Siemens AG
Barbara Humpton.
Ahead of opening this year's RAPID + TCT conference, TCT caught up with Barbara Humpton, President and CEO of Siemens USA, to discuss 'glocal manufacturing', additive manufacturing, and more.
TCT: You’re set to present on the “glocal” future of American manufacturing at RAPID + TCT. Can you share with us what that future may look like?
BH: Think about what we’ve experienced in this global pandemic. COVID-19 affected everyone, everywhere. But, from the start, the response to it was local. We had to have readily available production lines of in-demand supplies. And as we’ve continued to address supply shortages of critical items – everything from PPE early in the pandemic to semiconductors more recently – the future of industry we’re now seeing is what I’ve been calling “glocal.” We’ve seen how essential global innovation is and will continue to be. But as supply chains have been disrupted, we’ve also seen the importance of local production capabilities that increase resilience against future disruptions. A new era for American manufacturing is here.
TCT: What role do you believe additive manufacturing will play in this future?
BH: The development of additive manufacturing will help create more resilient, flexible supply chains. We’ll see products get manufactured faster and get to market faster as we don’t need to ship things across the world. There is perhaps no better example of “glocal” production than additive manufacturing in which a user can purchase the rights to 3D print a licensed product and print it where it is needed.
The ability to 3D print products isn’t exactly brand new – it’s been around since the 1980s. Yet what makes 3D printing so transformative today is the ability to incorporate incredibly sophisticated engineering software. What’s exciting, then, is that additive manufacturing isn’t just a faster, more cost-effective, more environmentally friendly way to make things that already exist; it’s actually an opportunity to reinvent and optimise just about everything. It gives us the tools we need to invent the future.
TCT: Siemens is already an established user of AM globally, with dedicated facilities in the U.S. Where does Siemens see the biggest production opportunities for the technology?
BH: We see tremendous opportunities for additive manufacturing throughout the U.S. and across almost all industries. We see companies today exploring how AM can be applied to their business and we see new businesses that are building in AM from the beginning. I believe that the current industrial adoption drivers including aerospace part producers, medical device manufacturers, and automotive companies, as well as our newest additive manufacturing collaboration hub facility in Charlotte, NC, will help ensure the continued development of AM in the U.S.
TCT: Siemens recently announced the launch of its Charlotte Advanced Technology Collaboration Hub (CATCH). Can you elaborate on the purpose of this facility?
BH: The Charlotte Advanced Technology Collaboration Hub, or “CATCH” as we call it, is a working industrial AM manufacturing lab where we bring together the brightest minds in AM from Siemens to partner with customers, national labs, and key machine builders. In this facility we do everything from exploring how customers can adapt their products for AM production, to researching new materials and beta testing the latest 3D printers. I believe that the CATCH centre will not only help industrialise additive manufacturing, but also incubate and grow the next generation of cutting-edge technology to solve industry’s hardest toughest challenges. In conjunction with this announcement, Siemens also recently announced partnerships with ExOne, Xerox and Roboze, leaders in building industrial 3D printers.
TCT: You recently spoke at the White House for an event announcing Siemens USA’s $54 million investment. Can you talk about how this investment will support glocal manufacturing ambitions in the U.S.?
Barbara: We have manufacturing teams in Pomona, California and Grand Prairie, Texas who develop electrical equipment powering critical infrastructure systems, including EV chargers, data centres and factories. At the White House, I joined President Biden to announce our plans to invest $54 million into these manufacturing facilities. This is in response to grow growing demand as we prepare ourselves to support national infrastructure projects spurred by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Additionally, later this spring, we’ll identify the location of a new EV charging manufacturing hub to support our goal to produce more than a million EV chargers in America over the next four years. All told, just this footprint expansion translates to nearly 300 new jobs, and we know there will be more jobs still to come across our regional supply chains.
This investment infrastructure combined with the manufacturing technology available to us – not to mention the opportunity to co-locate manufacturing with R&D institutes such as Manufacturing USA – is strengthening the case for investing in American manufacturing and a “glocal” future. We’re also pleased to see bipartisan support for growing advanced manufacturing in America at greater speed and scale, and we continue to urge Congress to take action to make investments aimed at strengthening industrial supply chains and emerging technologies.
TCT: I understand you’re also passionate about diversity and STEM education. Can you share any initiatives Siemens is taking to address this or how we might foster greater diversity and inclusion in the manufacturing sector?
BH: One thing we’ve been talking about a lot is that there’s isn’t a skills gap, as we so often hear. Rather, it’s an opportunity gap. It’s a representation gap. And closing these gaps will have a tremendous impact in closing the overall talent shortage. It’s mathematically impossible to address the worker shortage in manufacturing, which now has over 800,000 open positions, without driving forward diversity, equity and inclusion as a business imperative.
We’re being very intentional, through our businesses and the Siemens Foundation, in looking for talent in many more places than we historically have, then developing that talent for future leadership roles. In fact, we’ve had some real success forging new partnerships with organisations like FairyGodBoss, and BossmakeHer, which operates as a referral network to us for reaching female talent. I’ve also given keynotes in front of groups like the Society of Women in Engineering to make my pitch for why attendees should come work at Siemens. The talent is out there. Companies like ours need to be very proactive about reaching it.
I’m also proud that the Siemens Foundation has invested $138 million in workforce development and STEM education initiatives. They also were one of 10 funders to support the nation’s first joint philanthropic investment for expanding youth apprenticeship in the United States.
Join Barbara for her keynote presentation 'The "Glocal" Future of American Manufacturing' at RAPID + TCT on May 17th at 08:30.
