The One With The American Renaissance Part 2

PART D: Innovations And Start-ups Favouring “Make In The US”

                                                                  The revitalisation of the US industry has been led by innovations made by small scale firms and start-ups rather than ground-breaking new fields pioneered by the existing behemoths. This sets up a scene similar to that in the late 1980s where competition spurred on innovation and boosted the manufacturing sector during the course of the technological revolution. The fact that the start-ups are using mass production, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) driven machinery bodes well for the industry.

A few of these start-ups are:

Source: An article in Fortune by Sue Callaway

1. Elio Motors

                                                                  

                                                                               Elio Motors is a company founded by Paul Elio in 2009. The start-up aims to create a three-wheeled enclosed autocycle. The estimated cost of the vehicle is expected to be around $7000. Production is expected to commence by the end of 2018 with Shreveport, Louisiana slated to provide manufacturing services for the same. It is projected that 90% of the parts required for its production would originate in the US itself.

2. Capio:  Capio is a silicon valley start-up that is involved in the creation of voice recognition technology which can be contained on a chip which can thus be operated even without being connected to the internet. It can be embedded into any existing piece of technology and has several major advantages over the prevailing mechanisms for the same. 

An innovation such as Capio will certainly boost production in sectors such as the automobile industry.

3. Driversiti(Now Sfara):  Driversiti has the only patent for crash detection by a smart device. It aims to launch its products by the end of 2018 and will look to partner up with an automobile giant. The advent of Driversiti/Sfara could provide a major boost to the development of self-driving cars as well.

4. Quanergy:  Quanergy, founded in 2012, is a Silicon Valley based company providing LiDAR and smart sensing systems.(LiDAR- Light Detection and Ranging) Though these systems are not exactly new technology, Quanergy’s sensors are almost 8% more accurate and reliable than that of their nearest competitor. The success of this start-up can determine the future of the entire automobile industry and the fact that it is based in the US will surely bring huge gains to the manufacturing sector in the US.

5.Motiv: Motiv, founded in 2013, is involved in the manufacture of smart-health implements such as the Motiv ring which tracks fitness, heart rate and sleep. It is leaps ahead of existing technology as it has an on-board memory which allows it to store data for five days even when separated from a phone. It can compete with smart devices brought out by Samsung whose primary manufacturing hubs are based outside of the US. This can reduce their market share and force such companies to adopt a more US centric approach to their manufacturing process.

These start-ups are merely the tip of the iceberg that is leading the renaissance in American manufacturing.

Apart from these innovations which have promoted manufacturing in the US by creating a supply-demand chain, there are several other innovations in the field of manufacturing technology that is revolutionizing the sector:

1. 3-D Printing or Additive Manufacturing: Although the basic concepts and technology was developed in the early 2000s, the idea of 3-D printing has gained popularity only in recent times owing to the high costs involved in the process. This technique can be used for the creation of small scale equipment required in industry and in certain cases even large scale machinery – although this is not quite popular as of now. With reduction in costs, 3-D printing seems to be the way to go in the manufacture of industrial supplements. This gives the US a massive advantage as a major chunk of the industrial level 3-D printing services and distributors are based in and out of the US.

2. Advanced Materials: Research and development in the field of advanced materials has really picked up in the US since 2011. This gives American manufacturers a certain advantage over the others as they would have easy access to such materials. 

For instance several researchers in the US are attempting to develop more affordable methods for the development of the super material Graphene.

3. Internet Of Things(IoT): The IoT is an exciting piece of technology in which different electronic devices can communicate via the internet. Now imagine this in an industrial environment!! Such a workplace would be cutting edge and would have a huge advantage over any other manufacturing service as its machinery would be able to communicate to one another using the internet and control working conditions and such much more effectively than a human could. This is another field where the US leads other countries with the notable exception of Japan. US firms like Ayla and Amazon have been working on the IoT concept for a couple of years and are ahead of the curve. This should enable US manufacturers to secure such technology before other manufacturers.

Thus innovation is at the forefront of the revival of the American manufacturing sector.