Buckley Brinkman, executive director and CEO of the Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing Productivity, joins Kate Bruns of Insight on Manufacturing and Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance on this week’s episode of the NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast to help unpack the 2024-2025 Wisconsin Manufacturing Report, which WCMP has produced for the past four years in order to take the pulse of manufacturers across the state. The detailed report is informed by 400 interviews with manufacturing executives and five robust focus group sessions.
Brinkman notes how some of the results (including supply chain falling off respondents’ list of top worries) may already need updating since the Trump administration has announced tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada and other key trade partners.
Brinkman also gives his perspective on the federal government’s recent defunding of 10 MEP programs in the U.S., and then reversal of the action — what it means, what comes next, how worried we should be and how manufacturers from across the state have mobilized to help advocate for the preservation of WMEP, which WCMP oversees.
Brinkman says he has been gratified by the outpouring of support WMEP has received in the wake of the threatened funding cuts.
“We’re really proud of what we do. We’ve had over $8 billion worth of impact for the state of Wisconsin since we were formed,” Brinkman says. “We’ve had a lot of people reach out and say, ‘You really helped our company survive, thrive, grow, and we’re really worried about you.’ And I’m glad they are, because it’s a really serious time right now and what we’re trying to do is just raise the consciousness through our congressional delegation of just how important this is to our individual manufacturers. We would encourage you to reach out to your representative, reach out to your senators, and tell them how important the MEP is and what a value it is when you’re getting back $12 for every dollar you’re investing in this.”
Hear much more from Brinkman when you listen to this week’s full podcast episode, produced by B.J. DeGroot of Woodward Community Media, on Spreaker or anywhere you listen to podcasts. New episodes are released on Thursdays.
