U.S. manufacturing employment fell again in August, with the sector losing 12,000 jobs for the fourth consecutive month, totaling 42,000 positions lost since April.

Rising material costs, supply chain challenges, and ongoing trade uncertainties have slowed investment and reshoring efforts, while some companies have paused or delayed plans to build new domestic facilities.

Whoa, are we late this month… but we made it, with two days to spare. Our quick read before at least the US goes into the three-day “Labor Day Weekend” – cheers to the chaps and chapess in the late 1800s to fight for better worker rights. Now back to why Boston is an awesome city!

The Boston and greater Massachusetts tech sectors faced significant challenges in 2024, with declines in employment and job postings, and diversity metrics lagging behind other major metro areas.

Reshoring U.S. manufacturing is once again in the spotlight as trade policies shift, tariffs evolve, and geopolitical tensions rise. Yet high costs, labor shortages, and policy uncertainty are causing many companies to hesitate. While tariffs aim to boost domestic production, they can also raise input costs and create new supply chain disruptions.

In April 2025, container shipments from China to the U.S. fell sharply following the imposition of steep U.S. tariffs, including a 145% levy on Chinese goods. The new trade measures triggered a more than 20% drop in Chinese exports to the U.S., a stark reversal from the 9% increase recorded in March.

I hope the headline made you feel better for a brief second. 🙂

Unfortunately, the tariff situation remains tough and hasn’t changed, but we are here to help.

On a brighter note, I hope to see many of you at the Robotics Summit and Expo later this week in Boston!

Massachusetts’ economic outlook took a steep turn in February, with the AIM Business Confidence Index dropping from 55.6 to 50.4—its steepest decline since March 2020.

Coming out of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting last month, one takeaway was clear: Manufacturing and supply chains are at a pivotal moment that echoes the rise of the internet a generation ago.

Hi all! Happy New Year!

Just like every year, CES in Las Vegas never disappoints. While there were some incredible announcements, here are my Top 3 most disappointing product introductions:

Happy Holiday Season!

Over the past weeks, I was frequently asked what companies can do to avoid potential additional tariffs. There are several options, from reclassifying HTS codes and tariff engineering to considering Boston’s FTZ (Foreign Trade Zone), amongst several others.