CEO calls for ‘smart factories’
by June 19, 2009 2:30 pm 47 views
Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO Keith Nosbusch is calling for business and government leaders to invest in “smart factories” that are flexible, efficient and sustainable as the best way to create higher-paying, long-term manufacturing jobs in the U.S.
And although Nosbusch’s comments are somewhat self-serving — the company produces and sells automation systems — they are, however, of interest in the Fort Smith region where manufacturing remains a large part of the metro economy.
“The public and private sectors need to invest in advanced technology that will lower costs, increase productivity, and make U.S. manufacturing competitive globally,” Nosbusch said in this statement. “This investment is the best way to create enduring, higher-wage manufacturing jobs that can compete against other economies with lower costs of doing business.”
Nosbusch made the following points during a June 15 speech at The National Summit, a gathering hosted by the Detroit Economic Club to promote actions to improve America’s manufacturing competitiveness in the global economy.
• U.S. industrial policy must include federal stimulus and research and development on industrial automation and information technology, to keep U.S. manufacturing competitive globally.
• Research that shows most Americans believe that highly automated, modern factories are important to grow the U.S. economy. A majority of Americans said the government should provide incentives for companies to invest in advanced technology to improve U.S. manufacturing.
• A $50 billion investment in retooling factories would create 250,000 direct manufacturing jobs in the U.S., support an additional 725,000 indirect jobs, and generate up to $120 billion in revenue resulting from increased demand for products.
• The Obama administration should double research and development for manufacturing innovation to bring it back to 1970’s funding levels.
• “We also need an education system that will train workers to operate these smart factories and produce engineers who develop innovative manufacturing solutions for the future,” Nosbusch said. “This needs to start with a better pre-school to college STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) talent development pipeline.”