SCIENCE

Based on data from a new study conducted with Intersect360 Research, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) will present its strategy to bring advanced computing tools to the U.S. manufacturing supply chain. Backed by the Alliance for High Performance Digital Manufacturing (AHPDM), NCMS will outline its strategy to leverage the wealth of talent, ideas and facilities within our universities, national labs and industrial research centers in order to develop a knowledge infrastructure around Digital Manufacturing tools, creating jobs and revitalizing U.S. manufacturing, at the "Revitalizing Manufacturing: Transforming the Way America Builds" event, held September 30, 2010, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center in Washington, D.C.

For decades, the largest U.S. automotive and aerospace manufacturers have used supercomputing technologies to pursue "Digital Manufacturing" processes. The programs they run allow them to shorten time-to-market, improve product quality, and reduce costs, by designing their products on a computer before they build expensive physical prototypes. With over 300,000 small- and mid-sized manufacturers (SMM) based in the U.S., the study conducted by NCMS and Intersect360 Research probed the reasons why the digital manufacturing concept has not been broadly adopted outside the top echelon. There is a definitive gap between what U.S. manufacturers could be doing that is, what they want to be doing and what they are actually doing, said Addison Snell, CEO of Intersect360 Research. They know where they want to go; they just dont know how to get there.

Over 80 percent of respondents to the survey wanted more opportunity to experiment with advanced technologies, if they could do so at minimal risk. However, manufacturers typically encounter barriers not only with the cost of acquiring the computer hardware and software necessary to start or expand a Digital Manufacturing program, but also with the expertise to implement new technologies and validate their results against existing processes.

Armed with this data, NCMS has developed a comprehensive plan to overcome the barriers to entry that have kept the SMMs out of the digital manufacturing space, and affordably bring these game-changing tools to the over 300,000 small- and mid-sized manufacturers in the U.S.

NCMS understands the power of Digital Manufacturing and has confirmed its absence in the manufacturing supply chain in the U.S. said Jon Riley, NCMS executive director of Design & Engineering Programs. With this study, weve been able to pinpoint the barriers to adoption, and identify strategies to overcome them.

The event agenda includes speakers from General Electric, Ace Clearwater Enterprises, Intersect360 Research, Microsoft and Intel as well as various government officials all speaking to the need for a wider adoption of Digital Manufacturing throughout the supply chain in order for U.S. manufacturing to remain globally competitive.