CES 2026 Defines the Future of Manufacturing
December 16, 2025
Show highlights include Advanced Manufacturing Showcase and new manufacturing track featuring NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons and SME Executive Director and CEO Jeannine Kunz
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® announces CES® 2026 will spotlight next generation manufacturing, exploring how innovations in energy, mobility, and AI are changing how we design, build and deliver products.
“Manufacturing is transforming fast and CES 2026 will show what it takes to build the next industrial era,” said Gary Shapiro, CEO and Vice Chair, CTA. “CES brings together the full manufacturing ecosystem, from automation and robotics to materials and sourcing. The technologies, partnerships and workforce training that power resilient, competitive and AI-ready manufacturing will be front and center at the show.”
On the Show Floor: Manufacturing Innovation Across CES
Look for connected manufacturing technology across the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), spanning Central, North, and South Halls.
- The Advanced Manufacturing Showcase produced by CTA and SME in LVCC Central Hall (booth #15425) will highlight advanced U.S. manufacturing, featuring automation technology, advanced materials and industrial software. Attendees can connect with top innovators and a dozen exhibitors to discover the technology that’s transforming production.
- South Hall will highlight the global product design, sourcing and production ecosystem. Design & source and accessories exhibitors will offer demos on turning ideas into market-ready products.
- North Hall exhibitors will show industrial robotics, simulation software and AI-enabled systems designed to boost productivity, improve safety and strengthen supply chain performance.
Explore exhibitors at the CES Exhibitor Directory.
Conference Programming: Strategy, Technology, and Leadership
CES 2026 will introduce a new Manufacturing Track, open to all CES attendees. Featured speakers include National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons, joining CTA’s Shapiro for a fireside chat, “Charting the Future: Manufacturing, Innovation, and America’s Competitive Edge.” Timmons will discuss how a comprehensive manufacturing strategy, including a smart workforce policy, can support U.S. manufacturing leadership amid global competition and rapid technological change.
Plus, SME Executive Director and CEO Jeannine Kunz will explore how new training models, skills development, and emerging technology are reshaping modern manufacturing and what it means for the workforce and economic growth during a session.
Manufacturing track sessions include:
- Beyond AI: The Technologies Powering the Future of Manufacturing
- Made Here: Rethinking Manufacturing in a Shifting Global Landscape with Barbara Humpton, CEO, USA Rare Earth
- Manufacturing the Future: Energy. Mobility. AI, presented by JobsOhio
- Powering Manufacturing Transformation with AI Partnerships, presented by EY
Additional tracks related to manufacturing include:
- Building the Next-Gen Connected Product Factory, presented by PwC
- Intelligent Robotics, Future Manufacturing, Adaptive Leadership, presented by Deloitte
- Smarter, Faster, Integrated - The Future of Product Innovation, presented by PTC
Manufacturing-focused conversations at the CES Research Summit include:
- AI, Cost & the Future of OEM-Supplier Collaboration, presented by BCG
- Smart, Connected, Profitable: The Future of Manufacturing, presented by EY
- The New Industrial Era: U.S. Reinvention through Tech & Resilience, presented by PwC
Attendees can also register for the Robotics Track. This half-day track on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, features programs demonstrating real world industrial robotics applications. View the full CES Conference Program.
Keynote: AI and Digital Twins
Siemens AG President and CEO Roland Busch will headline a CES 2026 keynote demonstrating how AI and digital twins are unleashing a new era of intelligent production and transforming manufacturing, infrastructure and transportation.
CES 2026 is where innovation meets production and takes place Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas. Register at CES.tech.
About CES®:
CES is the most powerful tech event in the world – the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. This is where the world's biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, CES features every aspect of the tech sector. CES 2026 takes place Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas. Learn more at CES.tech and follow CES on social.
About Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®:
As North America’s largest technology trade association, CTA is the tech sector. Our members are the world’s leading innovators – from startups to global brands – helping support more than 18 million American jobs. CTA owns and produces CES® – the most powerful tech event in the world. Find us at CTA.tech. Follow us @CTAtech.