The Manufacturing Report

The Commerce Department publicly released its "Section 232" report on national security threats posed by steel imports on Feb. 16. With President Trump's action imminent, brush up on what "Section 232" means for steel.

Music and manufacturing merge at Furnace Record Pressing's 50,000 square-foot vinyl record plant in Alexandria, Va. Join Scott Paul on a tour of Furnace's new facility and a conversation with Furnace's CEO and Operations Manager.

Autonomous vehicles may sound like they're straight out of science fiction, but the day you'll see one on your street isn't far. Ford's Curt Magleby tells Scott Paul how his company is keeping the future of auto manufacturing in America.

Shop Made in DC co-founder Stacey Price always wanted a place to support local makers, and when a space opened near DuPont Circle, she jumped at the chance to highlight D.C.'s best. Since then, sales have expanded production lines and fostered a new sense of community.

The most popular Manufacturing Report podcast of 2017 was our interview with Frank DuBois, and for good reason. His popular Kogod Made in America Auto Index helps consumers keep American-made in mind as they shop for a new vehicle.

There's little doubt that 2017 was a monumental year for American manufacturing. There was good and bad, major developments and huge disappointments. In this episode, Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul, Digital Media Director Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch, Communications Manager Matt McMullan and Press Secretary Jet Moody reflect on the year that was — and put forth a few of their hopes for 2018.

What are your cats and dogs chewing on?

When pets started getting sick from playing with foreign-made pet toys, Pam Wheelock wasn’t surprised. After a successful career as an occupational therapist, the Purrfect Play founder stepped in to produce healthy, sustainable toys for cats and dogs. Knowing that there’s no way to safely farm out pet toy production, Wheelock asks why anyone would put their pet at risk to foreign chemicals and lax safety standards.

In the early 1990s, T-shirt salesman Mark Baker sent a sample of his flannel designs to retailers like J.C. Penney and Sears, who promptly cribbed them and made them overseas. But despite the odds, Baker and the Vermont Flannel Company stayed committed to Made in America, and things really took off in 2007 — when the economic crisis hit. In this episode, Baker shares why Made in America is the secret to his company's success.

When flatware maker Oneida decided to offshore its production, Greg Owens and his business partner stepped in and bought the company's factory in upstate New York. Liberty Tabletop is now the only maker of flatware in the United States — but the company is growing thanks to an innovative business model.

When most American workwear companies sent production overseas at the turn of the century, LC King kept things going at its iconic factory in Bristol, Tenn. And as owner and operations manager Jack King — the great-grandson of company founder Landon Clayton King — explains, LC King's decision helped support other manufacturers around the country, too. But can LC King continue to compete in the face of unfair foreign competition?