Supply Chain Now: "Building a Bold New Roadmap Forward for the U.S. Manufacturing Industry"

Date: December 10, 2025
Recorded at: Innovation Summit North America 2025, Las Vegas, powered by Schneider Electric
Host: Scott Luton
Guests:

• Jay Timmons (President & CEO, National Association of Manufacturers, NAM)
• Kathy Wangle (EVP, Chief Technical Operations & Risk Officer, Johnson & Johnson, NAM Board Chair)

Episode Overview

This episode is a deep dive into the evolving landscape of U.S. manufacturing, emphasizing the urgent need for a new comprehensive industry strategy. Scott Luton gathers insights from Jay Timmons and Kathy Wangle, who collectively represent manufacturing’s policy advocacy, on-the-ground leadership, and innovation. The conversation explores critical industry challenges—tariff policies, workforce development, permitting reform, technological innovation, and trade certainty—with a focus on actionable solutions to empower American manufacturing and sustain global leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Need for a New Manufacturing Strategy

[04:02] Jay Timmons on Foundations of Success:

• A robust manufacturing base underpins all successful economies, driving growth and improved quality of life for Americans.
• U.S. manufacturing must stay globally competitive as other nations seek to overtake its economic leadership.
• Six key policy pillars:
  • Tax policy: Lowering business costs.
  • Regulatory policy: Boosting efficiency and reducing burdens.
  • Energy access: Ensuring affordable domestic energy as manufacturers use 20% of U.S. supply.
  • Workforce development: Building the future through targeted educational pathways.
  • Trade policy: Enabling global market access.
  • Supply chains: Ensuring critical inputs are available and affordable.

Quote:
"Every country that is successful, every economy that is successful, is really grounded in a strong and thriving manufacturing base." – Jay Timmons [04:02]

[06:09] Kathy Wangle Adds:

• Emphasizes the rapid technological and workforce transformation in manufacturing.
• Advocates for changing outdated perceptions of the sector and showcasing diverse career pathways.
• Stresses the need to amplify policy solutions and partner with government to clear roadblocks for manufacturers.

2. Permitting Reform for Energy & Resource Development

[07:36] Jay Timmons on the Bottleneck:

• Calls for streamlining the lengthy permitting process for energy and mining projects.
• Notes the U.S. lags behind other nations (10–15 years for mining permits vs. 1–3 years elsewhere).
• Highlights nuclear energy as key for future capacity, especially with AI increasing energy demand.
• Clarifies that reform is about removing duplicative hurdles and unnecessary legal delays—not reducing safety.

Quote:
"This is not about making something less safe... It's about getting rid of duplication, streamlining processes, and eliminating legal hurdles that are just impediments to progress." – Jay Timmons [10:01]

3. Workforce Development: Pathways, Opportunity, and the Talent Gap

[11:07] Kathy Wangle:

• Technical skills form the backbone: electricians, engineers, equipment operators.
• Multiple routes into manufacturing (e.g., apprenticeships, Veterans programs)—not all require college degrees.
• Special spotlight on Manufacturing Institute programs like "FAME" and "Veterans Make America."

Quote:
"There are so many pathways... it's not about needing four-year degrees for everything... It's also about inspiring the workforce, having them see modern manufacturing." – Kathy Wangle [11:07]

[13:58] On the Talent Shortage:

• 400,000 open jobs in U.S. manufacturing now; projected to reach 2 million by 2030.
• Urgent need to source talent from underrepresented populations and create inclusive pipelines.

Quote:
"2 million jobs we can't fill unless we help accelerate these pipelines from different backgrounds, from different educations, and really create that environment that is the new manufacturing renaissance here." – Kathy Wangle [13:58]

[15:11] Jay Timmons Adds:

• Rewarding careers, both personally and financially ($120K starting salaries for some roles).
• Job satisfaction is high on factory floors nationwide.

4. Trade Policy and the Impact of Tariffs

[16:16] Jay Timmons:

• The industry’s biggest need: certainty in trade to plan investments, hiring, and growth.
• While tax and regulatory reforms send positive signals, pervasive tariff unpredictability impedes progress and investment.
• U.S. manufacturers must import about 16% of critical components and materials—for new factories, tariffs can raise costs 40% or more, stalling projects.

Quote:
"This year, the tariff policy has created the great pause. This economy is ready to explode in a very positive way. But we have to have the certainty and understand where all of these tariff policies are going." – Jay Timmons [17:55]

• NAM’s proposed “manufacturing accelerator” would enable duty-free, expedited access for critical inputs so the U.S. can build capacity.

5. Technological Innovation: AI, Sensors, and Medical Breakthroughs

[19:47] Jay Timmons:

• AI and automation are tools to boost productivity and efficiency worldwide.
• Medical innovations—like the mRNA vaccine—highlight manufacturing’s life-or-death importance.

Personal Note:
"My grandmother had polio...my father died of COVID before the vaccine came out...we were able to bring [the vaccine] to life and save so many lives." – Jay Timmons [20:26]

[22:02] Kathy Wangle on the New Era:

• Health care and med device sectors are being revolutionized by the intersection of science, miniaturization, and AI.
• Sensors now let companies monitor, track, and proactively manage products, like cold-chain pharmaceuticals, across the global supply chain.
• Predictive maintenance and agentic AI enable automatic interventions to prevent losses or spoilage.

Quote:
"The acceleration and ubiquity of lower cost sensors... allow us to connect things and manufacture and trace in a different way. So you put that there, you put AI, and it's a different, amazing world." – Kathy Wangle [23:24]

6. The Policy Imperative

[24:15] Jay Timmons:

• Policy, not politics, is the lever for continued innovation and investment.
• Warns against measures (like pharmaceutical price controls) that could reduce the incentive or ability for companies to innovate.

Quote:
"Those [innovations] can only be possible through investments. And when policy exists to make it more difficult for our companies to invest... let's focus on the real problem." – Jay Timmons [24:15]

Notable Moments & Quotes

• Veteran Employment Programs:
  "[Veterans] make about 3 billion Acuvue brand contact lenses every year in that plant in Jacksonville." – Kathy Wangle [13:13]
• Workforce Reality Check:
  "Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, just said how frustrated he is that he can’t get folks on the line for $120,000 a year starting." – Jay Timmons [15:11]
• Human Impact of Manufacturing:
  "No product, no program." – Scott Luton quoting humanitarian leaders [21:47]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:02] – Why a New Manufacturing Strategy Matters
• [06:09] – Perception & Future of Manufacturing Careers
• [07:36] – Permitting Reform: Energy & Critical Minerals
• [11:07] – Workforce Development: Skills & Pathways
• [13:58] – U.S. Manufacturing Talent Pipeline Crunch
• [16:16] – Trade Policy, Tariffs, and Investment Certainty
• [19:47] – Transformative Innovation: AI, Medicine, and Sensors
• [23:24] – Connecting Policy to Innovation

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is urgent yet optimistic, blending clear-eyed assessments of American manufacturing’s hurdles with tangible examples and a call to action. Both guests emphasize inclusion, collaboration, and technological advancement as the foundation for a new competitive era. The overall tone is pragmatic, solutions-focused, and forward-looking, grounded in gratitude for the past and genuine excitement for the future.

Summary prepared for the Supply Chain Now audience.