CAMX 2020 exhibit preview: Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative

The Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI, Kaysville, Utah, U.S.) is representing the innovation and history of composites and advanced materials in the state of Utah.

According to UAMMI, Utah’s rich history in composite materials began more than 50 years ago with the manufacture of lightweight components for the strategic missile programs in the 1950s. Since then, UAMMI says, Utah has grown to be one of the largest concentrations of composites companies in the United States, home to companies like Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Hexcel, Radius Engineering, Kihomac, Hill Air Force Base and others. Utah companies serve national and international markets from aerospace to recreation, commercial to Department of Defense (DoD) and encompass more than 10,000 workers in the state.

According to UAMMI, Utah is continuing statewide initiatives to maintain leadership within the composite industry:

• The Governor’s Office of Economic Development’s (GOED) establishment of the Aerospace and Defense cluster as crucial for economic growth in the state.
• DOC/EDA designating Utah as one of its Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) and as a key Aerospace Cluster in the U.S.
• The formation of UAMMI, a statewide initiative to help Utah communities cultivate an environment for businesses implemented in an effort to create well-paying manufacturing jobs.
• Development of innovative workforce strategies such as the Engineering and Computer Technology Initiative and the Utah Aerospace Pathway Program to address the growing workforce needs within the Utah defense manufacturing industry.
• Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) establishment of “Advanced Manufacturing” as an official Utah Economic Cluster and the first cluster added since the cluster inception in 2005.  
• Six colleges and universities across Utah offering training and specialized programs in the composites and advanced materials field.
• The development of UAMMI’s CONNEX Supply Chain tool to assist manufacturers across Utah visualize and shorten supply chains, identify risks in the supply chain, find alternate suppliers and exchange everything from surplus materials and equipment to RFIs, RFPs and RFQs.