Sumitomo Drive Technologies Receives 2024 National Metalworking Reshoring Award!

Sumitomo Drive Technologies has been recognized with the 2024 National Metalworking Reshoring Award for its successful efforts in relocating manufacturing operations to the United States and nearshoring to Mexico through foreign direct investment. The award was presented during the IMTS – International Manufacturing Technology Show by Harry Moser, founder and president of the Reshoring Initiative.

This esteemed award is given to companies that effectively bring back the manufacturing of products, parts, or tooling—primarily through metal forming, fabricating, casting, machining, or additive manufacturing—to North America. The award is supported by multiple organizations, including the Reshoring Initiative, the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, SME, the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), and the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA).

Joe Gopi, director of manufacturing at Sumitomo Drive Technologies, accepted the award on behalf of the company at the IMTS+ Main Stage. He remarked, “Winning the National Metalworking Reshoring Award is a significant honor and a testament to our team’s commitment to reshoring and nearshoring strategies. This recognition highlights our dedication to customer satisfaction and building a resilient supply chain. We sincerely appreciate the support from our supplier-partners and the investments made by our parent company, SHI (Sumitomo Heavy Industries).”

Moser further emphasized the importance of the award, explaining that Sumitomo’s initiative to transfer work from offshore locations to the U.S. and Mexico involved a total investment of $22 million between 2010 and 2024. This strategic decision has led to an impressive increase in annual revenue by $100 million during that time. The Reshoring Award significantly contributes to the growth of reshored manufacturing jobs in the U.S., which have surged from 11,000 annually in 2010 to 287,000 in 2023.

The next National Metalworking Reshoring Award will be presented at Fabtech 2025 in Chicago, and OEMs and contract manufacturers throughout North America are encouraged to submit their applications by June 30, 2025.