Connecting Smaller Manufacturers With Cutting-Edge Technology Solutions
Maintaining a competitive advantage is paramount for small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) in today’s rapidly evolving landscape. As technology continues to reshape industries, the pressure to innovate and adapt is immense. But SMMs often lack the resources, expertise, or capacity to fully embrace a new process or equipment. There is no way for them to be current on everything that is coming next from an R&D perspective. And sometimes SMMs are in a bind, trying to resolve a specific issue about a process, material, or supply. They need immediate tech help.
There are industry partners available to provide support and help manufacturers overcome obstacles, accelerate innovation, and ultimately thrive in the digital age. But it’s hard to know where to start or who to contact. This is where the MEP National Network™ (MEPNN) can help. They created the National Advanced Tech Team to connect manufacturers with access to cutting-edge technology, such as specialized equipment, world-class research facilities, and technical expertise. Their initial help is often at no cost or low cost. The Team is in the position to empower SMMs in ways that, until recently, were mostly privy to large manufacturers.
As part of the MEPNN’s mission, the Team offers impartial, technology-agnostic support to manufacturers. They work with companies of all sizes and stages of development (from startups to established enterprises) to enhance productivity and technological capabilities. The Team can provide SMMs with access to new, advanced manufacturing solutions to solve urgent needs and grow their business opportunities.
What Is the National Advanced Tech Team?
The National Advanced Tech Team is a small group of experts in manufacturing technology adoption from among the 51 MEP Centers in the MEPNN. Team members have deep knowledge of various manufacturing technologies and connections to innovation institutes in the Manufacturing USA network and at national laboratories. The Team’s goal is to match companies with one or more of the 17 Manufacturing USA institutes or other organizations to address specific challenges and introduce relevant technologies.
The Team’s mission is to be the leading resource for SMMs, offering an actionable understanding of diverse technologies to deliver the fastest, most effective solutions to their challenges. Benefits of working with the National Advanced Tech Team include:
- Accelerated Innovation:Â The Team can often quickly help SMMs address an issue or adopt new technologies to improve processes.
- Cost Reduction:Â Discuss potential cost savings through efficient problem-solving and resource optimization.
- Enhanced Competitiveness:Â Technology adoption can help SMMs address pain points, expand their capabilities, and add capacity, each of which empowers SMMs to compete globally.
The Team generally approaches the challenges they receive from manufacturers through these four areas and approaches:
- Discovery and matching
- Testing and validation
- Technology introduction
- Alternative supplier identification
1. Discovery and Matching
The National Advanced Tech Team brings an open mind to any challenge. They exist to identify the manufacturer’s needs and find solutions. They begin by learning about the process and other dynamics from the manufacturer in order to understand the problem.
For example, an SMM might request help with a quality issue, but the Team’s approach allows them to look at the issue through a different lens. Oftentimes the Team recognizes underlying issues or identifies solutions that their customers often have not considered.
In a recent case, the Team was approached by a company seeking new methods for making large drone rotor blades. During a previous visit to Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, the team spotted a method to reinforce wind turbine blades with 3D-printed ribs versus costly and heavy foam core. The team was then able to scope a project plan between the entities for work in the coming year.
The Team has expanded its services to help address supply chain needs, such as when an SMM finds it difficult or costly to get certain materials, parts, or components. The Team digs into the SMM’s requirements to see if an alternative material can be used, or if they can help find a way to use less of a material to make the process more efficient and sustainable.
The Team deeply understands technology and finds solutions that match the client’s needs. For example, an Arkansas company was looking for different micron features for welding tips. They sought to reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of this time-consuming process. They knew that using additive manufacturing could help, but after two years of searching, they couldn’t find an additive solution. Upon learning the details of the application, the National Advanced Tech Team connected their client with an additive solution that worked with their material.
The Team reached out to America Makes, the Manufacturing USA institute with a focus on additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Within weeks, America Makes connected the Arkansas company with someone who could more efficiently make their part.
2. Testing and Validation
Questions about materials are among the most common requests that SMMs bring to the National Advanced Tech Team. As mentioned previously, the Team members collectively have a significant network with specialty skills and access to even more knowledge and equipment. The Team is able to connect manufacturers with partners who can do appropriate testing and validation of materials under a wide scope of conditions.
For example, a company that uses plastic injection molding wanted to learn if they could reuse the waste from their process of regrinding plastic. Would the waste material still be viable for that work? Would it be strong enough to reuse after heating and grinding? Or had the material changed too much to withstand certain conditions? The Team was able to help the company find the right partners to address their concerns.
3. Technology Introduction
One of the biggest benefits for a manufacturer working with the National Advanced Tech Team is they receive help with initial entry points into that specialty. The Team is not only making a connection to help the manufacturer with its original request, they are also introducing them to new technology and capabilities. It’s an introduction that could have a greater long-term impact. The Team is exposing the manufacturer to a technology portfolio of processes or materials that have a high potential for other uses.
Some examples of technology portfolio introductions from the National Advanced Tech Team include:
- NASA: The NASA Technology Transfer Program evaluates patents and then licenses NASA-developed technologies to manufacturers. Technology that helped the Mars rover learn to traverse Martian terrain is now used for drone navigation and collision avoidance on factory assembly lines.
- AIM Photonics: The Manufacturing USA institute devoted to photonics helped a company looking to use glass interposers for microelectronics, enabling them to create smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient devices with improved performance and reliability.
- NextFlex: The Manufacturing USA institute that focuses on flexible hybrid electronics helped a company produce flexible circuit boards. The National Advanced Tech Team also connected the startup company with researchers at SUNY Binghamton and with a larger company that was interested in the same technology.
4. Alternative Supplier Identification
When a manufacturer is not able to find a match from the MEP Supplier Scouting Service, their local MEP Center can reach out to the National Advanced Tech Team to see what other options exist. The Team may be able to help them find an alternate supplier or perhaps suggest an alternate, more sustainable material that can perform the same function.
For example, a company that makes buoys was looking for a replacement material for its coatings, which must be waterproof and strong enough to withstand waves for many years. The manufacturer had heard about mushroom-based coatings that were being used for water-proofing and wanted to learn if that was a viable solution. In fact, there are mushrooms being used as buoys and mushroom-based waterproof coatings. The Team was able to direct the manufacturer to an appropriate partner.
In another example, the ongoing war in Ukraine had disrupted the supply of Baltic wood imports, and several MEP clients were looking for a replacement material. The Team was able to identify a wood manufacturer. The Tech Team was also able to connect them with the appropriate partners to investigate using hemp wood, which would be better for the environment than importing wood from overseas.
Contact Polaris MEP to Help You With Technology Challenges
It will take a lot of teamwork to increase SMM adoption of advanced manufacturing technology. Now manufacturers have an avenue for quickly addressing issues through the MEP National Network and the National Advanced Tech Team. Contact your local MEP Center to learn more about the National Advanced Tech Team and its services.
Manufacturers in Rhode Island needing help reaching their goals should contact Polaris MEP for support.