New U.S. manufacturing hubs will boost innovation

U.S. president Barack Obama has announced the creation of two Pentagon-led institutes designed to combine public and private resources to foster manufacturing innovation.

One centre will be located in Obama’s hometown of Chicago; the other will be outside Detroit.

The Canton, Mich. institute will focus on light metal manufacturing. The one in Chicago will concentrate on high-tech digital manufacturing and design.

The two institutes fulfill a promise in Obama’s 2013 State of the Union speech to create three manufacturing hubs with a federal infusion of US$200 million. The first hub – an Energy Department-led project in Raleigh, N.C. – was announced in January.

The goal of the institutes is to bring together companies, federal agencies, and universities to work on technologies that can boost manufacturing.