Institute Empowers Manufacturers in the Digital Age
MxD has been at the forefront of transforming how manufacturers operate in the digital age since it was founded in 2014. As the second institute in the Manufacturing USA network, MxD convenes the U.S. industrial base to solve critical manufacturing challenges by accelerating digital adoption, empowering a skilled workforce, and modernizing supply chains.
MxD has led a portfolio of public-private investment over the years, delivering 190 digital manufacturing, cybersecurity and workforce development projects focused on technology innovation and adoption. Some of this work is demonstrated at MxD’s 22,000-square-foot Future Factory floor, located in the heart of Chicago, where visitors can experience firsthand how cybersecure digital manufacturing applications can meaningfully improve productivity, security, and continuous improvement.
In 2019, MxD was also designated as a National Center for Cybersecurity in Manufacturing by the Department of Defense. In this capacity, MxD plays a crucial role in securing manufacturers and their supply chains — many of which are small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) without dedicated IT departments. Manufacturing is the most cyber-attacked industry, so implementing cybersecurity in digital manufacturing is not just advisable; it's imperative.
MxD’s Industry Achievements
Here are a few of MxD’s key accomplishments in advancing cybersecurity, digitalization, and workforce development.
Cybersecurity
- MxD Cybersecure Supplier Program: The institute developed a turnkey program of critical cybersecurity information resources that large manufacturers can offer to their supply chains. Through newsletters, webinars, and in-person workshops, MxD, in partnership with four large Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), reaches more than 20,000 suppliers monthly to improve their cyber preparedness. The program is helping strengthen the defense industrial base by improving national supply chain security and resiliency.
Digitalization
- Organic Industrial Base (OIB) Modernization Accelerated Program : The OIB includes the facilities, depots, and shipyards that produce, store, and repair materials and equipment used by the U.S. armed services. Over the years, MxD has been working directly with the OIB on digitalization and modernization initiatives that enable surge capacity to meet changing demand and equip operations to withstand emerging threats and challenges. MxD works closely with OIB leaders to determine high-impact digitalization opportunities, which are followed by pilot implementations. These solutions are then replicated across other sites, thus accelerating improvements while minimizing duplicate funding efforts.
Workforce Development
- MxD Learn is the institute’s workforce development program, which has evolved along with the growth and adoption of digital manufacturing. MxD Learn initiatives include awareness programs for students and training programs for new and established workers.
- Digital Manufacturing and Cybersecurity Hiring Guides: In 2017, a comprehensive project identified 165 roles in manufacturing that will be created or transformed by digital technology. This project identified 20 key roles that will facilitate the transition to a digital manufacturing workforce. Universities are using this taxonomy to develop curriculum that prepares the next generation of workers to meet future manufacturing demand. Since then, MxD has published hiring guides for digital manufacturing and cybersecurity that outline more than 250 job roles and provide recommendations for training and upskilling workers to meet these job demands.
- Virtual Training Center: Established in 2022 in collaboration with academic partners, the Center offers a variety of training programs spanning subjects such as cybersecurity for operational technology, machine learning, data annotation, and cybersecurity analytics. Additionally, there are 20,000 free courses available covering various topics relevant to SMMs, including change management and basic digital skills.
- CAPITAL Program: In 2023, MxD launched the Curriculum and Pathways Integrating Technology and Learning (CAPITAL) skill development program, designed to address the anticipated shortage of two million workers in the manufacturing workforce. Through this program, MxD has developed certification-based manufacturing training courses for current students, manufacturing employees, and future members of the workforce to develop the skills and training they need to support the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies within U.S. factories, strengthen national security, and ultimately increase U.S. manufacturing’s global competitiveness. CAPITAL courses train workers for the most critical digital manufacturing roles of today and tomorrow, including AI (Artificial Intelligence) and cybersecurity for manufacturing.
MxD Project Success Stories
Achieving Supply Chain Resilience Through Proactive Risk Management
MxD worked with auto manufacturer Rolls Royce and other stakeholders to develop a machine learning tool that integrates supplier, bill-of-material, and event-based risk information. The goal was to produce recommendations aimed at preventing supply chain disruptions before they happen. Think of this tool as the equivalent of X-ray vision into multi-tier supply chains, providing the ability to control, or at least influence, previously opaque interactions between sub-tier suppliers. Rolls Royce is using this solution to illuminate hidden layers of its supply chain, quantify cost savings opportunities, and recommend actions aimed at ensuring the timely purchase and supply of parts and materials across its multi-tier supply chain. This became the foundation for the MxD Cyber Secure Supplier Program.
