美国需要汽车产业战略-2026-05-出海研究（英）

AmericaNeedsanIndustrialStrategyforMotorVehicles

STEPHENEZELLANDMEGHANOSTERTAG|MAY2026

U.S.automotivecompetitivenesshasseverelyfaltered.Thefederalgovernmentneedsa

comprehensivenationalstrategytorevitalizetheindustry’scompetitiveness,especiallyinthefaceofChineseEVs.

KEYTAKEAWAYS

ThemotorvehicleindustryisakeyindustryenablingAmericannationaleconomicpower,especiallyagainsttheloomingthreatfromChina.

However,asashareofGDP,China’sautoindustryis2.6timeslargerthanAmerica’s,whileMexico’sis7.3timeslarger.

TheUnitedStatesneedsbothacoherent,analyticallybasedstrategyandasetofpoliciestospurinnovationandproductioninthesector.

Thisreportlaysoutpolicyproposalsinfiveareas:costreduction,productdevelopment,strengthened“externaleconomies”andindustrysupports,increasedmarketscale,androadwayinfrastructure.

Someofthesechangescanbemadewithoutsignificantfiscalimpact.

ButaneffectivepolicywillrequiresignificantdirectandtaxexpenditurestosupportindustryR&Dinbothproductandprocessdevelopmentandadoption.

CongressshouldalsobanbothChinesemotorvehicleimportsandChineevehicleproductionintheUnitedStates.

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY&INNOVATIONFOUNDATION|MAY2026PAGE2

CONTENTS

KeyTakeaways 1

Introduction 4

KeyIssuesforConsideration 4

IstheIndustryImportant? 4

DoWeNeedaStrategy? 5

HowFocusedShouldtheStrategyBe? 6

InstitutionalCapacities 7

CostReduction 9

GenericPolicies 9

Currency 10

ProductivityImprovement 10

Industry-SpecificPolicies 11

ProductRegulation 11

SalesRegulation 12

TechnicalAssistancetoSMMAutoSuppliers 13

SupportingSMMIntegrationandDigitalizationActivities 13

ProductDevelopment 14

GenericPolicies 14

IncreaseIncentivesforR&DInvestment 14

Industry-FocusedWorkforceTraining 14

Sector-SpecificPolicies 14

Public-PrivateResearchSupport 14

EVProductDevelopment 16

ProductRegulation,EspeciallyforAutonomousVehicles 16

PermitCustomers,Automakers,andAppDevelopersAccesstoVehicleData 17

StrengthenKeyIndustryInputs,IncludingAgglomerationEconomiesandSkills 17

GenericPolicies 18

SupporttheCreationofIndustry-Focusedand-LedIndustrialColleges 18

SupportExpansionofCriticalTechnologyDegreePrograms 18

PrioritizeCommunityCollegesandRoboticsEducation 19

Sector-SpecificPolicies 19

InvestinRegionalAutoClusters 19

MarketScale 20

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY&INNOVATIONFOUNDATION|MAY2026PAGE3

Sector-SpecificPolicies 20

BanChineseMotorVehicleImportsandU.S.Production 20

USMCA 22

Mexico 22

Canada 24

Tariffs 25

DomesticMarketIntegration 25

RoadwayInfrastructure 26

IncreasetheGasTaxandUseProceedstoExpandHighwayFunding 26

PrioritizeDeploymentofIntelligentTransportationSystems 27

EmpowerStatestoExpendHighwayTrustFunds 28

SupporttheDeploymentofEVChargingInfrastructure 29

Conclusion 29

Endnotes 30

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INTRODUCTION

Thecompetitivenessofthe

U.S.auto

industry—Americanandforeignmanufacturersand

suppliersproducingdomestically—hasfalteredinrecentyears,asInformationTechnologyandInnovationFoundation(ITIF)reportshavedocumented.

