Strengthening American Manufacturing The Role of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership: Summary of a Symposium (2013) / Chapter Skim
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Revitalizing American Manufacturing
Revitalizing American Manufacturing
Pages 37-44
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From page 37... ...
That's what we're fighting for." This report was written by PCAST, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, in response to the President's request.10 He referred also to A Framework for Revitalizing American Manufacturing, a report issued by the White House in December 2009 that laid out fundamental platforms for a revitalized manufacturing, including cost drivers, access to capital, training and education, tax policies, and investments in technology. In terms of technology investments, he identified in particular several items in the NSF budget to pursue funding for manufacturing technology and the creation of advanced manufacturing centers.
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From page 38... ...
Dr. Kota cited four "essential elements to grow and sustain existing industries." These include technology innovation, which may include both incremental and radical innovation; business innovation, which may influence adjacent markets and adjacent products; tools and resources, which include a skilled workforce at all levels and tools to improve quality, flexibility, and efficiency; and low structural non-production costs, such as taxes and regulations.
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From page 39... ...
Many other products in which U.S. companies were once dominant are today at risk, including LEDs for solid-state lighting, next-generation "electronic paper" displays for portable devices, thin-film solar cells, blade servers and mid-range servers, and carbon composites components for aerospace and wind energy applications.13 THE ‘MISSING MIDDLE' OF INNOVATION: TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT If technology development is viewed schematically as a process beginning with scientific knowledge and culminating in output to the market, he said, the kinds of developmental skills needed to develop products for market 11 National Academy of Sciences/National Academy of Engineering/Institute of Medicine, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited -- Rapidly Approaching Category 5, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2010.
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From page 40... ...
While the United States spends six times as much as Germany does in R&D investment, a significant distinction is that Germany spends six times as much as the United States on what is called "industrial production and technology." A result was that in 2008, the United States recorded an $800 billion deficit in manufacturing, while Germany had a $200 billion surplus.14 "I think if Germany can do that, we should be able to do that, too." CLOSING THE GAP THROUGH A CLUSTER APPROACH Dr. Kota showed some global models for technology development, pointing out again the stage of basic discovery, "which is essential for the pipeline" and comes from the universities and federal laboratories.
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From page 41... ...
It contained a series of "commitments" representing a combination of ongoing and new initiatives to speed technology adoption and commercialization. These commitments, known collectively as the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, include the following: Critical national security industries, including technologies "that will jumpstart domestic manufacturing capability essential to our national security"; Materials Genome Initiative, which would invest more than $100 million in research, manufacture, and deployment of advanced materials; National Robotics Initiative, a multi-agency effort to support research in next-generation robots that will "work closely with human operators -- allowing new ability for factory workers, healthcare providers, soldiers, surgeons, and astronauts to carry out key hard-to-do tasks"; Innovative Manufacturing Initiative of DoE, to enable companies to cut costs of manufacturing while using less energy;
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From page 42... ...
"This is a call to action to come together and look at the structural challenges," he said, "to see how we can collaborate on technology development and what the skills and educational opportunities we need to tackle." Dr. Kota reviewed manufacturing competitiveness in terms of the tools and resources needed.
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From page 43... ...
This new "software-as-service" business model is expected to make it a lot easier for small firms to run model simulations, use the tools, and see the value of M&S. The model uses a standard graphical user interface across applications, requires no software to download or install, allow sharing of live work sessions, and offers easy access to supporting content.
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From page 44... ...
We already have MEPs, and they can help us." Dr. Wessner asked what level of funding would be needed to fully fund a robust advanced manufacturing sector, and whether the United States should build some version of the Fraunhofer Institutes.
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