Consensus Study Report
NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Award #89233121DNA000035/89243422FEE400288 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Technologies Office of the Department of Energy. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71084-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71084-7
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27260
Library of Congress Control Number: 2024930546
This publication is available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2024 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and National Academies Press and the graphical logos for each are all trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Options for a National Plan for Smart Manufacturing. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27260.
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.
Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.
Rapid Expert Consultations published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are authored by subject-matter experts on narrowly focused topics that can be supported by a body of evidence. The discussions contained in rapid expert consultations are considered those of the authors and do not contain policy recommendations. Rapid expert consultations are reviewed by the institution before release.
For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.
COMMITTEE ON OPTIONS FOR A NATIONAL PLAN FOR SMART MANUFACTURING
THOMAS R. KURFESS (NAE), Georgia Institute of Technology, Chair
BILLY B. BARDIN, Dow Inc.
RICHARD D. BRAATZ (NAE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JIAN CAO (NAE), Northwestern University
KRYSTEL K. CASTILLO-VILLAR, The University of Texas at San Antonio and Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute
LILI CHENG (NAE), Microsoft Corporation
JAMES F. DAVIS, University of California, Los Angeles
ROBERT X. GAO, Case Western Reserve University
SATYANDRA K. GUPTA, University of Southern California
SUSAN N. HOUSEMAN, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
JEANNINE KUNZ, SME
STUART E. LAWRENCE III, Titan Robotics, Inc.
BLAKE D. MORET, Rockwell Automation
CHINEDUM E. OKWUDIRE, University of Michigan
MELISSA ORME (NAE), The Boeing Company
WILLIAM E. SPRIGGS,1 Howard University
JOHN W. SUTHERLAND (NAE), Purdue University
KAREN A. THOLE, The Pennsylvania State University
Staff
ERIK B. SVEDBERG, Scholar, Study Director
MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director, National Materials and Manufacturing Board and Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics
STEVEN DARBES, Program Officer
AMISHA JINANDRA, Associate Program Officer
JOSEPH PALMER, Senior Project Assistant
___________________
NOTE: See Appendix D, Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflicts of Interest.
1 Deceased on June 6, 2023.
NATIONAL MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING BOARD
THERESA KOTANCHEK (NAE), Evolved Analytics, LLC, Chair
JOHN KLIER, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Vice Chair
KEVIN ANDERSON (NAE), Brunswick Corporation
CRAIG ARNOLD, Princeton University
FELICIA J. BENTON-JOHNSON, Georgia Institute of Technology
WILLIAM B. BONVILLIAN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JIAN CAO (NAE), Northwestern University
ELLIOT L. CHAIKOF (NAM), Harvard University
JULIE A. CHRISTODOULOU, Office of Naval Research (Retired)
TERESA CLEMENT, Raytheon Missile Systems
AMIT GOYAL (NAE), State University of New York at Buffalo
JULIA GREER, California Institute of Technology
SATYANDRA K. GUPTA, University of Southern California
BRADLEY A. JAMES, Exponent, Inc.
THOMAS R. KURFESS (NAE), Georgia Institute of Technology
MICHAEL (MICK) MAHER, Maher & Associates, LLC
RAMULU MAMIDALA, University of Washington
SHIRLEY MENG, University of Chicago
OMKARAM (OM) NALAMASU (NAE), Applied Materials, Inc.
