Lockheed’s Steve Betza: Public-Private Partnerships Key to Manufacturing Innovation

Lockheed Martin‘s Steve Betza has pointed to collaboration between industry, government and academia in the field of manufacturing as a method he believes could accelerate the time-to-market of new technologies.

Betza, director of advanced manufacturing and development at Lockheed, wrote in a guest post published Wednesday on the Commerce Department‘s blog that participation in public-private partnerships could lead to a significant transformation of the manufacturing industry.

Organizations such as the Institutes for Manufacturing Innovation, America Makes in Ohio, Digital Lab for Manufacturing in Illinois, American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute in Michigan and PowerAmerica in North Carolina facilitate commercial availability of IT products in manufacturing, he says.

He also expects the growth of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation to lead to more entrepreneurs, an increase in business for small and midsize companies and heightened global competitiveness.