In New Bedford, manufacturing isn’t a relic of the past—it’s a living, expanding engine of opportunity. Indeed, at the last State-of-the-City Address, Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that the New Bedford Economic Development Council will develop a “road map” for growing the City’s manufacturing sector.
“With the prospect of an Advanced Manufacturing Campus on Hathaway Road, with new training programs at Voc-Tech, the reinstitution of the New Bedford Redevelopment Authority, and improvements in infrastructure across the City, we are in a better position to expand manufacturing than in a long time,” Mayor Mitchell said. “We in New Bedford have a long, rich history of making things, and that we will continue to do.”
Within four months of the Mayor’s speech the New Bedford Economic Development Council released Manufacturing Momentum: Building Cross-Sector Opportunity in New Bedford, a policy brief that arrives at a pivotal moment. Published as a companion piece to the City’s 2025 Comprehensive Plan update and produced in partnership with Zapalac Advisors, the document lays out a clear-eyed assessment of where New Bedford stands—and a bold vision for where it’s headed.
The brief outlines a three-pillar strategy to grow manufacturing by strengthening the city’s ecosystem and linking it with allied clusters such as maritime and creative industries:
- Attract sector-aligned manufacturing to strategic sites
- Support the growth of the city’s existing manufacturers
- Promote urban and small-scale skilled manufacturing
Behind those pillars are six near-term actions designed to build capacity, modernize infrastructure, and align workforce development with industry needs. But beyond policy language and planning frameworks, the momentum is already visible on factory floors across the city.
Scaling Up to Meet Demand
At Nameplates for Industry (NFI), quality and precision define every product that leaves the facility. For more than five decades, the company has manufactured custom industrial nameplates, faceplates, labels, and identification solutions that end up on equipment used around the world—from industrial machinery to critical medical devices and infrastructure systems.
As demand for durable, compliant labeling continues to grow across industries, NFI has steadily expanded its capacity in New Bedford. Strategic acquisitions and investments in advanced equipment, modernized print platforms, streamlined processes, and workforce development have positioned the company to manage increasingly complex projects at scale.
NFI’s growth strategy is deliberate as it quadrupled in size over the past 10 years. Rather than relocating to a larger metropolitan area or outsourcing production, the company has chosen to deepen its roots in New Bedford. The city offers key competitive advantages, including a skilled manufacturing workforce, available industrial space, and strong infrastructure. By building on these strengths, NFI continues to demonstrate that world-class manufacturing can thrive locally.
That impact is felt globally—often in places most people would never expect. As NFI CEO Renaud Megard explains, “We manufacture Human-Machine Interfaces and technical labels. Our products are found on medical, industrial, telecommunication, and military equipment, in aircraft and automobiles, at your local gas station, and even in your doctor’s office. We’re everywhere and most people use our products everyday.”
NFI’s precision-printed products are crafted by a highly skilled local team whose expertise and attention to detail meet rigorous technical specifications required by customers worldwide. “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it,” Megard adds. “We do it all under one roof, right here in New Bedford—designed, manufactured by a talented team, and made in America.”
NFI’s continued expansion reflects the second pillar of the manufacturing strategy: supporting and strengthening the city’s existing manufacturers. These established firms have deep roots in the community. By helping them modernize and grow, New Bedford reinforces its industrial base and builds on a foundation of proven success.
Supplying the Backbone of Industry
Founded in 1975 by Bob Ketcham, Ketcham Supply began with a simple but transformative innovation: the first wire mesh lobster trap—the Ketcham Trap. That design went on to become the de facto standard for lobstermen throughout the region and beyond. Nearly five decades later, the trap remains an enduring symbol of practical ingenuity born from a deep understanding of life on the water.
Today, Ketcham Supply is far more than a trap manufacturer. It has grown into a full-service supplier for the marine industry, providing traps, aquaculture equipment, and commercial fishing gear to working waterfront communities across the Northeast. Their facility in New Bedford hums with activity as traps are assembled, gear is prepared for shipment, and fishermen move through with the familiarity of longtime partners.
The company’s growth reflects both rising demand and a broader evolution within the maritime sector. As fisheries modernize and aquaculture expands, Ketcham has scaled its operations to meet the needs of a changing industry—investing in capacity, inventory, and logistics while maintaining the durability and craftsmanship that built its reputation.
Ketcham’s story speaks directly to the cross-sector vision outlined in Manufacturing Momentum. In New Bedford—the nation’s most valuable commercial fishing port—marine manufacturing isn’t separate from the waterfront economy. It is the waterfront economy. By expanding locally and continuing to innovate within the fishing and aquaculture markets, Ketcham Supply reinforces the city’s leadership in resilient, working-waterfront industries.
A Cross-Sector Future
What makes Manufacturing Momentum compelling is its recognition that the future of manufacturing is cross-sector. Maritime industries—from commercial fishing to offshore wind—require fabricated components, engineered systems, and specialized materials. Creative industries contribute design innovation, branding, and product development. Urban small-scale manufacturers bring agility and craftsmanship to the mix.
New Bedford sits at the intersection of these forces. With its working waterfront, historic mill buildings, and growing innovation economy, the city is uniquely positioned to lead in resilient, inclusive, and innovation-driven economic development over the next decade.
This includes strategic zoning to allow for innovative retail/office/small manufacturing spaces on the city’s commercial corridors – like Union Street and Acushnet Avenue. It’s the wave of the entrepreneurial future and multiplies the time, talent and investment of so many in New Bedford.
The strategic framework offers an actionable path forward. By attracting aligned manufacturers to strategic sites, supporting the growth of established firms, and promoting skilled urban production, the city is creating conditions where expansion is not the exception—it’s the norm.
The stories of Name Plates for Industry and Ketcham Supply are not isolated success stories. They are proof points in a larger narrative. New Bedford’s manufacturing base is not shrinking into history. It is adapting, investing, and increasing capacity to meet growing demand.
Manufacturing momentum is not just a headline. In New Bedford, it’s happening—on shop floors, in warehouses, and across a city building what’s next.