News

RAPID - Exec Director Jim Bielenberg
RAPID
Chemical Processing, Materials
Jim Bielenberg Returns to RAPID as Executive Director

he RAPID Manufacturing Institute®, an initiative of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), has named Jim Bielenberg, PhD, as its Executive Director. Bielenberg returns to RAPID after previously serving as the Institute’s first Chief Technology Officer.

Bielenberg succeeds Frank van Lier, who is stepping down after helping lead RAPID...

Cover of the "Analysis of the Manufacturing USA Occupation and Competency Framework" by NIST
AFFOA, AIM Photonics, America Makes, ARM, BioFabUSA, BioMADE, CESMII, CyManII, EPIXC, IACMI, LIFT, MxD, NextFlex, NIIMBL, PowerAmerica, RAPID, REMADE
Manufacturing, Reports, Workforce
Guide on Manufacturing USA Occupations & Competencies Released

Expanding on the Manufacturing USA Occupation and Competency Framework, this NIST Advanced Manufacturing Series publication describes the most common entry-level occupations in advanced manufacturing across the technology areas associated with the Manufacturing USA network through 2030. It serves as a potential guide for workforce professionals...

Group photo of attendees at the 2026 Manufacturing USA Network Meeting
AFFOA, AIM Photonics, America Makes, ARM, BioFabUSA, BioMADE, CESMII, CyManII, EPIXC, IACMI, LIFT, MxD, NextFlex, NIIMBL, PowerAmerica, RAPID, REMADE
Event, Innovation, Manufacturing, Reshoring
Invented Here and Made Here: The 2026 Manufacturing USA Network Meeting

It takes more than a dedicated group of individuals to reshore advanced manufacturing. It takes a whole network of networks. On May 12–13, 2026, nearly 90 people representing Manufacturing USA’s innovation institutes and partnering federal agencies convened for the 2026 Manufacturing USA Network Meeting. Over the course of 1.5 days of connection...

External News

Industry Week
Manufacturing
America Needs More Manufacturing Capability, Not More Factories

In manufacturing, capacity is easy to picture. We think about square footage, machines, workers, shifts and production lines. I understand why. Those are real levers, and manufacturers need them.

But the more I look at advanced manufacturing, especially defense manufacturing, the more I come back to a simple point: A factory can improve and still...

Manufacturing
The Manufacturing Challenge Behind America’s Aerospace Dreams

When we talk about aerospace in America, we talk about our great past achievements. We talk about the opportunities that lie ahead. We talk about how innovative our industrial base is. What we don’t talk about are the challenges and needs for transforming that innovation into actual production. In the fields of aviation, space, and national...

Our Network @ Work

Graphic showing the United States with interconnected bright blue lines. There are 8 images overlaid in circles: semiconductor chip, wind turbine, two manufacturing employees, a handshake, woman working in a lab, hologram of data coming from a laptop, welder working on a truck panel in a plant, robotic arm
CESMII, NextFlex, NIIMBL, RAPID
Automation, Biopharmaceutical, Competition Resources, Facilities, Innovation, Intellectual Property, Process, Smart Manufacturing
How Manufacturing USA Institutes Innovate & Reduce IP Risks with Pre-Competitive Collaboration

It’s a challenge for any company to efficiently invest in research and development (R&D) for advanced manufacturing applications. Costs are high and success is not a given. Joining industry peers in R&D to reduce risk also presents a dilemma: How do you help drive your company and the industry forward with technological innovation without...