DENNIS SYLVESTER, University of Michigan
MATTHEW J. ZALUZEC, University of Florida
Staff
MICHELLE SCHWALBE, Director, National Materials and Manufacturing Board and Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics
ERIK B. SVEDBERG, Scholar
BRYSTOL ENGLISH, Senior Program Officer
NEERAJ P. GORKHALY, Associate Program Officer
AMISHA JINANDRA, Associate Program Officer
JOSEPH PALMER, Senior Project Assistant
HEATHER LOZOWSKI, Financial Officer
BOARD ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ECONOMIC POLICY
ADAM B. JAFFE, Brandeis University, Chair
NOËL BAKHTIAN, Bezos Earth Fund
BRENDA J. DIETRICH (NAE), Cornell University
BRIAN G. HUGHES, HBN Shoe, LLC
PAULA E. STEPHAN, Georgia State University
SCOTT STERN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JOHN C. WALL (NAE), Cummins, Inc. (Retired)
Ex Officio Members
JOHN L. ANDERSON (NAE), National Academy of Engineering
VICTOR J. DZAU (NAM), National Academy of Medicine
MARCIA MCNUTT (NAS/NAE), National Academy of Sciences
Staff
GAIL COHEN, Senior Director
DAVID DIERKSHEIDE, Program Officer
RENEE DALY, Senior Program Assistant
GRETE GANSAUER, Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow (until spring 2023)
CLARA SAVAGE, Financial Officer
This page intentionally left blank.
Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
DEREJE AGONAFER (NAE), The University of Texas at Arlington
MARIA CHRISTINA BAKER, PPG Industries
KIRA BARTON, University of Michigan
KRISTINE COLLINS, University of California, Irvine
THOMAS EDGAR (NAE), The University of Texas at Austin
KLAVS JENSEN (NAS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AJAY P. MALSHE (NAE), Purdue University
SUSAN SMYTH (NAE), General Motors Corporation (Retired)
NANCY SOTTOS (NAS/NAE), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
REBECCA TAYLOR, National Center for Manufacturing Sciences
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by GALIP ULSOY (NAE), University of Michigan, and KATHARINE FRASE (NAE), International Business Machines Corporation (Retired). They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Acknowledgments
The committee would like to thank the following individuals who added to the members’ understanding of the smart manufacturing field:
Jeffrey Abell, General Motors; Ragu Athinarayanan, Purdue University; Arun Ayyagari, Boeing; Marcia Ballinger, Lorain County Community College; Berardino Baratta, Manufacturing x Digital (MxD); Dean Bartles, Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group; Douglas Bellin, Amazon Web Services; Christoph Berlin, Microsoft; Stephan Biller, Purdue University; Sthitie Bom, Seagate; Paul Boris, Independent Consultant; Steven Butt, Western Michigan University; Yongyao Cai, TE Connectivity; Dianne Chong, ABET; Gabriela Ciocarlie, Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII)/The University of Texas at San Antonio; Michael Cook, Rockwell Automation; Julie Davis, Association of Equipment Manufacturers; Antoine Dhennin, ArcelorMittal; Kelly Dodds, Raytheon; Jennifer Dunn, Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience, Northwestern University; John Dyck, Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII); Paul Faughnan, Pratt & Whitney; Jesus Flores-Cerrillo, Linde; Kevin Goering, McKinsey; Howard Grimes, CyManII/The University of Texas at San Antonio; John Hart, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Jon Hobgood, Honeywell; Barbara Humpton, Siemens USA; Martin Byung-Guk Jun, Purdue University; Karen Kerr, Exposition Ventures; Bruce Kramer, National Science Foundation; Soundar Kumara, Pennsylvania State University; Conrad Leiva, CESMII; Haresh Malkani, CESMII; Lisa Mayberry-Raymond, United Auto Workers and Henry Ford College; Laine Mears, Clemson University; Larry Megan, Baldwin Richardson Foods; Edward Mehr, Machina Labs; Mike Molnar, National Institute
of Standards and Technology; Michelle Pastel, Corning; Alpen Patel, Caterpillar; Michael Rinker, Department of Energy; Kyle Saleeby, Georgia Institute of Technology; Federico Sciammarella, MxD; Craig Scott, Morgan State University; Audrey St. Onge, Lallemand; Lizabeth Stuck, MxD; Maja Vuković, IBM; Jim Wetzel, General Mills (Retired); Shirley Wilcher, American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity; Alan Wittman, Boeing; Rita Wouhaybi, Intel; Chenn Zhou, Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation, Purdue University; and Detlef Zühlke, TU Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Dedication
This report is dedicated to Professor William Edward Spriggs (April 8, 1955–June 6, 2023). He was an American economist and a professor of economics at Howard University, chief economist for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and Assistant Secretary for Policy during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2012. As a member of the study committee, he provided valuable insights into the importance of keeping the individual in mind when working to advance manufacturing. He passed away as this report was being prepared.
