Misumi Americas is launching the Misumi Imprint Foundation to advance engineering education, applied design and robotics programs, and industry–academia partnerships across the U.S. to help address manufacturing workforce challenges.

The foundation, launching with a $2 million seed investment, will make grants in three areas:

• Need-based support for first-generation and underrepresented students in engineering, manufacturing and supply chain, at vocational, trade and university programs.

• Equipment grants for manufacturing labs, engineering team sponsorships, maker spaces and student hackathons.

• Academic curricula built around real manufacturing problems, internship and apprenticeship pathways, and mentorship and career support.

"The foundation addresses a workforce challenge Misumi sees across its customer base, its manufacturing partner network, and the sector as a whole. As artificial intelligence moves from software into physical systems — robotics, automated manufacturing, medical devices, defense and aerospace — demand is rising across every role that turns a design into a working product: not only engineers, but the machinists, CNC programmers, toolmakers, quality and maintenance technicians, automation specialists and production supervisors who make hardware that works safely and reliably in the real world," the company said in a press release.

Misumi's report on "The Rise of U.S. Manufacturing," published in July, noted that U.S. manufacturing value added reached a record $2.91 trillion in 2024, and the sector has attracted $2.42 trillion in cumulative foreign direct investment.

"But the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte project the industry will need 3.8 million additional workers by 2033, with 1.9 million of those positions at risk of going unfilled. Roughly 2.8 million of that need comes from replacing retiring workers. More than 65 percent of manufacturers report that attracting and retaining skilled talent is their single biggest business challenge."

That has also been reflected in Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing's annual Machinery Investment Survey, in which the shortage of skilled labor has consistently been a top concern for plastics processors. (Add your voice to the 2026 survey here.)

Misumi noted in the press release that enrollment at high-vocational community colleges has grown nearly 20 percent since spring 2020, and undergraduate certificate programs have expanded for four consecutive years, but total enrollment at those institutions remains under 1 million students nationwide: "The constraint is funding, not interest," the company said.

Misumi Americas, a manufacturer of mechanical components and assemblies based in Oakland, Calif., is inviting its global supplier network to partner on the initiative, and eventually intends to expand the effort beyond the U.S.