1

America’sshareofglobalautomobileproductionfellfrom46percentin1965to20percentin1990tojust14.7percenttoday.TheBigThree—Chrysler,Ford,andGM—automakers’shareoftheU.S.automarkethasfallenfrom92percentin1965to38percenttoday.From1963to2023,theaccumulatedU.S.motor

vehiclestradedeficitreached$3.3trillionin2023dollars.AndtheUnitedStates’location

quotient(LQ)—whichassesseshowmuchanindustrycontributestoanation’sgrossdomesticproduct(GDP)relativetohowmuchitcontributestotheglobaleconomy—wasonly0.54in

2022(just60percentofthe1995level),meaningthe

U.S.auto

industrytodayis46percentsmallerthantheglobalaverage.

2

Awarenessofthecompetitivechallengesfacingtheindustryisnotnew.

3

Inthe1970sand

1980s,withtherisingcompetitionfromJapanandEurope,Congressandvariousadministrationswerefocusedontheindustry.Butaftermanyoftheforeignautomakersopenedplantsinthe

UnitedStates,theissuelargelydisappearedfrompolicymakers’radar.NowwiththerapidriseoftheChineseelectricvehicle(EV)industryandChina’sgoalofdominatingtheglobalautosector,theissuehasonceagainattractedtheattentionofatleastsomepolicymakers.

It’spasttimefortheUnitedStatestoarticulateacomprehensiveautoindustrycompetitivenessstrategy,asothernations,suchasCanada,Germany,andSouthKoreahaverecentlydone.

Assuch,it’spasttimefortheUnitedStatestoarticulateacomprehensiveautoindustry

competitivenessstrategy.Thisreportrepresentsaninitialstepinthatdirection,offeringpolicy

proposalsacrossfiveareas:costreduction,productdevelopment,stronger“externaleconomies,”increasedmarketscale,androadwayinfrastructure.MostofthesepolicieswillhelpnotonlyU.S.automobilesectorcompetitivenessbutalsomotorvehiclecompetitivenesswritlarge,includingofheavytrucks,recreationalvehicles,buses,andmotorcycles.

KEYISSUESFORCONSIDERATION

Beforediscussingtherecommendations,it’sworthnotingthattherearethreekeyissues

underlyingtheideaofwhethertohaveanautoindustrycompetitivenessstrategyand,ifso,whatitshouldlooklike.

IstheIndustryImportant?

Thefirstiswhethertheindustryisimportant.Somebelievethatallindustriesarethesame.Forinstance,MichaelBoskin,headofformerpresidentGeorgeH.W.Bush’sCouncilofEconomicAdvisors,memorablyquipped,“Potatochips,computerchips,what’sthedifference?”

4

ButasITIFhaswritten,manufacturingmattersformanyreasons,includingthatit’sakeysourceof

high-wagejobs,it’sakeysourceofresearchanddevelopment(R&D)investment,it’sakeycomponentofthedefenseindustrialbase,andbecauseonceanadvanced-manufacturing

industryislostit’sverydifficulttorecoverit.

5

Inotherwords,there’sasignificantdifferencebetweencarproductionandcar-rentalproduction.

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TheU.S.automotiveecosystemcontributesover$1.2trilliontoAmerica’seconomyannually,orroughly5percentofU.S.grossdomesticproduct(GDP).

6

Moreimportantly,autosrepresentatradedsector,meaningthataweakindustrywillresultinalargertradedeficit,ashasindeed

happened.Between1963and2023,theUnitedStatesranaconsistenttradedeficitinreal

terms,withthecumulativedeficitoverthis60-yearperiodreaching$3.3trillion.Thishas

contributedtoanear-termorlonger-termfallinthevalueofthedollar,whichlowers

U.S.living

standardsasimportsbecomemoreexpensive.

Butevenmoreimportantly,thesectoriswhatITIFtermsan“enablingindustry”thatmakesa

keycontributiontonationaleconomicpowervis-à-visChina.

