investment and technological upgrades in manufacturing.
- Registration for IMTS 2026 is open, offering a platform for networking, learning, and exploring new business opportunities in manufacturing technology.
The International Manufacturing Technology Show is a biannual magnet for big technologies and big ideas, but it’s revealing to know that the event is also a big draw for big businesses. Recently the organizers of IMTS 2026, AMT - the Assn. for Manufacturing Technology, offered a compelling graphic about who their visitors represent.
At the September 2024 event, which drew 89,020 registered visitors from 110 countries, the attendees were associated with many of the largest and most prolific businesses in the global economy.
The exhibitors at IMTS can help you stretch beyond your current capabilities, and now is a great time to take advantage of new opportunities in technology,” stated Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT. “When you look at manufacturing technology orders, productivity gains, capital investment, and foreign direct investment flowing into North America, the momentum behind U.S. manufacturing is very real.”
“IMTS also showcases how AI, software, automation, and other digital solutions advance the capabilities of machine tools and other foundational technologies,” says Travis Egan, chief revenue officer of AMT. “U.S. companies outcompete other regions through their willingness to innovate and adopt new technology faster.”
Manufacturers visiting IMTS are investors, is AMT’s point, and it estimated their total U.S. and foreign investment at $10.5 trillion. “These manufacturers, as well as machine shops representing $37.1 billion in output, attend IMTS to find solutions that enable them to complete faster, transition efficiently from one job to the next, and boost competitiveness in dynamic global markets,” according to AMT.
Their initiatives are already underway, Woods observed, lending strength to the outlook for another dynamic event in September.
“The government is encouraging reshoring and manufacturing technology investment with policy changes and tax code enhancements, such as by reinstating 100% bonus depreciation and doubling the Section 179 small business expensing cap from $1.25 million to $2.5 million,” he noted. “The machines and technology at IMTS enable manufacturers to turn favorable economic conditions and investment incentives into growth strategies for their business.”
IMTS 2026 will take place September 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago - and registration is open.