The Purpose
The
purpose of the Next Generation Manufacturing Technology Initiative (NGMTI)
is to accelerate the development and implementation of advanced
breakthrough manufacturing technologies in support of the warfighter,
and the global economic competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing. NGMTI
launches collaborative project teams consisting of subject matter
experts from industry, government, academia, and associations in support
of its purpose.
The Need
U.S.
manufacturers continue to face deepening challenges: a surge in imports
from low-wage/high skilled countries (especially China); a decline in
capital investment; a transfer of manufacturing technologies; and a
sharp increase in the cost of doing business in the U.S. These factors
have contributed to the loss of more than 3 million manufacturing and
technology jobs and a continued decline in manufacturing as a percentage
of GDP. Meeting these challenges is critical to our nation’s economic
and military security:
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A strong
industrial base is the foundation of national defense, especially
given the need to transform defense production to effectively
respond to the new security challenges of the War on Terrorism.
-
The
ability to transition rapidly to more flexible and affordable
commercial technologies in defense production has met with only
limited success just as the military is trying to move toward
“capabilities-based planning.”
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The loss
of both robust manufacturing and the technology base will undermine
the nation’s capacity for innovation and wealth generation during
the next decade.
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Manufacturers are the leading source of R&D funding (over $447
billion annually), and 90% of U.S. patents are product-related.
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Manufacturers have had more than twice the productivity growth of
other economic sectors during the past two decades.
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Manufacturers typically pay more than most other sectors, with
average annual salary and benefits much greater than $54,000.
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Manufacturing has a huge multiplier effect, generating millions of
service jobs directly related to manufacturing
An effective
response to these challenges must leverage the nation’s capabilities for
technology innovation. Indeed, the only way that the U.S. can compete
over time with low-wage/high skilled countries is to maintain a
leadership role in developing next generation advanced breakthrough
manufacturing technologies. However, the percentage of DoD and other
federal investment in manufacturing sciences continues to decline, while
industry has only slightly increased their investment in manufacturing
technologies. This negative trend must be reversed.
The Strategy
The NGMTI strategy is to address the common requirements of DoD, other government agencies, and U.S. industry to accelerate the development and implementation of next generation manufacturing technologies. The three primary activities launched in the initial phase of NGMTI include:
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Develop a Strategic Investment Plan for manufacturing NGMTI is working with hundreds of representatives of the manufacturing community to define compelling needs, mapping current investments against those needs, identify critical voids, and develop a comprehensive national plan for manufacturing technology investment.
NGMTI has developed plans for the Emerging Process Technologies and Model Based Enterprise
thrust areas.
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Launch a national implementation of the Strategic
Investment Plan As an integral part of the
Strategic Investment Plan development, NGMTI built a coalition for implementation. This coalition
has many players and is managed for breakthrough success. A key element for implementation is the Industry-Government Forum which is a leadership body providing input for NGMTI and providing support for its ultimate success
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Transition Manufacturing Technology NGMTI is implementing strategies and processes to accelerate the transition of new technologies in alignment with the Strategic Investment Plan. These strategies include direct investment in proof-of-concept experiments and in a National Manufacturing Technology Testbed Network for facilitating and widespread deployment. The Testbed Network, integrating the resources of leading government and industry manufacturing laboratories,
provides a national capability to advance manufacturing technology
.
