Late last year I started following a federal-level initiative that’s been around a while on establishing manufacturing hubs (known as institutes) around the country specializing in specific areas of expertise.
Some of these hubs include:
- Chicago, IL – digital manufacturing and design innovation
- Detroit, MI – lightweight materials
- Raleigh, NC – semiconductor technology
- Youngstown, OH – additive manufacturing
- Knoxville, TN – advanced composite materials
- San Jose, CA – flexible hybrid electronics
Together, this is known as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). This network may expand to as many as 16 institutes (there are currently seven to nine, depending on who you talk to) by the end of 2016. The vision is for an eventual total of 45 institutes, although no target date has been set for that goal, but a decade sounds about right.
