Manufacturing Expansion Tests Companies’ Operational Resilience and Readiness

Mark Zeffiro writes for SRM Today on why five straight months of manufacturing expansion are separating the companies that did the operational work from those that didn’t.

The data tells the story: rising input costs, extended lead times, and 32 consecutive months of employment contraction mean growth will reward operational readiness, not optimism. Productivity, not headcount, will be what separates the winners in 2026.