EWI Releases Report From Future of Materials Joining in North America Conference

New Report Details Key Challenges and Opportunities for North American Manufacturers

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- EWI and America Welding Society (AWS) released a report detailing the outcomes of its 2010 Future of Materials Joining in North America Conference. The report was compiled by a team from EWI, AWS, Babcock & Wilcox, GE Aviation, The Ohio State University (OSU), and NASA representing experts from industry, academia, and government who participated in the conference. The pivotal role of materials joining and the key challenges and opportunities for contributing to a stronger North American manufacturing base are described.    

The report states that increasing the level of technical innovation and increasing workforce competitiveness are two "grand challenges" that exist for North American manufacturers today, relative to materials joining. It also describes two broad opportunities that exist for greater collaboration among manufacturing stakeholders and influencing policy and funding priorities.

According to Chris Conrardy, Vice President of Technology & Innovation at EWI and the Future of Materials Joining in North America Conference Chair, "There is an urgent, growing sense that North American manufacturing is at a crossroads. Our global manufacturing competitiveness is at risk, which endangers our global leadership, our national security, and our standard of living. The report from the Future of Materials Joining Conference takes a critical look at the state of the materials joining industry and offers recommendations for making our manufacturing base stronger."

The full report is available for download in the News & Events section of the EWI website at http://www.ewi.org/events.  

About EWI

EWI is a leading engineering and technology organization dedicated to materials joining and allied technologies. We provide applied research, manufacturing support, and strategic services to nearly 2,800 member company locations of global leaders in the aerospace, automotive, defense, energy and chemical, government, heavy manufacturing, and electronics industries. We also operate a variety of technology-based centers and consortia dedicated to advancing manufacturing competitiveness. Visit www.ewi.org or call 614.688.5000 for more information.

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SOURCE EWI