This page intentionally left blank.
3 THE STATE OF SMART MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION AND STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES
Factors Contributing to the Worker Shortage
Perceptions that Manufacturing Lacks Good Career Opportunities
Limited Opportunities and Skill Deficits
The State of Smart Manufacturing Education
Establishment of a National Academy for Smart Manufacturing Education and Training
Investing in the Smart Manufacturing Workforce
4 THE STATE OF SMART MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY AND STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES
A U.S. Cyber Infrastructure to Propel Smart Manufacturing Adoption
System and Data Integration for Smart Manufacturing
Data Issues Related to Smart Manufacturing
Advanced Technology Needs for Smart Manufacturing
The Economic Value of a Smart Manufacturing Sector in the United States
The Value of a Smart Manufacturing Industry for Environmental Sustainability
Options to Leverage Smart Manufacturing to Realize Sustainability Benefits
Challenges Faced by U.S. Industries in Integrating Smart Manufacturing
Challenges Faced by Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers
Challenges of Manufacturing at Ecosystem Level
This page intentionally left blank.
Preface
Manufacturing is critical to the nation’s well-being and security. It provides the foundation for goods and services as well as the opportunity for secure and high-paying jobs. Recently, manufacturing has had a resurgence in the United States due to a number of factors, many of which have been highlighted by the recent supply chain difficulties initially driven by COVID-19. However, a continued focus on manufacturing is critical for its ultimate success in the United States. Quite often, a trade-off between cost, time, and quality is mentioned in manufacturing operations, and supply chain issues are causing significant disruptions in the “time” element of the trade-off equation. This has presented a significant opportunity to rejuvenate, reinvigorate, and disrupt global manufacturing ecosystems in favor of more local efforts. To energize a local manufacturing ecosystem in addition to addressing and improving the “time” element of the equation, the United States must also address the cost and quality elements to be globally and locally competitive. Such an effort will certainly involve incremental changes but will require major changes in how the U.S. manufacturing ecosystem operates. Such changes will leverage new generations of capabilities, computing connectivity, and security, making manufacturing operations more sustainable and competitive and enhancing the productivity and well-being of the workforce. Smart manufacturing will be a key element of this revolution by enabling manufacturing data to be harnessed and applied at scale and by increasing the pace of industry adoption. This will require upskilling the workforce and greatly expanding the pipeline for the future data-savvy workforce.
To achieve these goals, the United States would need to aim to regain its position as the world’s leading smart manufacturing nation, focusing on (1) worker engagement and enablement; (2) data; and (3) operational expertise to drive outcomes in resiliency, agility, sustainability, and innovation. Progress must be inclusive across regions, key industrial sectors, worker demographics, and business size. To provide guidance toward this goal, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened an ad hoc committee to study and develop options for a national plan for smart manufacturing technology development and deployment. This report is the result of the committee’s study. It examines technical frameworks and processes; identifies possible timelines and necessary resources to achieve continued success in smart manufacturing; and explores policies and general roles for government, industry, and academia to address near-, medium-, and long-term challenges to improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector of the United States and ensure U.S. competitiveness. A particular focus is given to system integration issues, including incorporating manufacturing science, materials science, energy science, and other critical domains.
The chair wishes to thank the committee members and the National Academies staff for their outstanding efforts in authoring this report. This includes organizing three separate workshops, attending numerous information sessions, and participating in many writing sessions for the report. Their efforts have been exemplary and have made the report impactful, accurate, and substantive. The committee also wishes to thank Dr. Sudarsan Rachuri from the Department of Energy for providing input to the committee as well as presenting at and participating in all of the study’s workshops. Input was provided from many people, whose names can be found in the acknowledgments section on the next page. Their input was crucial in the writing of this report. Finally, the committee wishes to thank the many individuals who provided input during the workshops, during open sessions of the committee, and through the portal on the study’s website.
