Rebuilding America’s Manufacturing Base: How NTFC Is Leading the Charge
Karla Trotman, MBA
Electronics Manufacturing CEO | Board Member | 3rd Gen Entrepreneur | EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 winner | EAN inaugural cohort | Author
May 21, 2025
I am proud to share that Electro Soft Inc. is now part of the National Tech Founders Consortium (NTFC) – a coalition of 15 innovative tech founders building a sovereign, deployable AI infrastructure to address our nation’s most pressing challenges.
What is NTFC?
The NTFC unites small business AI and hardware-tech CEOs with a clear mission: creating a fully integrated AI deployment platform that can be immediately fielded across defense, homeland security, and critical infrastructure protection.
Unlike traditional research consortia, we’re focused on deployment-ready technologies (TRL 6-9) that can be operational within months, not years.
Why This Matters for America
As our nation faces growing threats across defense, supply chain resilience, and energy security, we’ve assembled American companies that have built validated technologies for:
- AI hardware and secure chiplets manufactured on US soil
- Bio-electronic detection for fentanyl interdiction, explosives, and chemical threats
- Distributed edge AI computing for battlefield and homeland security
- Secure manufacturing for trusted, American-made technology
Electro Soft’s Critical Role
As America works to rebuild our hollowed-out manufacturing base, Electro Soft stands as an example of the solution. As an ITAR-registered electronics manufacturer, we’ve maintained manufacturing capacity in the United States when others moved offshore.
Now, we’re scaling up to meet national demands for:
- Printed circuit board assemblies for AI and autonomous systems
- Cable assemblies and wire harnesses for critical defense systems
- Box builds and panel assemblies for security and surveillance
- Turnkey electronics manufacturing from procurement to testing
The Path Forward
This isn’t just about creating jobs – it’s about national security. When the President signed the Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance executive order, it signaled the start of rebuilding critical industrial capacity. NTFC represents the same commitment across AI, electronics, and defense technology.
Our goal is straightforward: smart investment in domestic manufacturing capabilities that can deliver immediate results. Through strategic partnerships with academic institutions like Rice University, Purdue University, and Virginia Tech, we’re building secure, trusted supply chains America needs.
The long-term vision? Building sovereign technology platforms that will drive American leadership in AI, protect our borders, defend our troops, and secure our critical infrastructure.
NTFC’s message is clear: American innovation + American manufacturing = American security.
#AmericanManufacturing #NationalSecurity #NTFC #TrustedSupplyChain #AI #MadeInAmerica
| How many of you reviewed April’s Manufacturing Outlook Survey from The Philadelphia Fed? Highlighting data collected between April 7 to April 14, orders, activity, and shipping have all dropped in a significant manner. Yet employment numbers are steady. |
| Companies are left uneasy by the economic uncertainty and global tariffs… So companies tend to pull back on orders and wait to see where they can cut costs and stay healthy. This creates issues for smaller manufacturers who still have to cover indirect costs as well as maintain the workforce. Most companies only have a few months of cash/credit to keep them afloat. So this pause in orders can decimate the stateside supply chain that currently exists. In order to incentivize U.S. companies to manufacture in the U.S., lawmakers should consider this: |
| Funding for stateside manufacturers to build capacity. Funding for training programs and marketing for the manufacturing renaissance. People assume dark, dirty, and dangerous when they think manufacturing. This is no longer the case. Tax structures that support reshoring. A slower on-ramp to higher tariffs. Incentives around building advanced manufacturing startups. |
| I’m sure there are more ways to fix this situation in both the near term and the future. What say you? |
| The numbers tell a compelling story: • 2.1 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030 (Deloitte/Manufacturing Institute) • The manufacturing skills gap could cost the US economy $1 trillion by 2030 • The average age of a manufacturing worker is now over 44 years old, with retirement waves approaching • Manufacturing jobs pay 13% more on average than comparable positions in other industries. Yet manufacturing remains virtually invisible to many young people. Why is this disconnect happening when Manufacturing needs Gen Z (and Gen Z needs Manufacturing)? As both a mother and a manufacturing leader, I feel an urgent responsibility to bridge this gap. We must rebrand manufacturing as what it truly is: the ultimate fusion of digital innovation, hands-on creation, and meaningful impact—the perfect environment for a generation that demands purpose alongside prosperity. Click here for my view on what working in a manufacturing environment brings to the table. While these challenges have been discussed extensively, it is time to focus on actionable solutions that deliver results! Click here for my suggestions on developing a manufacturing workforce of the future. How is your company reimagining manufacturing careers to attract next-generation talent? What messages are resonating with younger candidates? ___________________ Karla Trotman, CEO of Electro Soft Inc. |
| While giants dominate reshoring headlines, innovative companies are discovering that small, agile electronics contract manufacturers offer unique advantages in bringing production back to the US. Here’s how forward-thinking OEMs are leveraging smaller ECMs like ours for reshoring success: 1. Collaborative engineering partnerships Small ECMs often provide hands-on engineering support from day one, helping redesign products for American manufacturing with subtle improvements that reduce both cost and manufacturing time. 2. Specialized “impossible job” expertise When your product requires high-mix, low-volume production with frequent engineering changes, smaller ECMs thrive where high-volume manufacturers struggle—especially for IP-sensitive or mission-critical components. 3. “Manufacturing as a Service” models Rather than capital-intensive investments in your own facilities, partner with ECMs offering flexible capacity models where you can scale production based on actual demand. 4. Microfactory networks Some companies are creating distributed production by partnering with multiple regional ECMs, each specializing in different aspects of the product—creating redundancy while maintaining quality control. 5. “Digital twin” development Leading-edge small ECMs create virtual production environments to optimize your manufacturing process before physical production begins, reducing costly iterations. 6. Hybrid reshoring strategies Start with your most complex, IP-sensitive components at specialized US manufacturers, while gradually transitioning other elements as economics and capabilities align. The most successful reshoring strategies aren’t about recreating overseas factories on American soil—they’re about reimagining production networks that leverage uniquely American manufacturing strengths. What reshoring challenges are you facing that a specialized ECM partner might help solve? ________________________ Karla Trotman, CEO of Electro Soft Inc. |
| Your Start to a Valued Partnership Did our newsletter resonate with you? Are you looking for a trusted electronics manufacturing partner in the U.S to help navigate challenging supply negotiations? Our experienced team can consult you and provide a quote regardless of what project stage you’re in. |
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