The U.S. manufacturing industry is facing an array of changes right now, as the country prioritizes scaling domestic clean energy and semiconductor production. At the same time, companies continue to navigate rising operational costs, labor challenges and the use of artificial intelligence in their factories.
To help you prepare for 2025’s slew of U.S. manufacturing conferences, Manufacturing Dive rounded up some of the country’s biggest events.
Conferences and trade shows span multiple sectors, including aerospace, batteries and semiconductors, as well as events that can appeal to manufacturing leaders in any field. Read on for what to attend in the coming months.
Top manufacturing conferences in 2025
IPC Apex Expo
March 18-20
Anaheim Convention Center, California
The electronics conference will include technical industry content and professional development courses. Attendees and exhibitors include PCB fabricators, designers, OEMs, EMS companies and more.
Transformers Summit
March 26-28
Amelia Island, Florida
The Transformers Summit aims to drive the energy transition and provide insight for its attendees to build their net-zero strategy this year and beyond. The conference is hosted by Spain-based EDP Renewables.
Fabtech
Sept. 8-11
Chicago, Illinois
This conference is all about metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing. With over 800,000 square feet of exhibits, the metals conference delves into the latest in manufacturing equipment.
The Manufacturing Institute’s Workforce Summit
Date TBD
Location TBD
The Manufacturing Institute’s Workforce Summit will focus on elevating local and national talent solutions, amplifying training strategies and providing attendees with opportunities to explore community partnership models regarding workforce challenges. Sessions will discuss employee retainment, training students and implementing child care benefits.
AME International Conference
Oct. 6-9
St. Louis, Missouri
This Association for Manufacturing Excellence International conference will host over 30 sessions on topics such as developing an evolving workforce, continuous integration tools and culture, nurturing thriving learning organizations, coaching the practice of problem-solving together and integrating people and AI.
ProMat
March 17-20
Chicago, Illinois
Promat 2025 is a supply chain operations conference that hones in on the latest equipment and tech, how to connect with key suppliers and how to make strategic capital equipment buying decisions for future operations. The conference, hosted by the Material Handling Industry Organization, has over 200 sessions.
Westec
Oct. 7-9
Anaheim, California
The Manufacturing Technology Series in the West Coast covers how qualified buyers with sizable technology and equipment budgets can look for new ideas, solutions and suppliers to help them gain a competitive edge. It brings together four regional, smaller events — Westec, Eastec, Southec, and Houstex — into one major conference. Attendees come from various industries including aerospace, medical, industrial machinery, automotive, fabricated metal and more.
American Manufacturing Summit
March 19-20
Chicago, Illinois
The Generis American Manufacturing Summit is a two-day, leadership-focused conference meant for global manufacturing, operations, engineering, quality and supply chain leaders in the advanced manufacturing environment. Key themes next year will be process optimization, modern facilities, talent and capability and innovation. Featured speakers include executives from HelloFresh, Polaris Inc. and Danone.
American Council of Engineering Companies Fall Conference
Oct. 5-9
San Diego, California
The conference is for companies offering products and services to consulting engineering firms, such as IT, insurance, and financial services, as well as material suppliers influencing design and specifications in various engineering disciplines. Key topics include disruptive technologies, AI, climate resilience, and workforce development.
North American Manufacturing Excellence Summit
April 14-16
Fort Worth, Texas
The conference is for industry leaders, manufacturing executives and experts dedicated to exploring innovative strategies, emerging trends and best practices in the world of manufacturing management. In 2024, the North American Manufacturing Excellence Summit had over 400 attendees, more than 91% of whom were above the director level. Speakers in 2025 include executives from Honeywell, 3M, Toyota, HP and New Balance.
The Battery Show North America
Oct. 6-9
Detroit, Michigan
This conference is for engineers and business leaders to learn about emerging applications in advanced battery and electric vehicle technologies. In October 2024, there will be more than 1,150 exhibitors for automotive, stationary, medical, aerospace, commercial and industrial applications.
MD&M West
Feb. 4-6
Anaheim, California
The advanced manufacturing conference focuses on the production process across four industries — medical devices, automation, design and manufacturing and plastics. This year, the show will bring together five co-located shows — MD&M West, ATX West, D&M West, Plastec West and WestPack — into a single unified show: MD&M West.
Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference
May 5-8
Albany, New York
The international technical conference focuses on solving challenges presented by semiconductor manufacturing. It brings together device makers, equipment and materials suppliers and academics to learn the latest in the practical application of advanced manufacturing strategies and methodologies.
American Food Manufacturing Summit
Nov. 4-5
Chicago, Illinois
This food manufacturing conference is designed to bring food and beverage executives and suppliers together to discuss topics such as food manufacturing software, food safety software, quality, sustainable food packaging and more. Featured speakers for the fall 2024 conference include executives from WK Kellogg Co., HelloFresh and Impossible Foods.
Military Additive Manufacturing Summit & Technology Showcase
Feb. 11-13
Tampa, Florida
The ninth annual Military Additive Manufacturing Summit & Technology Showcase is an event for military, aerospace and defense leaders who want to explore 3D printing technologies. It features discussions on Department of Defense acquisition priorities, international initiatives in 3D printing and presentations on technological advancements in additive manufacturing.
Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo North America
Oct. 6-9
Detroit, Michigan
The electric vehicle conference will include over 1,150 battery manufacturers, discuss new ideas for increased battery efficiencies and reduced manufacturing costs and feature live product demos showcasing emerging battery technology. Professional attendees are from the advanced battery and H/EV communities.
Connected Manufacturing Forum
June 23-24
St. Louis, Missouri
Since 2018, this advanced manufacturing conference has covered the digital transformation and enablement of factories to boost efficiency, productivity and profitability. The event is for various industries, including automotive, consumer goods and aerospace.
Worldwide Advanced Manufacturing Symposium
July 14-16
Knoxville, Tennessee
The advanced manufacturing conference is for aerospace, defense, transportation and energy application industries. It will touch on additive manufacturing, modeling and simulation, development of new materials, joining and in-space manufacturing.
Rapid + TCT Conference
April 8-10
Detroit, Michigan
The additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing event will offer new product announcements and hands-on exhibits, and bring together thousands of leaders in the space.
International Manufacturing Technology Show
Date TBD
Location TBD
The industrial machinery and technology trade show featured 40 million pounds of machinery in 2024, with nearly 90,000 registrants. The event features a massive exhibition space as well as a conference focused on continuous improvement and tech integration.
