In a press release published today, Case Western Reserve University announced that a federal institute for smart manufacturing has selected the Institute for Smart, Secure and Connected Systems (ISSACS) at Case Western Reserve University to lead a Smart Manufacturing Innovation Center (SMIC) in Cleveland. IOTC co-Executive Nick Barendt will direct the effort, in his role as ISSACS Executive Director.
The Cleveland SMIC will focus on helping small- and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) adopt smart manufacturing technologies.
While many large manufacturers have been adopting smart manufacturing for years, many other SMMs have barely begun the transition. SMMs often have limited technical staff and limited capital budgets, rendering many existing smart manufacturing solutions either too technically challenging or too expensive.
Tackling these limitations requires a multi-pronged approach, from building awareness, to education at all levels, and the development of new, innovative “right-sized” smart manufacturing solutions. To accomplish this work, the SMIC will leverage years of collaboration between academia and the public and private sectors in Northeast Ohio.
The Cleveland SMIC brings together Case Western Reserve faculty, including Kenneth Loparo, professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering and faculty director of ISSACS, and James McGuffin-Cawley, professor of Materials Science and Engineering and faculty director of Sears think[box]), and the IoT Collaborative.
Team NEO’s Smart Manufacturing Cluster will lead the engagement and smart manufacturing assessment efforts of the SMIC, working with Bennit AI, a company building artificial intelligence solutions for manufacturing. MAGNET, the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership organization for Greater Cleveland, will lead smart manufacturing implementations for SMMs.
Smart manufacturing demonstrations will be housed within Sears think[box] at CWRU, constructed with the support of Advanced Manufacturing International. “The SMIC is a great example of the regional collaboration we’ve seen in building the Manufacturing Blueprint, bringing together academia with the public and private sectors to move the region forward,” said MAGNET CEO Ethan Karp.
To read the full text of the press release, click here.