Envisioning the future of U.S. manufacturing from an engineering research viewpoint was the purpose of the March 2023 event convened by the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA), an initiative funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The event convened 56 participants (from small- to medium-sized manufacturing companies, plus researchers and technical experts from industry, government, and academia) to identify critical areas for engineering research in distributed manufacturing. This refers to the development of technologically advanced industry located within the U.S., widely distributed locally to maximize flexibility in the event of supply chain disruptions, and more sustainable than current global networks. The event’s findings were published in October in a report, Engineering the Future of Distributed Manufacturing.