7

Enablingindustriesproducegoodsintheindustrialcommonsthat,whilenotcentraltopower,strengthentheecosystemforthe

productionofdual-useanddefensegoodsandarenecessaryforeconomicwell-being.Manyof

theseindustriesproducelargelyfinalconsumergoods;therefore,losingtheseindustrieswouldnothaveanimmediateeffectonAmericansecurity—theU.S.economywouldperformfineif,forexample,nonewcarswereavailable,atleastinthenearandmoderateterm.

However,thelossoftheseindustrieswoulderodeU.S.productionandinnovationindual-use

anddefenseindustries,asthetechnologicaladvancesmadeinindustriessuchasmotorvehiclesandapplianceshavedownstreameffectsonthesupplychainsfordual-useanddefense

equipment.Theseindustriescontributetotheindustrialcommonsthatdual-useanddefenseindustrieslivein,whichincludescienceandengineeringknowledge,universityandtechnicaltrainingprograms,professionalassociations,standardsbodies,researchinstitutes,andmore.Theseindustriesalsooftensharesupplierswithdefenseanddual-useindustries.

Theautomotivesectorisaperfectexampleofanenablingindustry.Itemploys47,000engineersandinvestsover$26billioninR&Dannually.

8

Theindustryplaysakeyroleinmetalworking,

mechanicalengineering,andmachinerymanufacturingecosystems,participatingintrainingandhighereducationprogramsandindustrialstandardsgroups.

9

Anditsourcespartsfromover

5,600specializeddomesticsuppliers,whichprovideessentialcomponentsandcapabilities,suchasprecisionmachiningandcasting,thatarecrucialformanydual-useanddefense

industries

.8

Indeed,thePentagonrecentlyrequestedtheindustrytobeginproducingweapons,giventheproductionbottlenecksintraditionaldefensecontractors.

10

DoWeNeedaStrategy?

EveniftheindustryisstrategicandcriticaltoAmerica’sfuture,whyhaveagovernmentstrategy?Whynotletthemarketwork?Whilewelayoutsomereasonsforastrategy,itisimportanttonotethatformostpeopleontheothersideofthisdebate,logicandargumentationareirrelevant.Thisisanideologicalpositioncomingfromfirstprinciples:marketsgood,governmentbad.

Butnonetheless,herearesomearguments.First,othernationsarenotlettingmarketforces

work.TheChinesemassivelysubsidizetheirEVsector,limitforeignmarketaccess,andsteal

intellectualproperty(IP).

11

TheCanadiansrequireU.S.firmstoproduceinCanada.Other

nations,suchasIndiaandBrazil,havesteeptariffs,whileEuropeanUniontariffsonauto

importsarefourtimeshigherthanU.S.tariffs.BothJapanandSouthKoreahaveextensive

nontariffbarriersonautoimports,whichiswhyJapaneseautomakersrecordveryfewsalesin

SouthKoreaandSouthKoreanautomakerspostveryfewsalesinJapan.Forinstance,inJanuary2024,Japansoldjust1,961vehiclesinSouthKoreaandforallof2024SouthKorea’sHyundaipostedonly618vehiclesalesinJapan.

12

Also,unliketheUnitedStates,wheremostconsumers

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY&INNOVATIONFOUNDATION|MAY2026PAGE6

dowhatneo-classicaleconomistsassumeallconsumersdo—maximizetheirconsumerwelfare—consumersinmanyothercountriesfailedornevertookEcon101.Theybuycarsbasedon

nationalpatriotism.InGermany,Germancarsaccountforaround50percentofcarsales,whileFrenchcarsaccountfor5.4percent.

13

InFrance,it’stheopposite.Frenchvehiclesaccountfor34percentofsalesandGerman21percent.Thishasnothingtodowithtransportcostsofthe

autosfromthefactoryandeverythingtodowithconsumernationalism.Thisallsuggeststhat,

absentanationalstrategy(oraU.S.dollarthatisallowedtofalltocompetitiverates),theUnitedStateswillproducefewercars,exactlyaswedo.

