Will plan amp up manufacturing?

In late June, President Obama unveiled a plan for the latest U.S. manufacturing initiative in a speech at Carnegie Mellon University. Obama spoke about the need for U.S. manufacturing to remain competitive, and how the new “Advanced Manufacturing Partnership” would do that. The partnership is an effort to bring corporations, universities and the federal government together to invest in emerging technologies that will create manufacturing jobs.

The AMP will be supported by $500 million from existing federal programs, existing federal funding and pending appropriations, according to Ron Bloom, assistant to the president for manufacturing policy.

The president noted that scientists and entrepreneurs generate lots of ideas, but many companies don’t invest in them because they don’t have quick payback. Helping commercialize those ideas is the AMP’s focus.

Another goal is to ensure that advanced technology reaches smaller manufacturers. To help make this happen, the Council on Competitiveness, a nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization based in Washington, D.C., is piloting a program with federal funding from the Economic Development Administration. Under the program, a group of 30 companies will work together to determine the best way to disseminate technology and best practices. The group plans to work with Manufacturing Extension Partnerships around the country to reach small manufacturers.

The AMP has support from manufacturing leaders, including Carlos Cardoso, chairman, president and CEO of Kennametal Inc., and John Surma, chairman, president and CEO of United States Steel Corp., who were on hand for the speech. Douglas Woods, president of AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology, also supports it. “AMT is encouraged by the administration’s continued focus on the manufacturing sector,” Woods said. “The Advanced Manufacturing Partnership is the second initiative announced in June that emphasizes recommendations set forth in AMT’s Manufacturing Mandate.”

The AMP is backed by a new report, “Implementing 21st Century Smart Manufacturing,” from The Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition, a group of leaders from business and academia. The report sets the top 10 priorities for modernizing 20th century factories with 21st century digital information, the group stated.