VTSU Randolph
Will Launch the New England Defense Supply Chain Enhancement Initiative
- The Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative is part of a growing ecosystem, accelerating US manufacturing capabilities.
- The Advanced Manufacturing Center provides manufacturing services to industry and gives learners the opportunity to work with leading-edge technology, building real-world industry projects.
- In the opening year, 250+ businesses engaged, 100+ industry work projects were completed, and 1,000+ people toured the Advanced Manufacturing Center.
Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative (VT-MC), hosted by Vermont State University, announces a new $1.5M contract with the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) to establish the New England Defense Supply Chain Enhancement Initiative. Funded by the Department of Defense (DoD), the two-year initiative aims to fortify supply chain resiliency through workforce development and the advancement of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. This is only the latest in business and government partnerships where students work directly with companies to tackle tough business challenges in research and development, product design, and manufacturing. All part of a growing ecosystem across the country determined to enhance manufacturing capabilities in the United States and train the workforce necessary to do this highly technical work.
Anchored at the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) on the Vermont State University’s Randolph campus, the initiative will pioneer a pathway for manufacturers, particularly those engaging with the U.S. Department of Defense, to navigate the complex landscape of standards and challenges inherent in military-grade production. The objective is to develop and maintain supply chain resiliency by accelerating the use of advanced manufacturing technologies, including complex metal additive processes, digital thread, and a cybersecure environment. To increase supply chain participation, the outputs of the initiative will be made available nationally to companies and learning institutions.
Barry Hulce, Executive Director of VT-MC, explains: "Today, when a company wants to manufacture a product, it faces a multitude of challenges, especially when it comes to meeting the stringent standards of the U.S. Department of Defense. This initiative will address these challenges head-on, including additive manufacturing and a cyber-secure environment, complex processes that can be daunting for many companies. The AMC will become a working DoD compliant manufacturing center that businesses and learners can physically observe. Once a business decides to move forward, the partnership network will help with a clear pathway. Additionally, all the information will be made into curriculum that we hope institutions will incorporate into their engineering and manufacturing programs so that the future workforce enters knowledgeable and prepared to succeed in the complex supply chain environment.”
The Advanced Manufacturing Center at Vermont State University Randolph holds the distinction of being the first advanced manufacturing production and education facility in Vermont and one of the only in the Northeast. The facility houses leading-edge manufacturing equipment. The AMC is already working with over 200 businesses employing thousands primarily located in Vermont but increasingly across the country and even the world. Businesses gain exposure to new advanced manufacturing equipment, commission manufacturing and testing services, and receive unbiased process and equipment recommendations. Additionally, the AMC is an educational hub for learners of all types including K-12, technical and vocational schools, colleges and universities, and continuing workforce training and upskilling. Today’s manufacturing jobs require increasingly technical training and expertise. AMC trains leaders in advanced manufacturing by offering them real world business challenges to tackle and solve for the Center’s business clients.
Hulce adds, "This initiative will not only guide companies on how to navigate the complexities of the DoD supply chain, it will also provide the curriculum for learners to utilize advanced technology within a data secure environment."
Mike Smith, Interim President at Vermont State University, commends the initiative: "This contract is validation of Vermont State University’s position as a national leader in advanced manufacturing education and exemplifies our commitment as a higher education institution to bolstering workforce capabilities and solidifying Vermont's position as a technological hub. More and more businesses are seeking us out to help them understand and tackle their toughest manufacturing challenges. VT-MC at the AMC gives learners the opportunity to deep-dive train on leading-edge equipment and complete real industry projects, so they enter the workforce with the distinction of having advanced hands-on experience.”
Nationally, the manufacturing sector employs around 13 million people (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics); however, between 2018 and 2028 there may be an estimated 2.4 million positions nationally that will be unfilled in the manufacturing industry due to people lacking the needed skills (Source: Deloitte & Manufacturing Institute).
Since opening its doors in July 2022, the AMC has engaged in a range of notable industry projects with companies and institutions including Benchmark Space Systems, Husky, Bivo, GD-OTS, Tanbark, and the University of Vermont Medical Center. The AMC has also hosted several educational and training sessions and conferences with organizations from across the state and region. The AMC recently celebrated several key milestones including the completion of 100 industry projects, 250+ company tours, and 1,000+ visitors.
Burlington-based Benchmark Space Systems aims to make space more accessible and sustainable by providing world-class in-space mobility solutions.
“As a highly innovative and technology driven enterprise, Benchmark Space Systems collaborates only with the strongest possible technical partners. In our nascent industry, the kind of commitment to flexibility, quality and business partnership that we have experienced through the Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative has been invaluable,” said Peder Nilsson, VP of Supply Chain at Benchmark Space Systems. “Through VT-MC we have delivered against multiple extremely difficult supply and technical challenges, helping Benchmark Space Systems grow quickly into a leader in our industry, which competes globally. We look forward to continuing to collaborate and work together.”
ABOUT VERMONT STATE UNIVERSITY
On July 1, 2023, Castleton University, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College joined to become Vermont State University, serving students on five campuses and multiple learning sites across the Green Mountains and beyond, as well as online. Vermont State provides a high-quality, flexible, and affordable education for students seeking associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees, certificates, and in-demand professional credentials. The university builds upon a history of public higher education in Vermont dating back to 1787. Learn more at vermontstate.edu.
The Advanced Manufacturing Center at Vermont State University houses leading-edge technology supporting the full product lifecycle, from ideation to production. Businesses and students can access design digitalization, metal and polymer additive 3D printing, advanced machining, EDM processes, heat treatment, post-processing, metrology, and metallurgy. It was seed-funded in 2020 by the US Department of Defense (DoD) Industrial Base Assessment and Sustainment Program (IBAS). VT-MC is one of the original “flagship” centers sponsored by IBAS with the goal of rapidly increasing US manufacturing capabilities.
ABOUT THE VERMONT MANUFACTURING COLLABORATIVE
The Vermont Manufacturing Collaborative (VTMC) is a public-private partnership, founded to help accelerate business adoption of Advanced Manufacturing technologies and to develop a highly capable workforce within Vermont, the NE region, and the US. VTMC is actively building the infrastructure and partnerships needed to support business evaluation of advanced manufacturing technology and to help learners become skilled through training and hands-on experience.
Source: Randolph, Vt. – September 25, 2023 - Vermont State University