Second,thereareahostofexternalitiesandothermarketfailuresthatsuggestgovernment

involvement.Onethateconomistshavelongacknowledgedisthefactthatcompanies,includingcarcompanies,don’tretainallthebenefitsoftheirR&D,sotheyunderinvestinitcomparedwithwhatissociallyoptimal.ThisiswhyothernationshaveautoindustryR&Dprograms.Thereare

alsoexternalitiesrelatedtolocalizationeconomieswhereinfirmsaremoreproductiveand

innovativeiftheyareclusteredtogether.Again,thisiswhymanynationssupportclustering.Andthenthereareexternalitiesfrominfrastructure,whichiswhymanynationssupportrelated

infrastructuresuchassmarthighwaysandvehiclechargingstations.

HowFocusedShouldtheStrategyBe?

OncepolicymakersacceptthattheUnitedStatescannotloseitsmotorvehicleindustryandthatproactivepoliciesareneeded,thenextquestionwillbetowhatdegreepolicyshouldtrytodrivetheindustryinaparticulardirection.

Hereitgetsdifficult.Atonelevel,theanswershouldbetofollowtheindustry’sleadandsupportkeyinnovations.Forexample,it’sclearthatautonomywillbemorecriticaltotheindustrygoingforward,sothatshouldbeaneasydecision:policyshouldsupportthedevelopmentofthe

industry’sautonomouscapabilities.

Absentanationalstrategy,theUnitedStateswillproducefewercars.

Butitgetssignificantlymorecomplicatedwhenitcomestopropulsionmodes:shouldpolicytiltinthedirectionofnon-internalcombustionengine(non-ICE)technologies(e.g.,EVs)orletthe

industry(andconsumers)leadthatdecision?Onecanmakeanargumentforeitherchoice.For

theformer,theargumentisthattherestoftheworldismovingtoEVs,iffornootherreasonthangovernmentsareputtingtheirthumbonthescaleforsuchatransition.Assuch,ifproducersintheUnitedStateslagbehind,theirexportmarketopportunitieswillbelimited,andifEVs

becomemorepopularintheUnitedStates,thenimportsmightincrease.

Forthelatter,it’sbeenclearthattheU.S.EVmarkethasbeenlimited,asmostconsumershavenotwantedtobuyone.Thisisinpartduetohighercosts,rangeuncertainty,anddifficultiesincharging,especiallywhenconsumersliveinurbansettings.ThepushtoEVshasledtoindustrylossesandtakencapitalfromothermoreproductiveareas,suchasinvestinginradical

automation.Moreover,therealityisthattheU.S.automarketisverydifferentfrommostothers:

consumerswantlargervehiclesanddrivelongerdistances,onaverage.

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Onthisquestion,therightpolicyisonethatacknowledgesuncertainty.AndthatmeansanendtoEVmandatesbutalsosupportforEVR&Dandinnovationsothattheindustryhasadequatedynamiccapabilitiesshoulddomesticmarketdemandchangeinthatdirection.

Box1:ForeignAutoIndustryStrategies

Itisnoteworthythatmanynations/regionswithasignificantautomobilesectorhavemotorvehiclesectorstrategies.

ChinahasitsNewEnergyVehicleIndustryDevelopmentPlan(2021–2035).Amongitsproposedsteps,itseeksto:

EstablishandimprovethejointR&Dmechanismamongleadingenterprises,nationalkey

laboratoriesandnationalmanufacturinginnovationcenters,focusonweaknessessuchascoreprocesses,specialmaterials,keycomponentsandmanufacturingequipment,andactively

exploredifferenttechnologicalpathstoimprovethesupplycapacityofkeycommontechnologies.

14

Italsoseekscoordinationforvehiclesoftwaresystems:“Aroundtheautomotiveoperating

system,Chinawillbuildadevelopmentandapplicationecosystemofin-depthcooperation

amongmarketplayersinthefieldsofvehicle,keycomponents,basicdataandsoftware.”

