This could be a big deal. The just announced
Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute will focus on innovations like smart sensors that can dramatically reduce energy expenses in advanced manufacturing. As the ninth manufacturing hub awarded by the Obama Administration, the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute will help make the US manufacturing sector stronger, position the United States to lead the manufacturing of tomorrow, and help sustain the resurgence of U.S. manufacturing currently underway.
A key reason I think this institute will have a big impact is that the
Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition (SMLC) is an excellent choice to lead this effort. They have been actively pursuing many of these goals for several years, and they have established relationships with many leading industrial companies. The SMLC will bring together nearly 200 partners to launch the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, focused on accelerating the development and adoption of advanced sensors, data analytics, and controls in manufacturing, while reducing the cost of these technologies by half and radically improving the efficiency of U.S. advanced manufacturing. The Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute will be headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and brings over $140 million in public-private investment from leading universities and manufacturers to this effort. The Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute will also launch five regional manufacturing centers across the United States each focused on local technology transfer and workforce development.
In addition, the newly announced manufacturing innovation institute topics now under competition include:
- Robotics in Manufacturing Environments Manufacturing Innovation Institute
- Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Institute
- Modular Chemical Process Intensification (MCPI) Institute
- Reducing Embodied Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) in Materials Manufacturing Institute
Industry partners include: Aerospace Corporation; Alcoa; Analog Devices; ANSYS; ArcellorMittal; Autodesk; BASF Corporation; Bonneville Power Administration; Corning; Emerson Process Management; ExxonMobil; General Mills; Global Foundries; Google; KUKA Systems North America; Microsoft; Northrop Grumman; OSIsoft; Pfizer; Praxair; Rockwell Automation; Saint-Gobain; Southern California Edison; United States Steel Corporation; United Technologies Research Center; Medium: A&E Engineering Inc.; LanzaTech; Materia; SEVA; TowerJazz; Small: Able Industrial Products Inc.; Accurate Dial & Nameplate; Advanced Polymer Monitoring Technologies; Apex; APS Technology; Baja Designs; Banks Integration; Bonanza Associates; Citrine Informatics; EnerG2; Eon Reality; GMS Industrial Supply; Goodyear Rubber; Greenway Energy; HannahMax Baking; Industrial Automation Consulting; Infologic, Inc.; Information Systems Associates; Loman CSI-Consortium/Resource; Makai Ocean engineering; Martin Control Systems; Nila; Nimbis Services; One Cycle Control; Process Systems Enterprise Inc.; RES Group; Satelles: Savigent Software; Space Micro; Summertree Interiors Newport Cottages; SyncFab; ThinkIQ; Viewpoint Systems; VIMANA System Insights; Vinatech Engineering Inc.; VRCO; and many more small and medium-sized manufacturers.