Later this week, thousands of American manufacturers will open their doors to the public on Manufacturing Day, a national, annual initiative that aims to educate students, educators, and others to change their perception of manufacturing and inspire the next generation of skilled workers. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recognizes MFG Day efforts and underscores the importance of standardization ahead of the nationwide event, which is co-sponsored by ANSI member the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
While MFG Day on October 6 gives a first-hand look at the daily life of professionals through facility tours, standardization work is largely done behind the scenes, and is more important than ever as technological advances continue to shape innovative manufacturing. Recent statistics also show that manufacturing in the U.S. has expanded last month at the fastest pace in 13 years. Standards that support manufacturing needs also help increase business operational efficiency, reducing regulatory compliance and procurement costs.
Manufacturing's Innovative Shift
New research by McKinsey & Company titled "Human machine: A new era of automation in manufacturing," sheds light on the potential for robotics, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, and automation. The report indicates that new technologies are opening a new era in automation for manufacturersone in which humans and machines will increasingly work side by side.
Reflecting this trend, ANSI's upcoming Joint Member Forum meeting - Future Perfect - will include a panel discussion on "Virtual Reality and Machine Intelligence" with speakers from IBM, the Consumer Technology Association, and IEEE. The event will take place on October 19 and registration is free.
ANSI supports standardization work related to advancing manufacturing through its members and accredited standards developers, who have developed standards in
Additionally, the Institute, through the America Makes & ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC), is planning to issue (by June 2018) an update to its Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing, which describes published and in-development standards and specifications for additive manufacturing and makes consensus-based recommendations to address perceived gaps in standardization. [Read the related article, America Makes and ANSI Hold Phase 2 Kick-off Meeting for Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative].
MFG Day is co-sponsored by NAM and the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International; the Manufacturing Institute; and NIST's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). To read more about how to get involved with the effort, visit the official page: www.mfgday.com.