Georgia Tech and Council on Competitiveness Host Manufacturing Forum

Top United States industry, academic , labor and government leaders convene in Atlanta this week where the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Council on Competitiveness will host a two-day forum starting Tuesday, to address how supply chain, advanced logistics, and infrastructure improvements can enhance the nation's manufacturing base.

One in the series of U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative dialogues, the "Next Generation Supply Network" discussion will cover an array of supply chain challenges, from efficient freight rail systems to just-in-time air delivery.

Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson will give opening remarks; Council on Competitiveness Senior Vice President Jack McDougle will follow with updates about the Council's Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative and its recently released report, Make: An American Manufacturing Movement.

“Our challenge is to not only get back to ‘made in America' but also 'invented in America," Peterson said. “The same spirit of innovation and collaboration that once gave us preeminence in manufacturing can help us regain our competitiveness, thereby creating jobs, increasing exports and serving as a catalyst for a healthy economy.”

The Council's President and CEO, Deborah L.Wince-Smith asserts: “Companies must have access to highly-integrated supply networks and logistics capabilities to compete in today’s global economy." The dialogue, she adds, "galvanizes recognized supply chain leaders to address some of the most pressing challenges facing American manufacturers. We must ensure that our manufacturers have the tools and resources needed to compete. Only through tight integration across the supply chain will our companies – and our country – adapt to new challenges and opportunities in markets around the world."

Among the attendees are Helmuth Ludwig, Ph.D., CEO, Siemens Industry Sector, North America; Doug Stotlar, President and Chief Executive Officer, Con-Way, Inc.; Chris Lofgren, President and Chief Executive Officer, Schneider National, Inc.; Chris Cummiskey, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development; Paul Yarossi, President, HNTB; and Chad Evans, Senior Vice President, Council on Competitiveness.

The invitation only meeting will convene at Georgia Tech’s Global Learning Center. “We are delighted to be partnering with the Council on Competitiveness to address how the supply chain and logistics industry can help to provide competitive advantage for U.S. manufacturing and in so doing help to strengthen the U.S. economy,” says Chip White III, conference chair and Schneider National Chair in Transportation and Logistics at Georgia Tech. The University's Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering has extensive expertise is world-class in advanced manufacturing and supply chain engineering.

A joint Georgia Tech-Council on Competitiveness Report will detail the forum's findings, and it will contribute to the Council's National Manufacturing Strategy.
 
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