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Kevin Bowers, VP of Research at AMT, the Association for Manufacturing Technology and the organization behind IMTS, joins Danny Gonzales to unpack how AI is changing the way manufacturers research capital equipment, and why it still isn't enough to close a deal. Bowers explains why the buying committee keeps growing, why manufacturing technology orders spiked well past forecast in 2026, and why tariff uncertainty, not the tariffs themselves, is the bigger constraint on investment. He closes with the case for why one hundred thousand people still make the trip to Chicago for IMTS even as AI can build a vendor shortlist in seconds.
Kevin Bowers is VP of Research at AMT, the Association for Manufacturing Technology, the organization behind IMTS. He spent more than two decades in machine tools, starting in service and parts at SNK before moving through sales and operations at DMG Mori, eventually serving as chief support officer. Bowers is fluent in Japanese after living and studying in Japan for several years, an experience he credits for teaching him how much context shapes a decision. Today he owns the data the manufacturing industry plans around, from the monthly U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report to AMT's own forecasts and tariff research.
Episode Breakdown
Kevin Bowers has spent more than two decades in machine tools, first at SNK and then at DMG Mori, before moving into research at AMT, the association behind IMTS. In this episode, he and Danny Gonzales dig into how AI is reshaping the way manufacturers research capital purchases, why the buying committee keeps expanding, and why the industry’s own numbers are running well ahead of forecast this year.
AI Gets You the Shortlist. It Doesn't Close the Deal.
Bowers points to a simple test: would you spend sixty or eighty thousand dollars on a car without having at least a conversation? Most people wouldn’t, and manufacturing capital equipment runs from two hundred thousand dollars into the millions. Generative AI has made it easy to crawl specs, compare vendors, and build a shortlist without picking up the phone, but Bowers argues that compresses the research phase without replacing the conversation that actually closes the deal.
He ties this back to Forrester’s finding that ninety-four percent of business buyers now use AI somewhere in the buying process, but many don’t fully trust the output, because the context underneath the data often doesn’t match what a buyer is actually trying to achieve. For sales teams, the lesson isn’t to fight AI-assisted research, it’s to be ready for the human conversation the moment a buyer is done Googling.
The Buying Committee Keeps Getting Bigger
According to data AMT shared ahead of the interview, the typical capital equipment purchase now pulls in around thirteen internal stakeholders and nine outside influencers, with procurement acting as the final decision maker more than half the time. Bowers calls it the iceberg principle: the further up management you go, the less visibility you actually have into what’s happening on the floor.
That’s pushing the buying process down to the people who run the machines, the foremen, and the programmers, groups that are increasingly getting a seat at the table. AMT’s own research backs it up: only one in five people who attend IMTS report having no role in the buying process, and more than sixty percent are involved in the final decision.
Bowers’ advice for anyone selling into this environment is to act like a consultant, not an order taker, by talking to operators, procurement, and maintenance before pitching anything. Chase only the executive signature, he warns, and the relationship can break even if the sale closes.
Orders Are Up 32 Percent, and Uncertainty Is the Real Constraint
Coming into 2026, AMT’s own forecast called for flat to slightly declining orders. Instead, the first five months of the year came in up roughly thirty-two percent, close to two point seven billion dollars, putting 2026 on pace to be one of the strongest years AMT has measured in nearly thirty years of tracking the data. Bowers credits pent-up durable goods demand and early reshoring investment, concentrated for now in larger companies with more capital flexibility rather than the smaller contract manufacturers that make up most of the buying group.
On tariffs, his read is that the rate itself is less disruptive than the constant change to it. Manufacturers can build a multi-year plan around almost any number, he argues, but not one that moves every quarter with retaliatory tariffs following behind. That unpredictability, more than the policy itself, is what freezes long-term capital decisions.
It’s also part of why Bowers still expects around one hundred thousand people at IMTS this September: AI search isn’t comprehensive, many manufacturers aren’t structured for it to find them well, and the tactile experience of touching the equipment and building relationships in person still surfaces vendors a shortlist alone would miss.
LinkedIn is the best place to reach Kevin Bowers. He's active in the manufacturing community and engages with researchers, buyers, and exhibitors who follow AMT's data. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn →
Danny Gonzales
CEO, IndustrialSage
Danny brings deep industry knowledge and an operator's mindset to every conversation, cutting through the buzzwords to uncover real strategies that manufacturing and industrial leaders can actually use.
Why doesn't AI research replace the in-person sales conversation in manufacturing?
Kevin Bowers argues manufacturing capital equipment often costs hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, more than most consumer purchases people already research with a real conversation, like a car. AI can crawl specs and build a shortlist faster, but the trust required to close a deal that size still has to be earned face to face.
Kevin Bowers, VP of Research at AMTHow has the manufacturing buying committee changed?
Buying decisions used to concentrate among executives and procurement. AMT's own research shows only one in five people who attend IMTS report having no role in the buying process, and more than 60 percent are involved in the final decision, including shop foremen and programmers who are increasingly getting a seat at the table.
Kevin Bowers, VP of Research at AMTWhy did manufacturing technology orders spike more than 30 percent in 2026 against a forecast for flat growth?
The original flat-growth forecast was issued during a period of oil-price and supply-chain uncertainty tied to conflict in the Middle East. As that uncertainty eased, pent-up demand and early reshoring investment pushed orders up more than 30 percent year over year, putting 2026 on pace to be one of the top years AMT has recorded in nearly three decades of tracking the data.
Kevin Bowers, VP of Research at AMTWhat does Kevin Bowers see as the real problem with tariffs?
Bowers says the tariffs themselves are less disruptive than the constant changes to them. Manufacturers can build a multi-year plan around almost any tariff rate, but a rate that changes every quarter makes long-term capital planning nearly impossible. His preferred fix is picking a number and holding it, not eliminating tariffs altogether.
Kevin Bowers, VP of Research at AMTWhy do 100,000 people still travel to IMTS when AI can research vendors online?
Bowers points out that AI search isn't comprehensive, many manufacturers, especially smaller ones, aren't structured for AI to find them well. Trade shows also offer the tactile experience of touching the equipment, the relationship-building a website can't replicate, and cross-industry intel that only comes from walking a show floor.
Kevin Bowers, VP of Research at AMTInsights from manufacturing leaders shaping the future, delivered to your inbox, no noise.
Author: Wes Garrett
Content and Growth Marketing Producer | From Strategy to Execution, Delivering Impactful Media Solutions and Client Success