15

It

alsoseekstoidentifyskillsinshortsupplyandtheestablishmentoftrainingprogramstoaddressthoseshortages,andfocusesondataanddatasharingwitha“people,vehicles,roadsand

clouds”multi-layerdatafusionandcomputingandprocessingplatform,carryoutdemonstrationapplicationsinspecificscenarios,regionsandroads.”

16

Andofcourse,muchmore.

TheEUhasitsIndustrialActionPlanfortheEuropeanAutomotiveSector,whichhasanumberofproposals,includingestablishingatleastthreelarge-scalecross-borderautonomousvebicletestbeds,relatedregulatorysandboxes,andEuropeanAutomatedDrivingCorridors.Itseekstoenditsdependencyonforeignchipsandsoftwareforvehicles,andalsoexpandsfundingfor

auto-relatedR&D.

17

SouthKoreahasreleasedits2030MobilityInnovationRoadmapandFutureCarIndustry

DevelopmentStrategy,which,amongothersteps,workstowardasystemoffullyautonomouscars,buses,andtrucks.

18

TheCarneygovernmentinCanadahasissueditsautomotivestrategythat,amongotherthings,authorizesa$3billioninvestmentfundtoprovideincentivestobuildplantsinCanada,boostsindustryspecificskillstraining,andestablishesanautotaskforce.

19

Whiletheseandotherplansarticulateneededpolicies,theyareallgenerallylightonanalysis.

TheCandian“plan”islargelyasetofgoalsthegovernmenthasestablishedto“gogreen,”anditisbackedupwithalistofpolicyactionstogetthere.Butitdoesn’taskwhetherthatoverarchingstrategygoalistheonethatwillbestsupportthefutureoftheindustry.Nonetheless,theplan

doessignalgovernmentintent,whichcouldhelpmovelegislativeandadministrativeaction.

INSTITUTIONALCAPACITIES

WhilethisreportproposesanumberofpoliciesthatcanbecomponentsofaneffectiveU.S.

motorvehicleindustrialandcompetitivenesspolicy,ultimately,anyeffectivepolicyneedstobebackedbyongoinginstitutionalanalyticalandintergovernmentalcapacity.Thatappearstobelackingnow.Forexample,theDepartmentofCommerce(DOC)InternationalTrade

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY&INNOVATIONFOUNDATION|MAY2026PAGE8

Administrationhasanautomotiveteamofjustsixindividuals,withthemajorityworkingontradepolicyissuessuchasrulesoforiginandcounterfeiting.

20

Thereislittletonoalignmentbetweenagencieswhosepoliciesimpacttheindustry.

Box2:WhatIsanIndustrialStrategyforCompetitiveness?

TheUnitedStateshasnotrulyseriousindustrialstrategies.Whatisoftencalledanindustrialstrategyisusuallyanadhoccollectionofpoliciesrelatedtoaparticularindustryortechnology.Forexample,despitethefundingoftheCHIPSActandrelatedprovision,thereisstillno

nationalsemiconductorstrategy.

Anindustrialstrategyisastrategythatisbasedondeepunderstandingofaparticularindustryorsubindustry;howitoperates,includingitsdynamiccapabilities;howithasevolvedandis

evolving;andwhatitsstrengths,weaknesses,opportunities,andthreatsare.

Anindustrialstrategyisalsomorethanadescriptionofanindustry’shistoryandcurrentperformance,althoughtheseneedtoheavilyconsidered.

Anindustrialstrategyneedstoincludespecificpolicies.Forexample,theR&Dtaxcreditisapolicythatwouldhelpallnationaleconomicpowerindustries,butitwouldnotbethecore

componentofanindustrialstrategy.Thatwouldinsteadbepoliciesthataffectonlyor

predominantlythatspecificindustryandnoothers.Forexample,fortheautosector,thiswouldincluderegulationsonautomonousvehicles,automobile-specifictrainingprograms(e.g.,

KetteringUniversity),fueleconomystandards,tradepolicyonautos,andthelike.

