A viable approach to increasing STEM starts with empathy Can
Advanced Manufacturing Help Spark an American Industrial
Renaissance? Over the past few decades, the dominant strategy
among most manufacturers has been to shift production to lower-
cost countries such as China. Flip over your Apple iDevice of
choice and you are likely to see: "Designed by Apple in
California. Assembled in China." However, an important shift is
occurring as so-called advanced manufacturing creates the
possibility for an American manufacturing renaissance. Advanced
manufacturing typically refers to next-generation manufacturing
techniques using sophisticated materials and production
technologies (such as robotics), and new products resulting from
these techniques. Typically, labor makes up a smaller component
of costs in advanced manufacturing, decreasing the production
advantages of lower-wage countries. As wages in these countries
continue to rise, the economic rationale for distributed
production is decreasing. Further, a rapidly