CIVS Director Presents at National Academies Smart Manufacturing Workshop

Dr. Chenn Zhou was invited to be a panelist at the Workshop on the Broader Impacts of Smart Manufacturing on March 7th in Washington DC, organized by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. During the workshop, Dr. Zhou made a 15-minute presentation on “Impacts of Smart Manufacturing on Sustainability”, which highlighted her journey in Smart Manufacturing since 1995, as well as project examples and their impacts on energy efficiency, decarbonization, process operation and maintenance, and workforce development in steel and other industries. She concluded her talk by summarizing recommendations for developing and implementing Smart Manufacturing technologies from SMSVC board members. She also actively participated in the 75-minute Q&A session after her presentation.

The Workshop explored a wide range of impacts, including optimization, efficiency, decarbonization, improved U.S. competitiveness and supply chain resilience, opportunities to integrate product and process lifecycle, resource (energy, material, and water) productivity, and quicker development, deployment, and adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and processes. It is part of NAE’s study of “Options for a National Plan for Smart Manufacturing Development and Deployment” sponsored by the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office in response to the mandate in the Energy Act of 2020, Sec. 6006.

The study develops options for a national plan for smart manufacturing technology development and deployment. The final report will examine technical frameworks and processes, identify possible timelines and necessary resources, and explore policies and general roles for government, industry, and academia to address near-, medium-, and long-term challenges to improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector of the United States and ensure U.S. competitiveness.