The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) partnered with the U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA) to host a virtual Advanced Manufacturing Summit. The goals of the summit are to grow U.S. leadership in International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)-based Standards and use more advanced manufacturing (AM) systems in newly industrialized countries.
NEMA received an award through the ITA Market Development Cooperator Program to sponsor the summit, which will take place virtually from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 9 and 10, 2022.
“Congratulations to NEMA for receiving a 2021 Market Development Cooperator Program award,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. “NEMA’s work will help U.S. companies to increase exports of advanced manufacturing systems and train the technical experts needed to properly lead AMS-related technical committees.”
Advanced manufacturing products and systems increase productivity, quality, reduce energy use, and enable manufacturers to better monitor their supply chains.
The NEMA Advanced Manufacturing Summit will explore ways in which manufacturers can examine and remove barriers to adopting AM systems and begin developing a roadmap to address those challenges. The ITA award also encourages U.S. leadership in IEC-based Standards and the use of AM systems in newly industrialized countries, including Mexico, India, Turkey and Indonesia. Additionally, business leaders and technical experts will reveal the areas of advanced manufacturing that would offer the most benefit and create a channel to monitor progress.
“By involving commercial leaders in the discussion, we ensure the completed work has tangible benefits for manufacturers and end-users,” said Megan Hayes, sr. technical director of NEMA.
Through the continued partnership with ITA, NEMA will identify qualified experts, provide necessary training, and influence standards to align with U.S. interests. The award allows NEMA to offset participant travel expenses, including hosting several trade missions.
