In this erudite lecture, engineer Krystyn Van Vliet outlines the challenges facing manufacturing innovation and explains why public-private partnerships are crucial for overcoming those hurdles. getAbstract recommends Van Vliet’s prescriptions to leaders of manufacturing and government interested in collaborating to boost their economies.
The “world of production” is swiftly shifting. Today’s production model entails manufacturing tailored, more “digitally integrated” items quickly and in a more distributed way, which gives rise to several challenges and opportunities. Consider the iPhone. Apple designs the device in Cupertino, California, but manufactures it in Shenzhen, China. This is an outmoded industrial paradigm. Multiple studies show that companies need to be able to experiment, prototype and manufacture in close proximity to their headquarters in order to thrive. Operating amid a “manufacturing innovation ecosystem” that boasts a skilled local workforce lets businesses prototype, “...
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