AMT Continues to Stress Importance of a National Manufacturing Strategy

As part of its effort to solidify the renaissance in American manufacturing, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology has issued the second generation of The Manufacturing Mandate.

The Manufacturing Mandate was introduced in 2009 just as the recession was ending. Since then, the U.S. manufacturing sector has been the driving force behind the economic recovery. Today, policymakers, industry leaders and academia agree on the major aspects of a national strategy that will accelerate and sustain this manufacturing resurgence. They are aligned with The Manufacturing Mandate core principles of incentivizing R&D and innovation; increasing global competitiveness and building a Smartforce that is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for careers in manufacturing.

The Manufacturing Mandate underscores the importance of collaboration as central to the implementation of a national strategy. The Obama Administration’s recent announcement of a new public-private institute for manufacturing innovation in Youngstown, Ohio, is a prime example of the important role government can play in facilitating that collaboration between the public sector, academia and industry. This new partnership, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), was selected through a competitive process, led by the Department of Defense, to award an initial $30 million in federal funding, matched by $40 million from the winning consortium, which includes 40 manufacturing firms, nine research universities, five community colleges, and 11 non-profit organizations from the Ohio-Pennsylvania-West Virginia ‘Tech Belt.’ The NAMII aims to increase successful transition of additive manufacturing technology to manufacturing enterprises within USA. It is scheduled to launch in September and is led by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining. AMT and The MTConnect Institute are key launch partners in this innovative project.

“AMT will continue to invest significant resources in a secure future for manufacturing in this country,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President. “There is still much work to be done, but this type of support from the federal government is precisely the type of project the Manufacturing Mandate recommends. It certainly bodes well for America’s future as the world’s manufacturing innovator.”

Copies of The Manufacturing Mandate will be available at IMTS - The International Manufacturing Technology Show 2012 and can be downloaded at www.AMTonline.org/mandate.

About AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology

AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology represents and promotes U.S.-based manufacturing technology and its members—those who design, build, sell, and service the continuously evolving technology that lies at the heart of manufacturing. Founded in 1902 and based in Virginia, the association specializes in providing targeted business assistance, extensive global support, and business intelligence systems and analysis. AMT is the voice that communicates the importance of policies and programs that encourage research and innovation, and the development of educational initiatives to create tomorrow’s Smartforce. AMT owns and manages IMTS — The International Manufacturing Technology Show, which is the premier manufacturing technology event in North America.