One might suggest that the four “D’s” of manufacturing be replaced by the four “A’s” of advanced manufacturing: Advanced, Advantaged, Added-Value and Accelerating.

For some, the mere mention of the term”manufacturing” evokes connotations rooted in prior decades – Dirty, Dark, Dangerous, and Declining. However, the advent of advanced manufacturing in the United States has firmly relegated this outdated alliteration regarding America’s backbone industry to the history books. Advanced manufacturing is not performed in a dingy setting, unskilled labor no longer provides the arms and legs for production, and value creation is no longer a pure low-cost input game: small batching, highly precise components, customization and complex designs are pushing the need for more and better technology and a highly skilled workforce.

Read the reports below for more information:

• Executive Summary: Advanced-to-Advantageous_FINAL-Executive-Summary_04-08-2015
• Full Report: Advanced-to-Advantageous_FINAL-Report_04-08-2015