Manufacturing’s Quiet Comeback: SBA Fee Waivers + CHIPS Momentum

The most underrated business story in America is that manufacturing is being re-incentivized—financially and politically.

On the small-business side, the SBA is actively reshaping lending incentives. For fiscal year 2026, SBA announced fee structures and has also moved to waive loan fees for small manufacturers, including 0% upfront fees for certain 7(a) manufacturing loans and 0% fees for 504 manufacturing loans during the effective window. Policy like that matters because it reduces friction at exactly the point where smaller manufacturers struggle: financing equipment, working capital, and facility expansion.

Incentives don’t replace execution—but they do change who can compete.

At the top of the market, the CHIPS and Science Act established federal support for domestic semiconductor production. And the private sector response continues to snowball. Recent reporting describes large expansions tied to U.S. semiconductor buildout dynamics and trade negotiations, including major Arizona expansion plans by key industry players.

Here’s why business leaders should care even if they don’t build chips: the semiconductor supply chain is an industrial ecosystem. Packaging, specialty materials, precision machining, logistics, construction, and workforce pipelines all get pulled into the orbit.

The opportunity for smaller firms is positioning. The winners will be the suppliers who can:

• meet quality standards,

• document processes,

• comply with procurement requirements,

• and scale without breaking.

The risk is also real: industrial growth collides with land, power, and permitting. Manufacturing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in districts with zoning capacity, freight access, and energy readiness.

In 2026, “industrial strategy” isn’t a think-tank phrase. It’s a financing menu + site strategy + workforce play. Companies that align those three will ride the tailwind.

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