Preparing for a New Industrial Revolution

Ernst G. Frankel

Manufacturing and science have converged and the new manufacturing environment has little in common with traditional ways of making things. Similarly, it is no longer labor intensive and therefore labor cost differentials play a declining role and no longer serve as an excuse for outsourcing to low labor cost countries or regions. There is an urgent need to teach manufacturing not only based on simple mechanical and physical processes, but on smart processes and assembly decisions.

Supply channels as well as idea chains are now global and virtually real-time, as electronic communication permits both information and command transfer almost instantaneously.

We must teach a new generation of technical design and manufacturing engineers capable of integrating new material, information, and technology not just into new products and uses, but also into effective manufacturing, assembly, and delivery.

This will require a new kind of engineer, one with multi-disciplinary skills, a broad view and unfettered imagination, who questions everything and is willing to ignore tradition. Such a person must learn not only the basics but, more importantly, how, what, and when to question.

We must teach our students not just that the sky is the limit, but that human imagination can solve and resolve any problem, as well as develop new solutions. We have developed unique new technologies; let us now do the same for their manufacturing, assembly, and use. Such a challenge may require a new approach to engineering education, and MIT is well positioned to lead this revolution.

In addition to new types of degree programs, we should also consider offering trade or apprenticeship programs, using MIT's workshops and laboratories not just for research, but also for the training of a new generation.

The objective would be to develop a cadre of new, well-trained, motivated, and equipped manufacturing leaders who not only have the required skills, but also the knowledge and incentive to always question how things are done, and the ability to get them done better, cheaper, and faster.

Concomitantly, there is an urgent need for expanding the re-education and training programs offered by MIT, with engineers and scientists, as well as skilled workers, returning every 7-10 years to renew their knowledge and maintain their credentials.

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