TMA E-News Bulletin for April 29, 2026

NEWS

Rising Industrial Activity Supports Higher Cutting Tool Demand

Domestic demand for cutting tools rose 2% in February from January, which is 12.8% higher than February 2025. YTD shipments are up 11.3% compared to the same period in 2025. According to Mike Stokey, president of USCTI, optimism about first quarter sales is tempered by continued uncertainty about the cost and supply of raw materials as well as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Cutting Tool Market Report is compiled monthly by AMT and USCTI. More HERE.

U.S. Manufacturing PMI Reaches a Multi-Year High in April

The S&P Global US manufacturing flash PMI rose from 52.3 in March to 54 in April, the highest measure since May 2022. Manufacturing output hit a four-year high at 55.7. Delivery times to factories reached a nearly four-year high as well, due to shipping-related disruptions and shortages. Prices paid for inputs hit an 11-month high, pushing prices charged for goods up at the fastest pace in nearly four years. The broader composite index rose from 50.3 in March to 52, a three-month high, with the services index increasing from 49.8 to 51.3. More HERE.

Manufacturing Outlook Remains Steady According to Business Conditions Report

Metalforming manufacturers’ economic outlook for the next three months remained relatively steady, according to the April 2026 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report. Prepared monthly, PMA’s report provides an economic indicator for the next three months of manufacturing, sampling 82 metalforming companies in the United States and Canada. More HERE.

Report Ranks Illinois 45th For Economic Outlook

A tax and fiscal policy task force director says Illinois residents ought to be concerned about the state’s low rankings in a new report. The American Legislative Exchange Council’s Rich States Poor States report ranked Illinois 45th for economic outlook and 49th for economic performance. More HERE.

Corporate Energy Buyers No Longer Niche Market Force

Corporate America has become one of the most consequential forces shaping the U.S. electricity system. When asked what he wishes lawmakers better understood, Rich Powell, CEO of the Corporate Energy Buyers Association (CEBA) – the country’s largest energy buyers, didn’t mince words. “I’m like a broken record on this one…the U.S. needs fundamental reform of its energy and environmental permitting system and transmission planning system – codified in federal legislation so reforms survive future administrations.” More HERE.

OSHA Revises Heat Enforcement Program

The U.S. Department of Labor has revised OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) on outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, signaling that OSHA will continue enforcing heat safety through inspections rather than the rollout of a new federal heat standard. The updated NEP, which takes effect immediately and continues through April 10, 2031, refines how OSHA targets employers for heat-related inspections when the heat index is expected to be 80 degrees or higher. More HERE.

Drastic Fines for Making Form I-9 Mistakes

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently posted a new factsheet having reclassified many Form I-9 errors from “technical” to “substantive.” The impact is that clerical mistakes that employers formerly could correct during a Form I-9 audit are no longer correctable and instead are subject to immediate fines during a Form I-9 audit. More HERE and new factsheet HERE.

ADVOCACY

Register for TMA’s Virtual Briefing on CTE Legislation with IL Senator Willie Preston

Please join us on Wednesday, May 13, at 9:00 am for a live, 30-minute virtual briefing with IL Senator Willie Preston (D-Chicago), TMA Lobbyist David Curtin and Terry Stroh, a leader in Career & Technical Education, to discuss TMA’s legislation – SB 3070 — that would increase opportunities for high school students to take courses in advanced manufacturing, machining, etc. as an alternative to the coming state mandate requiring two years of foreign language to graduate. Register HERE.  

MEMBERS

Former TMA Chairman Pens Op-Ed About CTE Legislation

Ben Barnett, President and CEO of Principal Manufacturing in Broadview and former TMA Board Chairman, writes in The Center Square that Senate Bill 3070 provides a sensible solution to the coming 2-year foreign language mandate for graduation and would boost Career & Technical Education training in high schools that would benefit small and midsize manufacturers. More HERE.

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EVENTS

TRAINING

Now Open: Entrance Exams for Fall 2026 Related Theory Apprentice Training

TMA is now accepting appointments to take the exam for the fall 2026 semester. The exam is administered at TMA in Schaumburg. Click HERE to schedule an exam. More information and FAQs about the entrance exam HERE. Successful completion of the Entrance Exam is required for all Year 1 students. Year 1 classes fill up quickly, so please schedule entrance exams as soon as possible.

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