Reducing Fatigue-Related Injuries Could Save Manufacturers Billions
According to the National Safety Council, worker fatigue costs employers in the U.S. an estimated $136 billion annually in health-related lost productivity. MxD continues to be on the leading edge of developing solutions to reduce fatigue-related injuries across the manufacturing sector. MxD’s work in this area dates to 2021, when they began a project with Boeing on a human-centered digital twin to measure worker motion and fatigue during manufacturing assembly tasks. MxD is now involved in multiple projects related to worker fatigue, such as monitoring movements and identifying fatigue before an employee realizes he or she may be susceptible to injury. Solutions from these projects will soon be deployed commercially.
Q&A with Berardino Baratta, CEO of MxD
Berardino Baratta is the CEO of MxD and has been at the institute since 2019, previously serving as Vice President of Projects and Engineering and Senior Director of Technology Strategy. He discusses MxD’s impact as Manufacturing USA celebrates its 10th anniversary — and shares his outlook for the institute’s next 10 years.
Looking back, what stands out as a challenge when building your ecosystem?
We now have about 20 industry members that are large manufacturers and technology providers. We also have more than 300 members that are small and medium-sized manufacturers, innovative startups, and academic institutions.
Over the past 10 years, industry’s understanding of digital manufacturing has evolved as manufacturers, especially large ones, began to adopt digital within their operations. We have adapted our membership engagement model to this change and the growth of the Manufacturing USA network. Our early focus on innovation continues but we have an increased focus on helping manufacturers securely adopt digital within their operations. This includes helping our large manufacturing members uplift the digitalization and cybersecurity of their supply chains, which comprise primarily small and medium-sized manufacturers.
This is just one example of how we continue to advance our value proposition to ensure we’re meeting the needs of our members and executing our core mission.
What are a few of your foundational successes?
MxD Learn, our workforce training program, has engaged with over 250,000 learners through a portfolio of offerings designed to create the cybersecure and digitally skilled workforce that meets manufacturers’ current and future needs.
Another success was a project with Caterpillar that focused on increasing the efficiency of post-casting machining of large parts. Previously, the metrology and machining process was inefficient with a high scrap rate and loss of production time. The project developed a solution that used point cloud laser scanning and a digital twin to digitally compare the cast “as manufactured” part to the expected “as designed” need. For parts that met expectations, the solution would automatically update the CNC G-Code to ensure 100% success. For parts not meeting expectations, where possible, the solution would indicate where additional material needed to be added, increasing the rework team’s efficiency. The project led to a reduction in scrap by 95 percent, and significantly increased production efficiency, which provided a very quick ROI. In this case, a digital manufacturing process that only took a few minutes replaced a manual process that took hours. Caterpillar hired students from our member universities who had worked on the project to continue to advance the solution and ensure adoption across their production sites.
What are the keys to increasing adoption?
One key is to earnestly meet manufacturers where they’re at. We need to understand their challenges and constraints and provide easily accessible and affordable entry points. We have had a lot of success developing playbooks and training programs and convening events where we come together to discuss challenges, share processes, and identify unresolved issues.
If manufacturers’ pain points, such as lagging throughput or quality, can be solved and ROI achieved within a sufficient time horizon, they will make the investment. Adoption isn’t about selling technology — it’s about solving problems.
How are you connecting with SMMs?
SMMs often lack the resources to take risks in technology adoption. They’re looking for solutions that have a clear and quick ROI. MxD developed the MxD Sensor Kit to bring digital monitoring capabilities to SMMs through an easy and affordable solution. The device has up to eight sensors that connect to legacy equipment to gather real-time data, such as temperature, humidity, vibrations, and coolant levels. The kit then analyzes the data to guide the operator through trigger alerts or notifications. This makes it an accessible and affordable solution for SMMs looking to digitize their operations.
Everyone has old equipment that they want to modernize. We worked with the Navy to pilot our sensor kit within a shipyard to monitor their machining equipment and are now working with 12 MEP Centers to bring this to more small manufacturers. Our sensor kit provides manufacturers of all sizes with the ability to solve problems and begin their digital transformation without the need to replace their existing equipment.
What impact do you hope MxD’s work will have on U.S. manufacturing over the long term?
A strong manufacturing sector drives economic prosperity and ensures national security. Over the past 11 years, as a public-private partnership, we have worked closely with the DoD and our members to strengthen and secure the industrial base. We believe we have already demonstrated our ability to deliver value and provide impact but need to expand the scale at which we deliver.
To support our “Impact at Scale” initiative we have established three success pillars to focus our efforts:
- Digitalize and secure 10,000 manufacturers
- Upskill 1,000,000 U.S. manufacturing workers
- Support a modern and resilient organic industrial base
These pillars ensure we are helping to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and support our warfighters through technology innovation, workforce development, and cybersecurity preparedness.
10 Years of Innovation, Collaboration & Education
MxD is part of the Manufacturing USA network, which was created to increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness by connecting people, ideas, and technology. Learn more about 10 areas where MxD and the rest of the Manufacturing USA network have made a significant impact since the network’s inception in 2014.
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