Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Feb 25, 2026] Mesh Feigenbaum on Global Industrial Capacity

Mesh Feigenbaum, a managing partner at Engineered Metal Tech who is one of the world’s leading experts on the gigantic forging presses that are critical for the worldwide aerospace and defense supply chain, joins Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss an updated version of his 2018 benchmark study of global industrial capacity that rings alarm bells for major commercial and military programs; the importance of forging facilities; the problematic nature of depending on gigantic pieces of equipment that are aging and when they fail are out of action for years, derailing supply chains; China’s strategic approach of investing in sovereign capacity and capability; why the business is so challenging commercially one without government support; and the investment necessary for the United States to revitalize a critical industry.