In 2025, we launched a series of manufacturing events throughout four different regions of the United States. Branded the Manufacturing Technology Series, these events have been bringing together leading manufacturing companies and professionals for more than 30 years.
Newly named for the regions it serves — EAST, WEST, SOUTHEAST, and SOUTHWEST — this series of manufacturing events had another successful run in 2025. The four industrial trade shows exhibited new technologies, featured solutions to key manufacturing challenges, and drove connections between manufacturers from coast to coast.
Each event had unique attributes and served to highlight each region’s manufacturing community and industrial ecosystem.
The Manufacturing Technology Series EAST
This string of manufacturing events launched with the Manufacturing Technology Series EAST, which took place May 13-15, 2025, at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Mass.
The Manufacturing Technology Series 2025 Starts in the EAST
SME Media previewed the first event in the Manufacturing Technology Series, discussing features and expected attendance. With over 500 exhibiting companies, the event drew nearly 10,000 manufacturing professionals. Formerly known as EASTEC, Manufacturing Technology Series EAST has been providing solutions to manufacturers for 35+ years as the largest manufacturing trade show in the Northeast United States.
The Northeast region has a thriving manufacturing sector, with more than 10% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the region attributed to this industry. This represents 2.5 million manufacturing jobs in the region, over 60,000 companies, and $418.2 billion in output. Given these figures, it’s no surprise that around one-third of show attendees with a role in purchasing have large equipment budgets exceeding $200,000.
The Manufacturing Technology Series EAST is a unique event within this series, as it’s spread out throughout five buildings located within festival grounds. Show highlights included the Executive Perspective keynote series, expert presentations in the Smart Manufacturing Theater, and SecureShop solutions that help manufacturers with investment, adoption, and compliance.
Sparking Interest, Powering Growth: Manufacturing Tech Show Fills Big E
In addition to the event preview published by SME Media, Massachusetts media publisher MassLive.com posted an article on Day One of the event. The article describes some of the technology on display at the event, such as industrial robots, plasma cutters, high-tech vacuum cleaners, and CNC machinery. All of these machines were part of live product demonstrations, showcasing how they could be used for industrial applications in a manufacturing setting.
The coverage also highlighted trending topics that were top of mind in May 2025 during the Manufacturing Technology Series EAST. These included tariffs, as some of the machines had the potential to be subjected to increased tariffs under the administration’s new trade policy released earlier in 2025. Workforce issues in manufacturing were also a main topic at the event, including discussion on how new technologies can help offset these challenges.
One show feature in particular — the Bright Minds Student Summit — was covered, discussing how 200 high school students from the surrounding area had the opportunity to attend the event, and learn more about possible career pathways in manufacturing and engineering. This summit helps attract more young people to manufacturing, in turn combating issues like an aging workforce.
The Manufacturing Technology Series WEST
After taking a break for the summer, the series was back with the Manufacturing Technology Series WEST, taking place from Oct. 7-9, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif., at the Anaheim Convention Center.
SME Media took a new approach when covering this event, releasing three wrap-up videos at the end of each event day.
Manufacturing Technology Series WEST Day One Wrap-Up
In this video, SME Media Editor-in-Chief Steve Plumb interviews Will Healy III, director of product and industry marketing at Teradyne Robotics. Healy discusses how the industry has changed over the past 20+ years, including the rise in automation adoption, especially for small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies.
The conversation highlights how new automation technologies, such as cobots, can collaborate effectively with human workers to optimize productivity. Along with automation, Healy focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and how the technology’s adoption is being led by manufacturers. The video concludes with Healy discussing how the upcoming Manufacturing Technology Series shows, including the WEST event, will impact regional manufacturing communities.
Day Two Wrap-Up: Manufacturing Technology Series WEST
This wrap-up video on the second day of the event features Plumb interviewing Sarah Christopher Falk, the director of marketing for Scientific Cutting Tools (SCT). Falk was exposed to the manufacturing industry early, first attending Manufacturing Technology Series WEST, formerly WESTEC, as a teenager with the company her family founded.
Falk and Plumb discuss how she joined the family business, as well as her experience at the show. She describes how attending and exhibiting at in-person events allows manufacturers to maintain strong relationships with their community, including distributors, end users, and clients. This is especially true in an increasingly digital world. According to Falk, relationships are still the base of business.
