CANFIELD, Ohio – America Makes’ membership is growing, but it needs to move faster to best serve those members.
That was a message Tuesday, the first of the two-day America Makes Members Meeting & Exchange, or MMX, at Waypoint 4180.
This year’s event drew more than 500 attendees, the most of any of its gatherings, said John Wilczynski, its executive director. MMX runs through Wednesday.
In his State of the Union address, Wilczynski said over the past year and what’s forecast for the upcoming year, there’s considerable momentum. America Makes, originally called the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, prioritizes how it aligns to national strategies including the national defense and security strategies and the language in the National Defense Authorization Act.
“But it’s really about how do we take these actions, then what outcomes do we attempt or hope come out of them that creates this momentum that we’re actually seeing,” Wilczynski said. “How roadmaps, project calls, qualification activities, workforce programs, supplier development – all of those kinds of actions that we’re taking – lead to and accumulate this flywheel effect and start to lead to faster qualifications, stronger suppliers, more capable depots, reduced lead times …”
And that all leads to the goal of doing it more quickly at a lower risk, he said.
“We need to go faster and be able to at the various risk levels that are required,” Wilczynski said.
But America Makes is going to see some change as well.
“This next year is going to be quite pivotal as we think about where are we headed, are we structured the right way to address the needs that are facing us as a country,” the executive director said. “How do we do that? It’s ultimately with all of you.”
This week’s event marks America Makes’ 14th annual MMX. It focuses on accelerating next-generation additive manufacturing adoption across the defense industrial base, strengthening the workforce, increasing supply chain resiliency and enabling more responsive, cost-effective production in support of national mission readiness, according to information announcing the meeting.
America Makes works with industry, government, workforce, nonprofit and economic development organizations to accelerate additive manufacturing adoption and support global U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
America Makes has realized an increase of more than 50 members in the past six months, its executive director said. Membership includes small and large businesses, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations.
He pointed to new programs that have been introduced as some of what’s driving that increase.
“One, in particular, has driven a tremendous amount of interest in how to engage and get technology that all of you are working on closer to the depots, arsenals, aerogistic centers, fleet readiness centers that are looking to implement and the need to ultimately modernize,” Wilczynski said. “So that was a big step for us, a big part of what’s driving the momentum here.”
The keynote speaker for Tuesday’s session was Matthew Sermon, executive director of direct reporting portfolio manager submarines at the U.S. Department of War (Defense).
He said he’s gung ho about additive manufacturing.
“An event like this, this organization, what America Makes represents, what it’s done and doing, is something I always say yes to if I can,” said Sermon, who has spoken at previous America Makes MMX events.
At the end of the Cold War, the U.S. intentionally killed its maritime and defense industrial base, he said. At the same time, the country moved away from manufacturing, Sermon added.
But regarding the use of additive manufacturing to boost both, “progress has not been near fast enough,” he said.
Wilczynski said America Makes needs feedback and engagement constantly from its members. For example, the institute heard from members that access to deliverables coming out of its programs needs to improve. America Makes put a team in place to work on that.
Many new members are new to the defense world and unfamiliar with how to engage that office of the federal government. America Makes has been leading programs to address that, he said.
The institute has also heard from members about the need to transition at a faster pace.
“We need to think about how industrial capacity can be strengthened,” Wilczynski said. “Ultimately, we need to think about how the America Makes model has to evolve.”
Pictured at top: John Wilczynski, executive director of America Makes.