The NCMS is moving forward with the development of a national innovation network; a knowledge infrastructure which leverages the wealth of talent, ideas and facilities within our nation’s universities, national labs and industrial research centers so we can innovate smarter, faster and more predictably.  

One of these efforts is a collaborative project with the University of Michigan’s Tauber Institute for Global Operations, a joint program of the College of Engineering and Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. The Institute meets industry's need for a new kind of graduate -- one who has an exceptional academic background, extensive professional experience, and can successfully integrate business and engineering perspectives to lead global operations into the future. 

Two Tauber students, Samuel Jih and Michael Trent, are working this summer with NCMS to review the overall Predictive Innovation Center (PIC) strategy and develop a business plan for a NCMS facilitated pilot center.  The successful implementation of this strategy will be achieved through effectively communicating the efficiency, affordability and value of HPC tools to the U.S. manufacturing supply base.

Recently, Samuel Jih and Michael Trent traveled to Washington, DC with NCMS Executive Director Jon Riley and NCMS Senior Vice President Rebecca Taylor to meet with key congressional members and DC-based partner organizations about the PIC initiative.  They met directly with Senator Levin (D-MI) and Congressman Dingle (D-MI) and briefed the staff of both Senator Stabenow (D-MI) and Congressman Lipinski (D-IL) about the PIC initiative.

Samuel Jih, Michael Trent, Senator Levin (D-MI)

Jon Riley, Congressman Dingell (D-MI), Samuel Jih, Michael Trent

They also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy to discuss concepts related to Alternative Energy (SmartGrid) PICs, pilot centers partnering with large US OEMs and their supply chains, and how to improve our nation’s small and medium manufacturers (SMEs) ability to access and engage our national labs.

The NCMS-Tauber collaboration is an outstanding example of how the NCMS is bringing together industry, academia, and government leaders to create the future of North American Manufacturing. 

StandardAero is one of the largest independent Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul businesses in the world, providing comprehensive services to commercial, military, business aviation, helicopters and industrial operators.  StandardAero is ISO 9001-2000 Quality System certified as well as FAA/Transport Canada certified.

http://www.standardaero.com/

Providing clients with leading-edge engineering and low-volume manufacturing solutions, Pratt & Miller is a world-class engineering company and a respected industry leader in automotive, commercial, military, and aerospace industries.  Their range of design, engineering, manufacturing, and vehicle program management capabilities are among the most sophisticated in the world.

http://prattmiller.com/

Accio Energy is making distributed wind energy systems scalable, reliable, ad affordable with Aerovoltaic energy systems that directly convert wind energy to electricity without any moving parts.  Accio Energy Aerovoltaic energy systems offer the low cost of big windmills with the modularity and flexibility of solar.  It’s a new director in wind energy.

http://www.accioenergy.com/

SpaceForm Welding Solutions is an advanced welding technology company set up to commercialize the patented Deformation Resistance and Super-Mig Welding processes as a way to cut costs and improve production throughput.

http://www.spaceformtech.com/

Seica is a global supplier of automatic test equipment and selective soldering systems.  They offer completely automated, laser-based selective soldering solutions, as well as a complete line of test solutions, which include bed of nails and flying probe testers.  These have the ability to perform manufacturing defect analysis, in-circuit tests, functional tests and optical tests of loaded boards, second and third level electronic modules and printed circuit boards.

http://www.seica.com/

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) needs your help to provide valuable input as we develop a new collaborative innovation network that increases access to advanced computing tools for product design, engineering and manufacturing. These tools will enable businesses of all types to innovate faster, more competitively, and at lower cost. The touch point for these resources will be regional centers coordinating the required education, training and affordable access to shared high-performance modeling and simulation tools.

In order to attract the needed resources, we are conducting a survey of potential stakeholders in this collaborative model, and we have identified you as someone whose particular insight would be especially valuable. Our goal is to learn more about industry’s use of computing and information technology, and how to structure a model that addresses common needs of industry. Please follow this link to contribute to this 10 minute survey. We greatly appreciate your willingness to provide feedback on an initiative that will help North American business and manufacturing compete more effectively on a global scale.

Regards,

Rick Jarman
President & CEO, NCMS

Alternate survey link: 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ncms_technology_survey

PDQ Precision manufactures and distributes the Mini-Max Cleaning and Waste Management equipment and technology.  This system is used to clean such items as electronics, weapons, fiber optics, food service and medical products, etc., in complete safety to the user, environment, and the item being serviced.

http://www.pdqprecision.com/

Milspray is an accomplished defense company specializing in high performance and special purpose military coatings, RESET services and the manufacturing of systems and products geared for military readiness sustainability and environmental considerations.

http://www.milspray.com/