New roadmap outlines a five-year strategy to modernize the U.S. casting and forging industry through digital manufacturing technologies
CHICAGO — Today, MxD released the Casting & Forging Digital Fabric Roadmap, a new report outlining a five-year strategy to modernize one of the most critical sectors supporting the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (DIB).
Developed through extensive research and collaboration with industry, government, academic and workforce stakeholders, the roadmap identifies practical, digitally enabled solutions to strengthen the resilience, productivity and long-term competitiveness of the U.S. casting and forging (C&F) industry.
Casting and forging operations produce essential components used across military platforms, critical infrastructure and advanced defense systems. Yet the industry faces mounting pressures, including aging equipment, workforce shortages, supply chain vulnerabilities and decades of offshoring that have eroded domestic manufacturing capacity.
“This roadmap provides a practical blueprint for how digital manufacturing technologies can help modernize the industry, strengthen supply chain resilience and prepare the workforce needed to meet future defense demands,” said Clark Dressen, MxD’s Chief Technology Officer.
On June 18, MxD will host a webinar to provide an overview of the roadmap. To register for the webinar, CLICK HERE.
The report was developed over four months and informed by more than 100 industry reports, 65 research sources, three multi-stakeholder workshops and more than 25 stakeholder interviews. The effort engaged 60 participants representing government, industry, academia, trade associations and small manufacturers to identify the most pressing challenges facing the sector and develop actionable modernization strategies.
The roadmap outlines 24 scalable projects organized across four strategic focus areas:
- Smart Factory & Automation
- Workforce & Talent
- Supply Chain & Production
- Standards & Compliance
Recommended initiatives include sensor retrofits for legacy equipment, digital twins for foundries and forge shops, workforce upskilling programs, model-based procurement standards and supply chain visibility platforms designed to improve readiness and resilience across the industrial base.
Among the report’s key findings:
- The number of U.S. foundries and forge shops has declined significantly since 2000, contributing to reduced domestic industrial capacity.
- Many facilities continue to rely on aging infrastructure and outdated technical data, limiting productivity and slowing digital adoption.
- Workforce shortages and skills gaps remain major barriers to modernization and long-term sustainability.
- Supply chain fragmentation and limited visibility into lower-tier suppliers create significant operational and national security risks.
The roadmap emphasizes that modernization efforts must integrate technology investment with workforce development while establishing stronger digital foundations and supply chain visibility across the ecosystem.
The Casting & Forging Digital Fabric Roadmap was developed with support from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Strategic Technology Protection and Exploitation, Defense Manufacturing Science and Technology Program.
To download the full report, CLICK HERE.
