Advanced Manufacturing Now

The R&D Tax Credit is a tax credit that businesses can claim for qualified U.S. research and development spending — things like developing or improving products, processes, formulas, or software.

However, navigating the R&D credit landscape is not without its hurdles. Challenges include identifying qualifying activities on the shop floor, managing the rigorous documentation required for audits, and integrating tax strategy into broader business development goals.

This webinar will review the current updates and opportunities with the R&D tax credit for the manufacturing sector. Our experts will also discuss strategic approaches to identifying high-value opportunities because of the OBBB.

Presenters: Tim Parrish CEO Sagemont Matt Davenport Director of R&D Tax Credit Services Sagemont

Brought to you by: Sagemont

Visit https://advancedmanufacturing.org/webinars for more webinars and an interactive experience with visuals.

SME Media Editor Rachael Thomas and Associate Editor Cary Gitter sit down for an industry update, discussing recent news on the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a visit to Michigan Central and Newlab in Detroit, and the administration's proposed defense budget for 2027.

This is an audio-only recording of our latest episode of Advanced Manufacturing Live. Follow SME Media on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube to catch our next episode live.

We sit down with SME's chief Manufacturing Officer, Dr. Brett Conner, to discuss the National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy, and what they mean for manufacturers in the United States.

We speak with Alexandra Levit, workforce futurist and founder of Inspiration at Work, and Stephanie Loeck, vice president of strategic development at GPS Education Partners, about their book Make School Work and the growing impact of work-based learning.

The manufacturing industry is transitioning into a new era of additive implementation, from massive automotive-scale builds to ultra-precise micro 3D printing. We dive into the evolving landscape of this technology in our preview of the April 2026 edition of Manufacturing Engineering and Technology, just ahead of RAPID + TCT 2026.

2026 is not about transformation - it's about survival through smarter allocation. Manufacturing leaders are entering the year with fewer people, tighter margins, and far less patience for initiatives that don't deliver measurable ROI. Based on CADDi's 2026 Industry Report, this session breaks down where manufacturers are still investing, what they're deliberately avoiding, and how the best teams are extracting more output from the assets and data they already own. We'll explore:

• Why 69% of companies are prioritizing physical assets - and why automation and robotics are winning over headcount
• Why data access, not headcount, is becoming the real productivity multiplier
• How "selective improvement" is replacing broad transformation - and what that means for ROI, resilience, and speed

Join us for a data-backed look at where the industry is heading and how leading manufacturers are extracting more value from the assets, systems, and people they already have.

Presenters:

Aaron Lober VP of Marketing CADDi

Chris Cope VP of Engineering CADDi

Patrick Harrigan VP of Partnerships CADDi

Brought to you by: CADDi

Visit https://advancedmanufacturing.org/webinars for more webinars and an interactive experience with visuals.

SME Media Editor-in-Chief Steve Plumb and Associate Editor Cary Gitter are joined by SME's Dave Morton, group director, events; Suzy Marzano, senior manager, industry development and technical activities; and Stacey Eeman, director, industry strategy, for a special preview of RAPID + TCT—North America's largest additive manufacturing event—and the AeroDef Manufacturing showcase, coming up in Boston April 13-16.

This is an audio recording of our latest episode of Advanced Manufacturing Live. Follow SME Media on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube to catch our next episode live.

We sit down with Matthew Bush, CEO of Hirebotics, to discuss the rapid rise of cobots in modern manufacturing and how they are transforming operations across industries.

Manufacturing organizations face a wide range of interconnected risks—from supply chain disruptions and inventory shortages to customer concentration and pricing volatility. Yet many still rely on traditional "what if" scenarios that fail to capture how these risks interact and compound, limiting their ability to anticipate performance shortfalls.

Join Glen Justis, CEO of Acclaim Strategies, LLC, to see how leading manufacturers use Monte Carlo methods to analyze the interaction of manufacturing risks and support the development of more effective risk mitigation strategies.

In this session, you'll learn:

• Why traditional "what if" analysis falls short for manufacturing risk decisions
• How deeper insight into risk variability supports better, more resilient manufacturing decisions
• Strategies to model supply chain and inventory risk, evaluate customer concentration, and support pricing optimization under uncertainty

Presenter:

Glen Justis CEO, Acclaim Strategies, LLC

Brought to you by: LUMIVERO

Visit https://advancedmanufacturing.org/webinars for more webinars and an interactive experience with visuals.

We speak with Brittany Rodriguez about her career as a Technical Professional in Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, how her mother supported her move into a manufacturing career, and being recognized as an SME 30 Under 30 Honoree in 2025.

Nominations are open now for SME 30 Under 30 2026 until April 17, 2026.