Tariffs, taxes, energy and regulation are the most pressing issues facing American manufacturers in 2025, a national expert told the inaugural meeting of the AIM Manufacturing Community yesterday.

Michael Davin, Director of Energy & Resources Policy at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), said that business advocates are working to develop economic development strategies despite unprecedented political uncertainty.

“Our members require certainty,” Davin said.

The meeting drew some 75 manufacturers from throughout the commonwealth. The Manufacturing Community brings manufacturers together to collaborate, share best practices, and access resources that support growth.

Tariffs remain the most immediate concern for manufacturers across the country, Davin said. He noted that 56 percent of US imports become inputs for manufacturers as they create economic growth in this country. NAM is working with the administration to minimize the effect of tariffs on the manufacturing sector and to create “offramps” that might allow changes to the policy.

At the same time, Davin said, manufacturers are working to secure extension of the tax reductions created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Those provisions, including a reduction in the corporate tax rate, will expire at the end of the year unless Congress passes an extension as part of a continuing resolution now under discussion on Capitol Hill. Six million jobs, including 1.1 million manufacturing jobs, are at stake in the tax debate, Davin told the group.

On energy, Davin said that NAM and many other groups prefer an “all of the above” strategy that includes natural gas, oil, nuclear and renewables like solar and wind. Manufacturers account for one-third of all electricity use in the United States and need a stable electric grid and predictable flow of baseload power. Streamlining permitting and project approvals will be the best way to ensure that flow.

The Manufacturing Community gathering was part of an ongoing initiative by AIM to ensure that manufacturing remains a thriving part of the Massachusetts economy. AIM President and CEO Brooke Thomson shot the video of her 2025 State of Massachusetts Business Address at a manufacturing company – Ahead LLC in New Bedford – and the association’s Manufacturing Policy Committee recently held meetings with the House and Senate chairs of the Legislature’s Manufacturing Caucus.

“AIM has been the voice of manufacturing in Massachusetts for 110 years and that voice is needed now more than ever amid an uncertain and challenging environment. Our message to manufacturing companies is to please join us to ensure that public policy supports the economic benefits that manufacturing brings to the people of Massachusetts,” said Leslie Greis, an owner of Kinefac Corporation in Worcester and Co-Chair of the Manufacturing Community.

Mike Keneally, owner of Accutech Packaging in Foxboro and the other Community Co-Chair, said, “Manufacturers need to be engaged with public policy and with one another in 2025. The issues discussed at today’s meeting underscore the challenges we face and the need to work together.”

Please contact Laura Hardenstein, lhardenstien@aimnet.org, to learn more about the AIM Manufacturing Community.