A new report on advanced manufacturing in the United States released this month by a national subcommittee including Engineering Dean Erick Jones lays out objectives to revitalize this languishing sector.
The presents a vision for United States leadership in advanced manufacturing that grows the economy, creates jobs, enhances environmental sustainability, addresses climate change, strengthens supply chains, ensures national security and improves health care. One of the goals stated in the report is to, within four years, build resilience into manufacturing supply chains, an area of expertise for Jones, and one that is a key position for the College of Engineering: optimizing a globally sourced, sustainable supply chain. “The COVID pandemic exposed some of the weaknesses in our supply chains, causing shortages in medical supplies, critical minerals and semiconductors,” Jones said. “And that’s just one area of advanced manufacturing that needs to be addressed to secure our country’s economic strength. One of our areas of focus at the College of Engineering is fortifying the supply chains for pharma and active pharma ingredients, EV batteries, semiconductors and critically mined materials.”
The College has research programs in advanced manufacturing across a variety of disciplines; to see contributions by department within the College, see the College of Engineering Advanced Manufacturing webpage.
