Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2018 from NCMS!
A message from Rick Jarman, NCMS President:
As we approach the holidays, we look back on an exciting year for NCMS. 2017 was a year full of great strides and new opportunities that saw NCMS successfully complete over two-dozen collaborative projects with government and industry partners and launch over 40 more. In the meantime, our organization broadened its resource offerings to our network, and we continue to expand and strengthen its network of relationships with federal agencies seeking routes through which to collaborate with business and academia.
In the new year, NCMS will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program. CTMA has long been one of NCMS’ mainstays, relied upon by officials across the Department of Defense to connect their services with groundbreaking technical innovations and cost-saving technologies. The program’s continuing success speaks for itself: CTMA has seen double-digit growth over the past four years, and NCMS partners continue to receive recognition for the work they do as part of CTMA.
Outside of CTMA, NCMS continues to do important work in mobility and sustainability. This spring, NCMS helped prove the feasibility of using high-performance computing to simulate the crash-test performance of car parts. In addition to managing a network of EPA-funded Compliance Assistance Centers (CAC) for manufacturers, as it has for over 20 years, this year, NCMS helped launch the Surface Technology Environmental Resource Center (STERC) on surface treatments and finishing.
To help address growing concerns about cyber threat, this year, NCMS launched a Cybersecurity Strategic Initiative, providing alerts and information on how to manage cybersecurity risks, as well as publishing a white paper on emerging cybersecurity challenges for manufacturers. NCMS also carried out a plan of action to attain compliance with NIST 800-171 standards, a new set of data security standards that are required for Department of Defense partners in 2018, as well as hosting webinars on how manufacturers can work towards compliance.
As part of our mission to foster innovation and advance American manufacturing, NCMS will continue to provide resources to companies. This past year, our organization rolled out an expanded set of service offerings including workforce development, through partnerships with Pendaran and Tooling U-SME, and ID Solutions, a suite of creative and design services to support new product development. NCMS has a packed calendar in 2018, including holding member-only meetings in May and August, the CTMA Annual Partners & Integrated Project Meeting in May, and a collection of technology-focused events throughout the year.
As we count down to the new year, a word of thanks to all NCMS’ members and partners. It is with your help that our organization has had its impressive 31+ year history. We look forward to seeing you as we collectively promote and support American advanced manufacturing in 2018.