Securing Advanced Manufacturing in the United States The Role of Manufacturing USA: Proceedings of a Workshop (2017) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 6-21
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From page 6... ...
• Role of the Manufacturing USA institutes -- Multiple presenters emphasized the role of the manufacturing institutes in connecting university research to manufacturers, drawing new manufacturing technologies and techniques into small and large firms, fostering regional innovation ecosystems, and developing the skilled technical workforce. • Lessons from foreign programs -- A number of workshop participants drew comparisons and contrasts with the nature and scale of efforts in China and Germany to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced manufacturing techniques.
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From page 7... ...
Arun Seraphin, a professional staff member on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee, agreed, adding that policy makers support the need to manufacture advanced technological products and components critical to the nation's security in trusted and reliable domestic production facilities. 1 Susan Helper, Timothy Krueger, and Howard Wial, Why Does Manufacturing Matter?
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From page 8... ...
The manufacturing institutes, they observed, were designed to regenerate production in the United States and to capture its associated benefits through introduction of much more efficient production technologies and processes, restoring a competitive edge. Documenting the decline, Susan Helper noted that "we had a fairly constant size manufacturing sector -- 15 to 17 million people -- then it fell off a cliff between 2000 and 2010.
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From page 9... ...
But he argued that the Manufacturing USA institutes present an important opportunity to reestablish "the lost connection with our people by designing here, by working together with people, and then trying to figure out how you are going to translate that into the economy." Sridhar Kota agreed that "the government in partnership with the private sector has a role to nurture and mature these technologies and reduce the technical and market risk." And, he added, "we want to ensure that we anchor manufacturing of these technologies here; you cannot just mature the technology and give it to your friends and competitors overseas." 7 Erica R
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8 She argued that public–private partnerships such as the Manufacturing USA institutes have a role to play in sustaining investments in manufacturing-related R&D to bridge this gap. The second obstacle derives from weaknesses in the supply chain.
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From page 11... ...
, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) , described the mission of the Manufacturing USA program as one of "connecting people, ideas, and technology to solve industry-relevant advanced manufacturing challenges, thereby enhancing industrial competitiveness and economic growth and strengthening our national security." In line with this mission of growing and strengthening the manufacturing ecosystem in the face of a rapidly and ever changing environment, other presenters shared their views on how the institutes help to develop and commercialize new technologies, grow networks among research organizations and small and larger companies, and develop a skilled technical workforce.
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From page 12... ...
"By giving AFFOA this right to license or sub-license, universities could draw in investment and dedicated marketing resources to get their intellectual property to the market," he said. Drawing Innovation into Large Firms Jeff Wilcox explained that the Manufacturing USA institutes help large companies draw in innovation by facilitating cooperation with universities and other large and small businesses.
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From page 13... ...
Driving Innovation to Small Businesses Speakers noted that the Manufacturing USA institutes, in conjunction with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, help move advancements in technology out to small firms.
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From page 14... ...
And then what you're looking at right there is, over 9,000 relationships amongst the organizations." Katie Stebbins, assistant secretary for technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, noted that her state links state funding with the Manufacturing USA institutes to foster development in "places where manufacturing used to thrive, and where manufacturing in some respects still does thrive. These are the real touch points around the state," she said, "where we see the interaction between innovation and science." Susan Helper added that states and regions traditionally implement economic development strategies that entail attracting existing industry with tax breaks, encouraging a "race to the bottom." She suggested that the Manufacturing USA institutes help states and regions evolve to a strategy of investment in shared assets, which helps create a "stickiness" so that companies will want to grow, thrive, and contribute to a locally based but globally linked productive cluster.
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From page 15... ...
Its primary mission is to perform contract research for German industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, which translate basic research from universities and non-university research organizations into commercial products and industrial processes. 14 Bressler added that the Fraunhofer Academy provides advanced manufacturing training to supplement the localized apprenticeship programs supported by German manufacturing firms.
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From page 16... ...
While the Fraunhofer and the Manufacturing USA institutes differ in particular respects, Sridhar Kota nevertheless suggested that an important lesson from the German institutes is the role and long-term commitment of the federal and state governments in providing matching funds to reinforce private investment. China's New Manufacturing Strategy Jonas Nahm, assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University, explained that China's recent indigenous innovation policy focused national government support on developing early-stage research capacity.
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From page 17... ...
In his policy roundtable comments, Sridhar Kota emphasized that other leading countries have robust and well-funded national strategies to support advanced manufacturing. In the United States, by contrast, the Manufacturing USA institutes and the MEP system are the only real policy tools currently available to build the nation's industrial base.
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From page 18... ...
In addition, 1,023 teachers and trainers participated in institute-led training for instructors. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING MANUFACTURING USA In addition to the observations of the above three formal assessments of the Manufacturing USA institutes, several workshop participants suggested areas for improvement.
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From page 19... ...
By partnering more closely with MEP, she elaborated, the Manufacturing USA institutes could increase their visibility to manufacturers, researchers, and educators. She argued that greater collaboration also could help ensure the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
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From page 20... ...
And then when they separate, they are employable." • Leverage government workforce training providers. Several participants proposed that institute programs to train the skilled technical workforce link with existing federal and state programs, including those supported by the National Science Foundation; the Departments of Education and Labor; and outside groups such as the Midwest German Chamber of Commerce, which is spearheading efforts to develop apprenticeship programs.
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From page 21... ...
Arun Seraphin asserted that for the Manufacturing USA initiative to survive, it must make its case as to why it is valuable to Congress, to decision makers in the Pentagon, to universities, and to incumbent firms. To this end, he said, the institutes need a communications strategy that pairs data needed for a structured study of economic impact with anecdotal information on the mission value and employment gains resulting from new technologies.
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