Oct. 6, 2017
Source: The Detroit News | See more photos from The Detroit News here
Detroit-area high school students got a glimpse of the skilled jobs available in 21st-century manufacturing at a Manufacturing Day program Friday.
The event took place at Innovations Hub, a 100,000-square-feet research-and-development facility on the site at the Institute for Advance Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) and Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT). The facility is at 1400 Rosa Parks Blvd. in Detroit.
Politicians and business people attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony there.
The facility, which will specialize in creating advanced fiber-enhanced polymer composites to produce lightweight materials stronger than steel for the auto industry, is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has pledged $15 million to support IACMI activities in the state for the next five years.
LIFT, supported by a $10-million grant from the MEDC, is a nonprofit founded by the University of Michigan, Ohio State University and Ohio-based engineering and technology organization EWI.
“In the ongoing challenge for Michigan-based automakers and manufacturers to find ways to build high-tech, safer and cost-and-fuel efficient vehicles, a new research center provides a major boost to address engineering and manufacturing issues while improving competitiveness,” said Jeff Mason, CEO of the MEDC.