U.S. manufacturers have faced significant headwinds this year: supply chain problems, a skilled labor shortage, inflation, and the war in Ukraine. And yet despite these issues—or perhaps, because of them—manufacturers continued to invest in people, plants and equipment.

For decades, General Motors was king of the highway and queen of the rails. In addition to mass-producing buses, cars and trucks, the automaker was once the largest locomotive builder in the world. At a massive factory just west of Chicago, GM’s Electro-Motive Division (EMD) assembled powerful machines that helped transition American railroads from steam to diesel.

ST. CLOUD, FL—Mercury Marine assembly plant here has achieved a zero-waste-to-landfill designation. The factory makes electrical and plastic components for the company’s marine engines and related parts, accessories and technologies.

Geopolitical forces are accelerating the growing trends of reshoring and foreign direct investment (FDI). Over the last decade, an expanding understanding of the routine logistics costs of offshoring drove an upward trend of reshoring.

Boat manufactures around the world are ramping up production of electric watercraft ranging from pontoons to speedboats. They’re turning to batteries to produce emission-free products that deliver on range and speed.

WEST BEND, WI—Milwaukee Tool has opened the company’s newest assembly plant here. The $55 million project is expected to create 150 jobs.

VALCOURT, Canada—BRP Inc. says it is ramping up production at four of its assembly plants after a cyberattack brought operations to a halt earlier this month.

LORDSTOWN, OH—Foxconn has signed an agreement to manufacture Monarch Tractor’s battery packs and electric agricultural equipment at its assembly plant here.

In this episode of Assembly Audible, we speak with Douglas Schuster, vice president and general manager for global systems at Johnson Controls International.

Most manufacturers agree that digital transformation is necessary to remain competitive today and thrive tomorrow. Many large companies have already begun initiatives. But, when asked to quantify the impact of those initiatives on the bottom line, they often come up short.