ARM Institute: A Shining Star In The Us Robotics And AI Manufacturing Industry

This time the spotlight is on the leading Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) for robotics and artificial intelligence in the USA. It is renowned for leveraging a robust set of capabilities to strengthen the U.S. industrial base by promoting industry, government, and academic collaboration, catalyzing significant robotics projects, and inspiring effective, multi-state workforce solutions.

The ARM Institute began its journey in January 2017 through Carnegie Mellon University, which won the bid to create a robotics-focused Manufacturing USA® Institute, currently functioning as a separate non-profit. It is recognized for being one of the Manufacturing USA network’s 17 advanced manufacturing institutes, and the U.S. Department of Defense provides the majority of its financing.

As Industry 4.0 ushers in a new era of manufacturing—one that relies on the use of robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomy—manufacturers must upskill their workforce, find the best solutions to their problems, and comprehend what this shift means for their business. These tasks are daunting and nearly impossible to accomplish without concentrated help and collaboration. This is where the ARM Institute plays a key role for the nation.

The ARM Institute is ideally situated to tackle widespread challenges in the US manufacturing sector. They operate as the vital link between business and government through a nationwide consortium of around 400 member firms, accelerating the development of solutions that will have an impact on the production floor and serve the Department of Defense.

The ARM Institute accelerates the creation and uptake of cutting-edge robotics technologies, which are the cornerstone of all current and upcoming advanced manufacturing initiatives. They make use of a special, strong, and varied ecosystem of partners from business, academia, and government to:

• Make robotics, autonomy, and AI more available to American manufacturers of all sizes
• Strengthen the economy and global competitiveness
• Educate and equip the personnel in manufacturing
• Elevate national security and resilience.

A Glance at ARM’s Tale of Inception

The Manufacturing USA network was created in 2014 to secure U.S. global leadership in innovative manufacturing by connecting people, ideas, and technology. Manufacturing USA institutes bring together industry rivals, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to test innovative technology applications, develop new products, lower costs and risks, and equip the manufacturing workforce with future-ready skills.

Manufacturing USA consists of a national network of linked manufacturing institutes. Each has a distinct technological focus, but they are all intended to spur overall U.S. advanced manufacturing. In order to fulfill the demand for a skilled manufacturing workforce, the ARM Institute was established in January 2017 with a focus on increasing the use of robotics and AI in US manufacturing.

Harnessing the Latest Tech Advancements

The ARM Institute paves the road for an era where humans and robots collaborate to solve the nation’s biggest problems and create the most desired products by:

• Creating a nationwide group of elite manufacturing, academic, technology, and government organizations that share the common mission of a robust U.S. manufacturing ecosystem
• Delivering projects that create, expand, and market vital enabling technologies for manufacturing and the whole supply chain
• Building a repository of industrial robotics solutions, applications, and information
• Developing a national, standardized framework for robotics careers
• Establishing a repository of best-in-class workforce training and education programs, resources, and pathways
• Facilitating stakeholder networking activities that promote innovation through research activities, outreach, and dissemination
• Forming collaborations with other Manufacturing USA Institutes that leverage the intersections and convergences in our missions

The ARM Institute’s Insights on Diversity and Inclusion

The ARM Institute is adamantly opposed to all forms of discrimination and racism. They believe the potential of manufacturing and robots depends on the employment possibilities they create for people and that expanding US manufacturing requires a diversity of viewpoints. More than 50% of the ARM Institute workforce is made up of women and people of color in a predominately white sector.

The ARM Institute aims to remove obstacles in the way of people pursuing jobs in manufacturing and robotics as part of its larger purpose. Many of the workforce development programs that ARM has hosted specifically target underrepresented and underserved communities.

Battling the Challenges Along the Way

The ARM Institute’s challenges reflect those of the U.S. manufacturing industry—how to attract the interest of more individuals, particularly young people, in manufacturing careers? How can robotics be made more accessible, practical, and cost-effective for all manufacturers, especially the smaller ones? These are the issues that the ARM team is trying to resolve in conjunction with the government stakeholders and consortium members.

A Innovative and Creative Work-Economy

Every day, the team works on innovation. They are constantly seeking out strategies to expand the manufacturing sector in the US. All of the ARM Institute’s 30+ employees are passionately committed to this purpose. It’s easy to inspire creativity and invention when someone cares.

Thriving and Uncovering New Growth Horizons

In the next ten years, 4.6 million jobs in the U.S. manufacturing sector will need to be filled, and 2.4 million of those positions could go unfilled for lack of qualified people, according to a recent analysis by The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte. Therefore, the only way for the United States to keep expanding its manufacturing base is by utilizing both people and technology. Through the provision of a national resource called RoboticsCareer.org, the ARM Institute helps solve the issue of creating a skilled workforce that can successfully work with robotics and AI and connecting these individuals with job opportunities that match their skills.

Ira’s ultimate objective is to continue expanding the ARM Institute’s influence so that they may work together to support the expansion of American manufacturing. The latest pandemic serves as evidence that there is a need for a stronger manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure for the health and well-being of the citizens. The ARM Institute is honored to play a role in this mission.

The Man at the Helm: Ira Moskowitz

Ira Moskowitz, CEO of the ARM Institute, is an esteemed leader and a 30-year industry veteran with experience in starting and maintaining top-tier manufacturing and technology. He has founded and managed the operations of a successful new venture within a major company, demonstrating his expertise in developing and growing operations for both large and new firms.

After earning a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Rochester, Mr. Moskowitz attended the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he completed a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Additionally, he has a Master of Business Administration degree in finance and international business from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

In June 2020, Mr. Moskowitz joined the ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute. Ira formerly worked at the Massachusetts Technology as the Director of Advanced Manufacturing Programs before joining the ARM Institute. He took the helm of Massachusetts’ initiatives for manufacturing innovation in 2017, managing the $100 million Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2), a Manufacturing USA®-affiliated economic development program. He’s worked on the boards of multiple Manufacturing USA® Institutes and has deep experience working directly with state and federal agencies.

Ira previously spent 30 years overseeing the development and manufacturing of semiconductor technologies across the globe, including wafer fabrication, assembly, and test operations in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Ira oversaw Analog Devices’ domestic manufacturing operations as well as the technological advancements that supported them as the company’s Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Operations. As part of Analog Devices, he also initiated and oversaw the production and process development for a new MEMS initiative that led to the commercialization of ground-breaking airbag control technology. Ira formerly worked for AT&T Bell Labs, where he was given the title of Distinguished Member of the Technical Team, the highest technical title offered by the organization.