GlobalFoundries and five partners are embarking
on a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Commitment to Action, a collaborative effort
that has the potential to strengthen the U.S.
supply chain and build the manufacturing
base, company officials said.
The commitment, which was the outgrowth
of discussions during the 2012 CGI America
meeting in Chicago, now moves from the developmental
to implementation stage.
The NSNI is being lead and facilitated by
GlobalFoundries and brings together representatives
from the University of Michigan,
Battelle and others in a collaborative partnership
with the AutoHarvest Foundation, CONNECT,
the CONNECTORY, the Hudson Valley
Technology Development Center (HVTDC)
and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG)
to create a regional pilot in the Hudson Valley
of NY — Tech Valley — intended to better
connect the supply chain.
Officials said key components of the NSNI include helping small and mid-sized manufacturers get connected to large manufacturers as suppliers; improve access to innovation and to generally help provide direction when it comes to needed assistance. The later would come through the use of an online network and leveraging the expertise of existing organizations.
The overall goal, GlobalFoundries officials said, is to create a scalable model, ultimately providing a tool to build a more robust U.S. supply chain and grow the U.S. manufacturing base.
“As it becomes more evident that the success of modern manufacturing will be an integral part of the growth of the U.S. economy, it is apparent that a strong linkage between all size manufactures and access to innovation is imperative to ensure that the U.S. manufacturing sector can compete and lead in the global economy,” said Mike Russo, senior manager, government relations, GlobalFoundries.
“Large manufacturers need to be able to easily identify smaller manufacturers who are able to supply needed goods and smaller manufacturers need to know where their potential markets lie and have access to the latest innovation in order to improve manufacturing processes and product design,” he said. “CGI has provided the vehicle for those now engaged in the NSNI to come together to identify and solve this fundamental problem.”
Sridhar Kota of the University of Michigan said the NSNI is intended to develop a comprehensive method to connect the supply chain.
“Much of the needed information and resources exist, but there is no easy way for especially small and mid-sized manufacturers to access it,” he said. “Better connectivity could provide manufacturers the necessary access to resources ranging from IP, expertise, and software tools to test facilities products, parts and capital. A state-of-the-art online network that leverages existing networks and resources will create the needed connectivity, leveraging existing expertise and information.”
“This CGI Commitment to Action, which strives to improve the American economy by invigorating the manufacturing value chain, aligns well with our inclusive intellectual property ecosystem that utilizes social media tools to smart-connect R&D and manufacturing innovators and commercializers to accelerate the adoption of innovation”, said AutoHarvest President and CEO, Jayson D. Pankin.
The process entails developing a scalable model by initially focusing on three geographic regions (the west, mid-west and east). The CONNECTORY and CONNECT have a presence in California and the Pacific Northwest, the AutoHarvest Foundation in Michigan and the HVTDC/CEG are located in the nation’s new Tech Valley.
Officials said the initial pilot will utilize the HVTDC and its existing platform in conjunction with the Capital Region MEP (led by the Center for Economic Growth) to develop a scalable framework and prototype web-based platform leveraging expertise of the others involved.
Several other markets across the nation have expressed an interest to be involved as early pilots, according to GlobalFoundries.
Regional economic development entities in other markets will be responsible for outreach and facilitation throughout the nation as the initiative is scaled, using the Hudson Valley model. This process will be conducive to scaling because it utilizes the existing grass roots, regional structure to facilitate, giving municipalities and economic development entities the tools necessary to understand the system, working with manufacturers/suppliers and to provide data to update the system in real time (through the use of templates), which helps to maintain the site and database, officials said.
While the initial focus of the NSNI is to connect all-sized manufacturers in the supply chain in order to grow their markets and to provide better access to both product and process innovation, through better connectivity/ sharing of best practices and leveraging existing platforms, the broader goal will be to help address the other top issues identified by manufacturers, including access to capital/ financing; assistance in developing sustainability/ environmentally friendly operations, access to design enablement and general business assistance to address issues inhibiting business growth, officials said.
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI annual meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media.
For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org.