The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences and its collaborative partners have identified digital manufacturing as one of the key innovations that will drive North American manufacturing competitiveness in the 21st Century. Historically when thinking of computing and manufacturing, CAD/CAM solutions come to mind. But these tools are nothing more than design aids. Digital manufacturing is the dramatically intensified application of manufacturing intelligence using advanced data analytics and modeling & simulation (M&S) to produce a fundamental transformation in how we make things. Flexible factories of all sizes identifying and solving design challenges rather than simply aiding the design process. This will drive enormous benefits for small and medium sized manufacturers in the so-called “Missing Middle” – the oft-ignored manufacturers who typically employ fewer than 500 people, but are nonetheless responsible for more than twice the global employment of larger organizations.
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SIG Objectives
SIGs are developed for and with our members around areas of strategic interest to them, putting them in collaborative contact with other organizations with aligned interests. Specifically, the DM SIG works to identify and break down barriers to adoption that has so far prevented Missing Middle manufacturers from utilizing digital manufacturing:
- Awareness
- Perceived Value
- Access to Tools and Human Capital
The Missing Middle represents around 95% of all manufacturers in the United States. It is a market representing 300,000 companies. Historically, the cost of these technologies has been perceived to be an impossible barrier to entry for smaller organizations. What this sector needs is help accessing and mastering the tools of tomorrow’s innovative manufacturers and product designers, which will drive the digital smart manufacturing of the 21st Century. One of the DM SIG’s objectives is to provide a single marketplace where hardware, software, and expertise are affordably accessible to Missing Middle manufacturers through secure, web-based portals. NCMS excels at bringing together the three drivers of success: talent, investment, and infrastructure, to break down barriers to entry and provide the tools that manufacturers need to remain competitive in the increasingly digital and global economy. SIG membership is open to any Collaborative-level NCMS Member.
Digital Manufacturing Report: A Portal for the Missing Middle
NCMS is proud to announce a strategic collaboration with Tabor Communications, Inc., a leading publisher of high performance computing news and opinion for more than 20 years. Tabor will act as the official media partner for the NCMS Digital Manufacturing initiative, supporting the strategy of bringing high performance computing and digital manufacturing tools to the Missing Middle. For over 22 years, Tabor Communications, Inc. (TCI) has been a leading international media, advertising, and communications company that provides news, analysis and information to the High Performance Computing (HPC), Cloud, and Information Technology (IT) communities. Tabor Communications companies include Tabor Advertising and Tabor Publications & Events. TCI’s publications and programs include HPCwire, HPC in the Cloud, HPC Soundbite and Digital Manufacturing Report.
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Download the SIG Announcement PDF (1.7MB) |
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