6/27/23, 3:47 PM World Economic Forum Launches US Centre for Advanced Manufacturing > Press releases | World Economic

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World Economic Forum Launches

US Centre for Advanced
Manufacturing

Di Dai, Public Engagement, World Economic Forum, di.dai@weforum.org

New US Centre for Advanced Manufacturing will work with

leaders from government, business, academia and civil society to
accelerate the transition towards advanced manufacturing and
unlock productivity, innovation and growth

Identifying latest industry trends and building peer communities

to share insights

This is the first thematic centre focused on advanced

manufacturing within the World Economic Forum’s Centre for
the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network

For more information, click here

Geneva, Switzerland, 1 June 2022 – The World Economic Forum launches its
first thematic Centre on Advanced Manufacturing today, the US Centre for
Advanced Manufacturing. The new centre will join a global community of
Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) that help shape new
strategies and policies in technology governance. It will work closely with
the Platform for Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Value

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Chains that drives the global agenda on the transformation of industrial

ecosystems for improved productivity, sustainabilityJoin
andus
inclusive growth.

The US Centre for Advanced Manufacturing joins a network of 15 centres

that spans four continents and is the first centre in the world focused on
advanced manufacturing. Created with support from the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation and Oakland County, the centre will
engage the national manufacturing ecosystem to accelerate the transition
towards advanced manufacturing through a series of local, national and
international projects and activities. It will play an active role in shaping the
global agenda on the future of production, while contributing towards
strengthening the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector in the
United States.

Francisco Betti, Head of the Platform for Shaping the Future of Advanced
Manufacturing and Value Chains at the World Economic Forum, who joined
the announcement roundtable on Mackinac Island in Michigan, underlined
the centre’s role in helping leaders understand and shape the trajectory of
industrial transformation in the US. “We are delighted to partner up with
Automation Alley to launch this new centre. It will play a key role to help
manufacturing companies – including small and medium-sized enterprises –
anticipate supply chain disruptions, build resilience and capitalize on the
new opportunities. Through new collaborative efforts and projects, the
centre will work with leaders from government, business, academia and civil
society to accelerate the transition towards advanced manufacturing and
help unlock productivity, innovation and growth while enabling workforce
engagement and sustainability at scale. It will also help position the US at
the centre of global discussions on the future of advanced manufacturing
and value chains.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the United States Centre for Advanced
Manufacturing to Michigan, where our century-long auto manufacturing
heritage, innovative businesses and hardworking people continue to shape

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and drive the future of manufacturing in the US and around the world,” said
Join usMichigan has
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Since I took office,
added 30,000 manufacturing jobs, many building batteries, electric vehicle,
or other advanced sectors and products. These investments have cemented
our status as a global epicentre of manufacturing and with the new centre
we will build on that leadership, bringing in even more opportunity for
workers and bolstering economic opportunity within our state and beyond.”

“The rapid pace of technological change coupled with geopolitical, climate

and supply chain disruptions has created an urgency for manufacturers
across the globe to adopt advanced manufacturing technologies and
practices to remain competitive,” said Tom Kelly, Executive Director and CEO
of Automation Alley. “This centre will ensure all US stakeholders are aligned
for shared value creation and to accelerate digital transformation.
Manufacturers of all sizes need to pay attention to the rapid pace of
technological change to remain competitive and relevant today. Automation
Alley is proud to be leading this initiative focused on the most pressing
issues around the future of manufacturing operations, workforce
development, changing consumer demands, sustainability, standards,
regulations and so much more.”

“This partnership will allow Oakland County, the region and the state to be a
leading catalyst for transformational developments in advanced
manufacturing,” said Oakland County Executive David Coulter. “The US
Centre for Advanced Manufacturing will be a good fit for Automation Alley
and Oakland County because we put theory into practice with our Project
DIAMOnD initiative, which provided $10 million in 3D printers to small
manufacturers. We intend to expand on this investment to accelerate the
transition towards advanced manufacturing and attract national and
international firms to Oakland County.”

Strengthening collaborations and innovation to drive transformation

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The new centre’s strategic priorities will include: generating new insights by
identifying the latest trends to help manufacturers Join
and us
policy-makers in
the US respond to industry disruption; building peer communities of varied
voices across industries and regions to share experiences, synthesize
learnings and help shape collaborative responses to address global
challenges; and creating multistakeholder coalitions to accelerate action by
unlocking potential through new alliances. Through the US Centre for
Advanced Manufacturing, businesses will pre-emptively address emerging
opportunities in production and increase the pace of responsible industry
transformation and unlock new value creation.

Cynthia Hutchison, Vice-President of Automation Alley, will serve as Head of

the US Centre for Advanced Manufacturing. She previously served as the
liaison to the World Economic Forum by overseeing the Michigan Advanced
Manufacturing Hub.

Notes to editors:

View all projects from Forum’s Advanced Manufacturing and Production

platform here

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All opinions expressed are those of the author. The World Economic Forum Blog is an
independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around the key topics
that shape global, regional and industry agendas.

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