Industry CEOs and manufacturing advocates convene at official launch of US Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Troy, Mich., October 4, 2022 –The nationally-focused US Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which was announced in June 2022 as a partnership between Automation Alley and the World Economic Forum with economic support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Oakland County, hosted an invitation-only launch event today at its headquarters in Troy, Michigan. The day attracted leading CEOs from across the nation in a variety of industries actively engaged in digital transformation on the factory floor, along with politicians who advocate for advanced manufacturing dominance in the U.S. through policy change.
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The US Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the only Center in North America, is part of the World Economic Forum’s global community of 16 Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) and is the first Center focused solely on advanced manufacturing and its value chains. Collectively, the network of Centers help shape new strategies and policies in technology governance and work closely with the Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains.
Hosted by Cynthia Hutchison, CEO of the Center, the launch event began with a press conference featuring Mike Cicco, President and CEO, Fanuc America; Carrie Uhl, Chief Procurement Officer, GE Healthcare; Dave Coulter, Oakland County (Michigan) Executive; Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II; U.S. Senator Gary Peters; Francisco Betti, Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains Platform, World Economic Forum; and Kevin Czinger, Founder/CEO of Divergent Technologies and Czinger Vehicles. Czinger also presented his 21c 3D printed hypercar vehicle at the event. It was the hypercar’s Midwest debut and Hutchison noted it as an excellent example of when digitization meets manufacturing.
In her remarks, Hutchison commented on the Center’s goals, including a commitment to strengthening the advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
“The presence of the CEOs here today reflects the willingness of manufacturing leaders to extend beyond their own industry to create a collaborative approach to advanced manufacturing,” Hutchison said. “The US Center for Advanced Manufacturing is committed to being a conduit to support cross-industry initiatives and build a coordinated, national ecosystem to accelerate innovation in the manufacturing sector.”
The day’s events included CEO roundtable discussions and a tour of Fanuc’s manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Aggressively pursuing partnerships in a variety of manufacturing environments, Hutchison also announced two Center pilot projects at the event: Upskilling the US Manufacturing Workforce with Flex and Fanuc executives lending corporate support; and Accelerating Technology Adoption to build a more competitive manufacturing sector in the U.S., with GE Healthcare and Accenture’s Industry X experts lending corporate support.
About the US Center for Advanced Manufacturing
The US Center for Advanced Manufacturing convenes national and global manufacturing innovators from academia, technology, manufacturing and civil society to accelerate and strengthen transformation in the digital environment and create action-oriented ecosystems across industries and disciplines. The Center is the first US entity to operate in partnership with the World Economic Forum to advance its global manufacturing initiatives and is one of 15 World Economic Forum Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Learn why forward-looking manufacturers seek out the US Center for Advanced Manufacturing for guidance in their transformation journey by visiting our website.