The discussion touches on another important feature at this series of in-person events — the student summit that invites high school students to tour the show floor and meet with exhibitors. SCT is a student-friendly exhibitor and Falk elaborates on the industry’s need — due to the skills gap — for more experienced young people in manufacturing, and on the importance of trade programs.
Manufacturing Technology Series WEST: Day Three Wrap-Up
The final day wrap-up video saw Plumb meeting with Jack Burley, president of BIG DAISHOWA. Burley discusses the experience in Anaheim, as this is the first time this event was held at this location. At the WEST event, Burley connected with dynamic customers in a new location who were looking to improve their processes and search for new tooling solutions.
Burley goes on to say that his team is focused on how their tooling products fit into the workflow of end users and on ways to make their products more accessible. Being able to easily understand tools and software is essential when trying to combat the industry’s workforce shortage.
The interview concludes with Burley touching on the inconsistency the industry has faced in 2025, though he thinks it’s starting to stabilize. Looking ahead, he sees a rebound in 2026 that will help bring more consistency and predictability to the industry.
The Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHEAST
The third event in the series, Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHEAST, took place just two weeks after the WEST event. Manufacturers in this region gathered from Oct. 21-23, 2025, at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, S.C.
MT Series: SOUTHEAST by SOUTHWEST
SME Media did a double-feature show preview for this event, discussing the Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHEAST as well as SOUTHWEST, which took place two weeks later in Dallas. In this preview, SME Media quoted Dave Morton, group director of the event series, on South Carolina’s growing manufacturing industry. Morton highlighted the multiple manufacturing companies with headquarters in the region, as well as the presence of advanced manufacturing operations.
In addition to some of the features covered in the EAST article, such as the Smart Manufacturing Experience theater and exhibits, this coverage also discusses the SME Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 exhibit. This event feature offers manufacturing attendees experiences and information to help with the industry’s workforce challenges.
The Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHEAST also included the Executive Perspective Keynote Series. One standout keynote at the event, entitled “The Workforce Development Ecosystem in the State of South Carolina,” featured regional experts and their takes on how the state’s industrial ecosystem is collaborating to solve manufacturing’s workforce issues.
Executive Perspectives on Top Manufacturing Challenges
Additional coverage of the Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHEAST by SME Media included daily wrap-up videos similar to those at the WEST event, as well as videos on the Executive Perspective keynotes at the SOUTHEAST event. The linked video features Jamie Goettler, chief revenue officer of BTX Precision; Billy Bogue, president of Matsuura Machinery USA; Luis Solano, customer engineering manufacturing lead at Google Cloud; and Ken Cowan, vice president of Paperless Parts.
This keynote panel discussed manufacturing technologies and how they can help overcome common manufacturing problems. Some common themes these panelists focused on included the skills gap, technology’s progression in the industry, how to approach technology adoption, and accessible ways to apply AI in operations.
The Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHWEST
Rounding out the event series was the Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHWEST, which debuted for the first time in Dallas. This event moved from its old home in Houston to take place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center from Nov. 4-6, 2025.
Behind the Booth Series
SME Media pivoted its approach again when covering the Manufacturing Technology Series SOUTHWEST. Coverage at this event mainly consisted of seven “Behind the Booth” videos, a series filmed during the event that showcased manufacturers’ products and interviewed booth representatives.
The video series took viewers behind the scenes at these booths:
- Keyence Corp.
- Mitsubishi Materials USA
- LANG Technik USA
- NSK America Corp.
- Bad Ass Band Saws
- Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
- Teradyne Robotics
Looking Forward to the Manufacturing Technology Series 2027
The SOUTHWEST event wrapped up the Manufacturing Technology Series in early November 2025, but each event in the series will be back in 2027 to continue advancing the manufacturing industry and enabling essential business relationships.
The 2027 events are scheduled for:
- EAST, May 11-13, West Springfield, Mass.
- SOUTHEAST, Oct. 19-21, Greenville, S.C.
- SOUTHWEST, Nov. 2-4, Dallas
- WEST, Nov. 16-18, Long Beach, Calif.
Check out our events page for more information. We can’t wait to see everyone again in 2027!