AEM Manufacturing Express Wraps 2026 Tour Celebrating the People, Companies, and Communities Powering American Manufacturing
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) today celebrated the conclusion of the 2026 leg of the AEM Manufacturing Express tour, which spent the month of September spotlighting the men and women who build, power, and feed America.
The Northeast leg marked the third consecutive year of the AEM Manufacturing Express, building on the momentum of the award-winning grassroots initiative that has traveled more than 24 thousand miles, made more than 100 stops, and connected manufacturing workers, community leaders, and lawmakers in conversations about the future of manufacturing.
The 2026 leg kicked off on Sept. 1 in Norwalk, Connecticut, and continued through Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, visiting AEM member companies that play a critical role in strengthening local economies, supporting family-sustaining careers, advancing innovation, and keeping communities moving forward.
“The AEM Manufacturing Express is about celebrating the people behind the equipment that builds our infrastructure, powers our communities, and feeds our nation,” said Megan Tanel, AEM President and CEO. “Throughout this year’s tour, we saw firsthand the pride, skill, and innovation that define equipment manufacturing. Every stop reinforced what we already know: when manufacturers are strong, communities are strong.”
At each stop, the Manufacturing Express brought employees together to celebrate their work, share their stories, and learn more about how to advocate for the industry through I Make America, AEM’s national grassroots program. Employees were invited to participate in the Manufacturing Challenge, an interactive online game designed to highlight the technologies, policies, and people powering modern equipment manufacturing.
From Terex Corporation and SmartEquip in Norwalk to Indeco North America in Milford and OEM Controls in Shelton, the opening week highlighted Connecticut manufacturers whose products support construction, demolition, forestry, specialty vehicles, and advanced equipment technologies. In Pennsylvania, the tour stopped at New Holland, McLanahan Corporation, Rockland Manufacturing, and Erie Strayer Company, showcasing companies with deep roots in agriculture, aggregates, mining, construction, heavy equipment, and concrete production. The tour continued into New York with stops including Star Safety Technologies, part of Grote Industries, and Cummins, Inc., before making its way through Ohio and closing out its 2026 run in West Salem.
Along the way, the tour underscored the wide-ranging impact of equipment manufacturers: companies making safety technologies that help protect drivers, attachments that support recycling and material recovery, engines and components that power essential industries, and equipment that helps build roads, bridges, farms, and communities across America.
“What began as an ambitious undertaking has grown into one of AEM’s most effective grassroots initiatives,” said Kip Eideberg, AEM Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations. “This tour works because it meets workers where they are, recognizes the value of what they do every day, and gives them a platform to tell their stories. The 2026 Manufacturing Express made clear that equipment manufacturers are not just building machines; they are building stronger communities and a stronger America.”
The Northeast leg also came at a pivotal moment for the industry. Equipment manufacturers continue to invest in their facilities, develop new technologies, and create high-quality careers, even as they navigate workforce shortages, trade uncertainty, supply chain challenges, and the need for long-term policy certainty. By bringing lawmakers, local officials, and community stakeholders directly to manufacturing facilities, the Manufacturing Express helped connect policy conversations to the people whose livelihoods depend on getting those policies right.
Since launching in 2024, the AEM Manufacturing Express has become a signature member engagement effort for AEM, helping elevate the stories of the 2.2 million men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry. The 2026 leg built on that legacy by celebrating the workers, families, companies, and communities that make American manufacturing strong.
For more information about the AEM Manufacturing Express and to follow the tour’s continued impact, visit manufacturingexpress.org.