Status of Innovative Technologies in Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing is responsible for more than 12,000,000 American jobs and is contributing more than $2 trillion to the U.S. economy and funding 70 percent of the nation's industrial research and development. Manufacturing jobs, because of the wages they pay, help people who come from working class backgrounds make it to the middle class. With the middle class around the globe expecting to double by 2030, the market for goods outside the United States is growing. While manufacturing is important to the U.S. economy, it faces stiff competition from those around the globe. Because its international competitors are accelerating their investments in advanced manufacturing, U.S. manufacturing needs to continue to build on its strengths. The goal should not just be to keep or make the cheapest product, but to continue to advance in innovative technologies such as semiconductors, aerospace and to innovate faster than others. Advanced manufacturing harnesses this innovation, makes U.S. businesses more competitive, and reduces energy costs by minimizing waste through the efficient use of resources, such as energy and water, during the manufacturing process.