Digital Manufacturing Playbook

Industry 3.0 and 4.0 practices have increasingly become staples in US manufacturing, but adoption varies widely. Many small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs) have lagged substantially behind larger firms in digital maturity. Principal among the reasons that SMMs have not pursued industry 4.0 initiatives are lack of resources/talent to implement digital manufacturing, uncertain ROI from transformation projects, cultural challenges/reticence, and the pace of technological change. OEM’s, major manufacturers, and DoD are pursuing the value in industry 4.0 but cannot realize its full potential without integration into their supply chain including SMMs.

About the Project

MxD is releasing a Request for Proposals to assist small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMMs) in their transitions to digital manufacturing via the creation of a practical, easy-to-use playbook. All manufacturers experience challenges in their digital transformation—some are especially pronounced at SMMs but apply similarly at brownfield facilities regardless of ownership size. There are many reasons why SMMs have been slower to adopt advanced manufacturing technologies, but chief among them is the lack of time/personnel resources/expertise to pursue transformation implementations that may have uncertain or unclear return on investment (ROI).

The Digital Manufacturing Playbook project will fund Industry 4.0 implementations at SMMs in highly-transferable technology areas such as digitizing/automating inspection, machine tending/cobots, machine monitoring, shop-floor data visualization, machine vision, and process automation. These solutions are applicable to many manufacturers regardless of specific product or industry served and therefore the experience of implementing them is broadly relevant. SMM implementation teams will be joined by those who will author the playbook, capturing the voice of the manufacturer along with lessons learned, KPI achievement, intangible benefits, and best practices.

RFP responses are due on or before
Thursday, August 18, 2022, 5:00 p.m. CT.

Proposals must be submitted by teams, and MxD membership is not required for submission but will be required prior to project award. To facilitate project teaming, MxD will compile and disseminate contact information from parties interested in Team Formation during the first month of the proposal period.

If you are interested in submitting your contact info to this distribution list, please email projects@mxdusa.org.

Download the RFP

Team Formation Opportunity

MxD will host a Team Formation Opportunity to provide organizations and/or teams the opportunity to share a snapshot of their solution approach and allow them to identify synergies with other interested parties.

The Digital Manufacturing Playbook Team Formation Opportunity is scheduled for
Tuesday, June 30, 2022, 1:00 p.m. CT.

For questions or more information, contact projects@mxdusa.org.

Note: All project work must be performed in the United States.

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