Top U.S. industry, academic, labor and government leaders will convene in Atlanta for a two-day manufacturing forum starting on Tuesday, February 28. Hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Council on Competitiveness, the forum will address how supply chain, advanced logistics and infrastructure improvements can enhance the nation's manufacturing base.

Part of the U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative’s dialogue series, the "Next Generation Supply Networks and Logistics" discussion will cover an array of supply chain challenges, from efficient freight rail systems to just-in-time air deliveries.

Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson will give opening remarks.

“Our challenge is to not only get back to ‘made in America' but also 'invented in America," Peterson said.  “The same spirit of innovation and collaboration that once gave us preeminence in manufacturing can help us regain our competitiveness, thereby creating jobs, increasing exports and serving as a catalyst for a healthy economy.”

The Council on Competitiveness Senior Vice President Jack McDougle will follow with updates about the council's Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative and its recently released report, MAKE: An American Manufacturing Movement.

“Companies must have access to highly integrated supply networks and logistics capabilities to compete in today’s global economy,” said Deborah L. Wince-Smith, the council's president and CEO.

The dialogue, she adds, "galvanizes recognized supply chain leaders to address some of the most pressing challenges facing American manufacturers. We must ensure that our manufacturers have the tools and resources needed to compete. Only through tight integration across the supply chain will our companies, and our country, adapt to new challenges and opportunities in markets around the world.”

Among the attendees are CEO Helmuth Ludwig, Ph.D., of Siemens Industry Sector, North America; President and CEO Doug Stotlar of Con-Way Inc.; President and CEO Chris Lofgren of Schneider National Inc.; Commissioner Chris Cummiskey of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and President Paul Yarossi of HNTB.

The meeting will convene at Georgia Tech’s Global Learning Center. “We are delighted to be partnering with the Council on Competitiveness to address how the supply chain and logistics industry can help to provide a competitive advantage for U.S. manufacturing and, in doing so, help to strengthen the U.S. economy,” says Chip White III, conference chair and Schneider National Chair in Transportation and Logistics at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech’s Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering has extensive expertise in advanced manufacturing and supply chain engineering.

A joint Georgia Tech-Council on Competitiveness report will detail the forum's findings, which will contribute to the council's National Manufacturing Strategy.

 For more information, please visit www.usmci.gatech.edu.