Signature IndustryWeek projects like the IW U.S. 500 and the IW Best Plants Awards continued to capture the attention of our manufacturing community in this edition of IW's Weekly Review, which presents the most-consumed content over the previous seven days. 

Additionally, audience members focused on such hot-topic issues as the short supply of memory chips and rare earth production. Without further ado, the Top 10 are:   

2026 IW U.S. 500: Top Aerospace & Defense Companies (slideshow): Almost a trillion in U.S. sales.

Memory Chips Are in Short Supply. Why Isn't the US Ramping up Production? This fast-emerging constraint could slow progress and raise costs for American consumers.

Manufacturing Revenue, Income Hold Steady: 2026 IndustryWeek U.S. 500: After a dramatic decline in 2024, the overall financial performance of companies on the IW U.S. 500 list leveled off last year.

Rare Earth Production in the US Shows Signs of Life: China may have overplayed its hand.

Lean Myths Debunked: A Successful Kaizen Event Means the Problem Is Solved: True success is defined by long-term sustainability rather than initial implementation.

The 2026 Skilled Labor Shortage and How Manufacturers Are Bridging the Gap: In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek’s Anna Smith explores how an aging workforce and the reshoring drive are contributing to the skilled labor shortage — and what manufacturers are doing to address it.

2026 IndustryWeek Best Plants Award Winners: Four Factories Rise to the Challenge of Manufacturing Excellence: IndustryWeek celebrates this 36th class of IW Best Plants honorees, showcases of exceptional performances, delivered by exceptional teams.

Everyone Has the AI Playbook. Not Everyone Can Make ‘The Odyssey': AI is shortening the time between innovation and imitation, pushing competitive advantage toward the capabilities that take longer to build and are harder to copy.

US Fed Raises Rates to Battle Inflation: The Fed has held rates steady since January, choosing to wait to gauge the effects of energy price shocks and to let the impact of tariffs on prices ripple through the economy.

Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership Funding Restored: The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association will administer the program, replacing the state.

Editor's Pick

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