Posted September 18, 2014

 

Industry representatives are urged to attend a one-day workshop regarding the Fiber and Textiles Innovative Manufacturing Institute, which represents a major opportunity for the industry.

 

The workshop, requested by the Department of Defense’s ManTech (Manufacturing Technology) office, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 1 at Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center, Kimbrell Campus in Belmont, N.C.

 

The U.S. government has an objective of creating 15 Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation (IMIs), each dedicated to advancing a manufacturing area that is considered critical to industry and the DoD. Each IMI will have a minimum of $70 million in federal funding and $70 million in funding from states and industry over a five-to-seven-year initial period. The DoD will be starting up two more major institutes this year. These IMIs represent a $70 million to $120 million investment by the government over a five-to-seven year period.

 

The head of the ManTech office, Adele Ratcliff, will attend along with her staff. The purpose of the workshop is to inform the fiber and textile industry of the IMI program as well as for the Industry to convince ManTech that it is the best candidate for the institute.

 

The institute will focus on the gap between engineering and production. The institute is NOT an academic research program – it is for industry, by industry.

 

Although the program is handled by the Department of Defense, the entire U.S. fiber, textile and fabricated products industry will participate, not just Defense suppliers.

 

Auggie Tantillo, president & CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), will speak during lunch.

 

To see the agenda, click here. To register, click here.

 

For more information on the Insitutes for Manufacturing Innovation, click here.

 

A similar invitation-only workshop for the industry is scheduled for October 8 at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.