{"id":17185,"date":"2025-09-16T10:24:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/?p=17185"},"modified":"2025-09-18T12:52:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T16:52:55","slug":"purdue-alumnus-keith-krach-receives-nations-highest-manufacturing-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/Q3\/purdue-alumnus-keith-krach-receives-nations-highest-manufacturing-honor","title":{"rendered":"Purdue alumnus Keith Krach receives nation\u2019s highest manufacturing honor\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Purdue University announced Sept. 16 that noted alumnus Keith Krach \u2014 chair and co-founder of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, former U.S. under secretary of state, and business executive \u2014 has been named the 2025 recipient of the M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prestigious award, jointly awarded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers<\/a> (ASME) and SME<\/a> (formerly known as the Society of Manufacturing Engineers) is considered among the manufacturing sector\u2019s highest honors, recognizing exceptional innovation and leadership that advance the science and practice of manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As chair of Purdue\u2019s Board of Trustees from 2007-13, Krach (BS industrial engineering \u201979, HDR industrial engineering \u201918) helped guide a period of bold growth and transformation at the university. Today, his leadership continues through the Krach Institute, which advances trusted technology and U.S. and allied competitiveness on the global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeith Krach\u2019s receipt of the M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal is more than a recognition of his achievements over the decades \u2014 it\u2019s also a signal of the kind of leadership America needs now,\u201d said Purdue President Mung Chiang. \u201cHis ability to translate engineering excellence and economic strategy into global impact has redefined how we build, how we lead and how we compete. At the intersection of technology and diplomacy, few have done more to advance U.S. productivity, resilience and freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The honor also resonates deeply at Purdue, home to one of the nation\u2019s most active ASME<\/a> student chapters and a world-class ecosystem of faculty and student innovators advancing manufacturing, robotics and semiconductor engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeith Krach\u2019s career exemplifies how visionary leadership, entrepreneurial courage and engineering excellence can deliver profound, lasting impact. His work continues to shape how the world designs, manufactures, trades and transacts,\u201d said Thomas Costabile, executive director and CEO of ASME. \u201cThis award recognizes Keith\u2019s lifelong record of transformational leadership across technology, manufacturing, economic policy and diplomacy \u2014 driving global productivity, GDP growth and quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, Krach\u2019s entrepreneurial spirit grew and developed into business intellect that empowered and equipped him to launch several technology-focused companies. The passion helped prepare Krach for national service, where technology found common ground with democracy. His journey was highlighted in a recent Life & News article, \u201cThe Productivity Architect: How Keith Krach Rewired Trust, Technology, and American Competitiveness.\u201d<\/a> <\/em>Krach\u2019s leadership has driven an estimated $4.5 trillion in cumulative global productivity gains, spanning five sectors and four decades \u2014 including robotics, engineering automation, business-to-business e-commerce, digital business productivity and semiconductor manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to his current role as chair of the Krach Institute, Krach serves on the Global Tech Security Commission and the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his time as U.S. under secretary of state, Krach led the historic onshoring of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and engineered the Clean Network Alliance of Democracies<\/a> to secure 5G technology and digital infrastructure among like-minded nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also played a pivotal role in the development of the CHIPS and Science Act to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the U.S. to strengthen national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always believed that increasing productivity is the ultimate act of peace,\u201d Krach said. \u201cIt uplifts lives, powers prosperity and safeguards freedom. In an era where economic security is national security, our mission must be to engineer trust, build resilience and lead the world by example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krach\u2019s<\/a> career began at age 12, welding in his father\u2019s small Ohio machine shop. That passion for manufacturing launched a journey that would reshape the global economy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n