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America Makes and Lockheed Martin Strengthen Partnership

November 07, 2013 | Categories: America Makes News

Youngstown, Ohio — November 7, 2013 — America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) have agreed to strengthen their partnership to spearhead innovation in additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Lockheed Martin has also upgraded its membership in America Makesto a Lead Tier and pledged to contribute $2.5 million to the Institute over the next five years.

America Makes, a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, and workforce development resources, is driven by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM). Lockheed Martin was one of the Institute’s original members.

“We look forward to a successful long-term partnership with America Makes,” said Jeff Wilcox, vice president of Engineering for Lockheed Martin. “Lockheed Martin is driven by a passion for innovation to help solve our customers’ most challenging problems. Our collaboration with America Makes will help us shape the future and contribute to our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness.”

America Makes, which marked its first anniversary in August 2013, has achieved much since its inception. The Institute’s leadership role, performance, and progress to date convinced Lockheed Martin to upgrade and extend its membership, and invest in the Institute beyond the annual membership fee.

“On behalf of all of us at America Makes, we are of course delighted that Lockheed Martin recognizes the importance of additive manufacturing and 3D printing to its portfolio of core competencies, along with the benefits available from being an active member of America Makes,” said America Makes Director and NCDMM Vice President Ed Morris.

“As the national accelerator for additive manufacturing and 3D printing technologies, the support of and collaborative efforts among the America Makes member community are instrumental to our success,” added Morris. “Lockheed Martin’s long-term membership commitment and financial investment in America Makesrepresent a much appreciated endorsement of the significant work that we are spearheading.”

America Makes offers three levels of membership—Lead, Full, and Supporting. Each membership tier features invaluable benefits. For information on how to become a member, visit http://americamakes.us.