The mid-term election is behind us, and hopefully, so too is the pandemic -- at least the worst of it. We hope and pray that's the case.

2022 was another challenging year for everyone -- and it was no different in our machine tool/metalworking industry. Companies that survived the pandemic are now facing record inflation, ongoing supply chain issues, high energy costs and a lack of skilled workers. According to a recent study by the Manufacturing Institute, the skills gap in the U.S. alone could result in over 2 million unfilled jobs by 2030.

Onshoring, Smart Factory initiatives, Additive Manufacturing, Robotic Automation, Digital Manufacturing, and Artificial Intelligence are the most popular innovations manufacturers have employed to face -- and overcome -- these latest challenges.

On the bright side, trade shows returned in 2022. It didn't seem to matter that they weren't at full-force, pre-pandemic levels. More importantly, they brought a sense of normalcy -- something I think we all needed.

Nelson Publishing was there to cover IMTS and everything else happening in our industry. Our eNewsletters -- Tooling & Production (T&P), Modern Applications News (MAN), and the Manufacturing Center Product Spotlight will continue to bring you the very latest news, product announcements, and success stories from the metalworking world. MAN begins its 56th year in January while T&P embarks on its 88th year of serving the machine tool industry!

The staff at Modern Applications News would like to send our best wishes to all of our advertisers and all of our readers. We appreciate your loyalty! We hope that your spirit is renewed with a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or a Happy New Year celebration!

We have continued our tradition of putting together our "Best of" issue. We have compiled two lists from 2022 -- the Top 10 Most Read Features and Top 10 Most Read Product Spotlights -- as judged by our readers. We hope you enjoy these stories and catch some helpful information you may have missed the first time around. Again, we want to wish you a safe, successful, and prosperous 2023!

Happy Holidays!