In 2021, Smart Manufacturing started asking the leaders transforming manufacturing what effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on their business. Not only do the stories continue to amaze, we’re also seeing some of the trickle down effects of COVID-19 emerge in their answers.

Two respondents said reshoring—bringing manufacturing back to the...

Boeing has invested in NextFlex to expand the workforce development programs of the Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Innovation Institute in nine regions where the company manufacturing hubs are located.

The FlexFactor and Flex2Future– the high school and community college-focused programs of NextFlex– will gain $1.1 million from...

NextFlex , America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, today released Project Call 7.0 (PC 7.0), the latest call for proposals that seek to fund projects that further the development and adoption of FHE while addressing key challenges in advanced manufacturing while supporting Department of Defense priorities.

The...

For Malcolm Thompson, leading a consortium is a lot like being a matchmaker. He is discreet and has a wide network. He also strives to understand his members’ goals and gain their trust. “They come to me and say, ‘We need help on some things,’ which can reveal a weakness,” said Thompson, executive director of NextFlex, a consortium in the flexible...

Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) technology combines the flexibility and low cost of printed electronics technology with the performance of semiconductor devices to create a new category of electronics. No longer constrained by rigid, bulky and non-conforming printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), FHE technology can be applied to nearly any...