Toaddressthisshortcoming,CongressshouldestablishandfundwithintheNationalInstituteofStandardsandTechnology(NIST)anAdvancedProgramOffice(APO)designedtobolster

America’sabilitytoassessthecompetitivenessoftheU.S.motorvehiclesectorandissueabiannualreportonthestateof

U.S.auto

sectorcompetitiveness.ITIFlaidoutthemechanicsforhowto

developsuchanassessmentinourreport“AssessingtheEvolvingGlobalCompetitivenessoftheU.S.AutoIndustry,”butthemetricsanalyzedshouldinclude,amongothers,thefollowing:

.Domesticandglobalindustryshareofvalue-addedoutput(forautosandautoparts)

.Vehicleunitproduction

.Value-addedoutput

.ShareofvehiclecontentproducedintheUnitedStates

.ComparativenationalLQandtheirchangeovertime

.Globalmarketshareandchangeovertime

.Tradebalancesinthesector

.Foreigndirectinvestmentinthesector

.Firm-leveltradebalances(i.e.,foranautomakeroperatingintheUnitedStates,amount[andshare]ofvehiclesimported,vehiclesexported,andvehiclesproducedinAmerica)

.Productivityperworkerandtotalfactorproductivity

.Employmentandwagelevels

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY&INNOVATIONFOUNDATION|MAY2026PAGE9

.Globalanddomesticsales

.Innovationmeasuressuchasscientificpublications,patentingactivity,andlevelsofR&Dinvestment

.Industry-levelmeasuresofcompetitiveness,suchasR&Dinvestment,capitalexpenditures,andoperatingmargins

21

TheAPOshouldalsobetaskedwithdevelopingandaggregatingautoindustryanalytics.Itshouldfurthercompelautomakerstoexpandandpublishmoredetailedlabelingontheoriginsof

automobiles,publishingwhatsharesofthevalueofvehiclesaremadeintheUnitedStates,

Canada,andMexico.Additionally,itshouldrequireallautofirmsoperatingintheUnitedStatestoreporttheirrespectivetradebalances.Thisdataiscriticalfortheexaminationofthe

competitivenessofthe

U.S.auto

industryandshouldbeavailableinamachine-readableformatforpublicuse.

Othercompetitornationsareinvestingconsiderablesumsinindustry-focusedR&D.Tomoveinthatdirection,Congressshouldpassandappropriatea$5billioninnovationpackagefortheU.S.automotiveindustrythatwouldprovidepoolsofmoneyforautomotiveresearchactivitiesatU.S.

universitiesandresearchinstitutions.TheAPOwouldmanagetheseinvestments.

22

UndertheAPO,anadvisoryboardcomposedofrepresentativesfromautomotiveoriginalequipment

manufacturers(OEMs)andkeyTier1andTier2suppliersshouldbeestablished.TheadvisoryboardshouldsignificantlydirecttheAPOonwhereR&DinvestmentsshouldbemadetohelpdevelopkeyautomotivetechnologiestobetterfosterU.S.automotivecompetitiveness.

ThereshouldbeanendtoEVmandatesbutalsosupportforEVR&Dandinnovationsothattheindustryhasadequatedynamiccapabilitiesshoulddomesticmarketdemandchangeinthatdirection.

COSTREDUCTION

GiventhefactthatMexicoaccountsfor5.6percentofglobalautoproduction,hasanindustryLQ7.2timesthatoftheUnitedStates,andrunsa$100billion-plustradesurplusinthe

industrywiththeUnitedStates,it’sclearthatthecostofproductionmatters.

23

Mexicanauto

sectorwages,likeMexicanwagesoverall,areinstantlylowerthanAmericanwages.Complete

wageparityisnotneededtohaveastrongautosector.Ifitwere,high-costGermanywouldhavealmostnovehicleproduction.However,costdifferencesdomatter,andanyeffectiveindustrialpolicyshouldseektoreduceproductioncosts,eithergeneratedbyexternalfactors(e.g.,

regulationandcurrency)orinternalfactors(e.g.,adoptionofautomationequipment,suchasrobots).

Therearetwogroupsofpoliciesforcostreduction:1)genericpoliciesthataffectmorethantheautosectorand2)industry-specificpolicies.

GenericPolicies

Tomaximizeitsabilitytocompeteinglobalmarkets,the

U.S.auto

industryneedsregulatorystability,predictability,andcertaintysoitcanreliablymakethelong-terminvestmentstheindustryrequires.Indeed,forcompaniesthatneedtoplantheirvehicleline-upsyearsin

advance,it’sespeciallychallengingwhenruleswhipsawbackandforthwitheachchangein

INFORMATIONTECHNOLOGY&INNOVATIONFOUNDATION|MAY2026PAGE10

administration.

24

Buttheindustryalsoneedstoconfrontacommonsetofregulationstothe

maximumextentpossible,whichmeansautoindustryregulations—includingthoseforemissionandsafetystandards—thatarenationalinscopeandnotahodgepodgeofdifferingstate

requirements.

Currency

WhenPresidentReagan’sTreasurysecretary,JimBaker,convenedtheG5financeministersin

1985forwhatbecomeknownasthePlazaAccord,theadministrationwasdeeplyconcernedwithU.S.deindustrialization,inpartdrivenbythehighvalueofthedollarthatmadeU.S.exports

moreexpensiveandimportscheaper.Thejawboningsucceededandthevalueofthedollarfell

bymorethan40percentagainsttheothercurrencies.

25

Theresultwasthat,bytheearly1990s,thetradebalancehadactuallyshiftedtosurplus.

26

Sincethen,ithasbecomelargelytabooto

callforcurrencyreduction.Buttherealityis,absentaseriousdevaluationofthedollar—atleastby20percentingeneralandevenmoreagainsttheJapaneseyenandChineseRMB—othersupportive

policieswillstruggletomakearealdentintheautotradedeficit.

27

ProductivityImprovement

Akeymechanismforcompaniestolowercostsisthroughproductivityimprovement,andakeywaytodothatisthroughnewandbettertechnologies.

TechnicalAssistancetoSmallManufacturers

NIST’sManufacturingExtensionPartnership(MEP)hascentersinall50statesandPuertoRicoand460totalservicelocationsthathelpsmalltomedium-sizedmanufacturers(SMMs)adoptnext-generationproductionprocessesandtechnologies.

28

MEPplaysanespeciallyimportantroleinsupportingAmerica’sautomotiveindustry.MostMEPclientcompaniesare“Tier3”firms,whichsupplyrawmaterialsorinputstoother

manufacturers,andthecentershelpthemconnectwiththelargerTier2firmsthatsupplytheTier1OEMsatthetopofthemanufacturingfoodchain.Forinstance,theMEP-Assisted

TechnologyandTechnicalResourceProgramconnectsAmerica’ssmallmanufacturerswith

technicalresourcesatNISTlaboratoriestohelpthemdevelopcapabilitiesincollaborative

robotics,additivemanufacturing,materialsdesign,nanotechnology,andindustrialstandards.

29

MEPplaysanespeciallyimportantroleinsupportingAmerica’sautomotiveindustry.

MEPshavebeeninstrumentalinhelpingAmerica’ssmallmanufacturersadoptrobotics.

30

For

instance,in2020,SouthDakota’sMEPbeganastate-wideroadshow,goingintothefieldto

demonstratehowruralmanufacturerscouldmoreeffectivelydeploycobots.Theinitiative

representsanoffshootofthesuccessfulAutomationLablaunchedinSiouxFallsin2015,whichallowsmanufacturerstoobservefirsthandhowcollaborativerobotsinteractwithpeoplewhile

providingatestbedforspecificapplications.

31

MEPalsohelpssmallmanufacturersdevelopqualitymanagementsystemsthatmeetever-more-stringentautomotivequalitystandard