Innovation and Resilience: The Next Era of Manufacturing

Manufacturing is entering a new age, fueled by advances in artificial intelligence, automation, and investment that are accelerating innovation.  At the same time, supply chain disruption, economic uncertainty, and workforce challenges are testing the resilience of the sector that produces products and systems that underpin modern society. Through collaboration, knowledge sharing, and advocacy, ASME helps create the conditions necessary for engineers to develop more efficient manufacturing solutions with confidence. 

As manufacturing systems become increasingly digital, automated, and interconnected, innovation alone is not enough. Advanced technologies must also be trusted, validated, and scalable. Standards provide the common foundation that allows organizations to adopt new approaches with confidence while maintaining  reliability and quality:  

• ASME's Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standard provides common messaging, establishing the symbols, rules, definitions, and practices that communicate design intent clearly and consistently across the manufacturing ecosystem. The result is a universal engineering language that enables reliable and repeatable outcomes. 

• As manufacturers invest in new technologies and increasingly complex production systems, the Plant Systems Design (PSD-1) standard provides a structured framework for designing facilities that balance  reliability, performance, and cost.  Application of PSD-1 helps organizations confidently move innovative ideas from concept to operation.  

• The Verification, Validation, and Uncertainty Quantification (VVUQ) standards portfolio ensures that computational models and simulations used to design, test, and optimize products are credible, reliable, and fit for decision-making.  Its deployment enables faster innovation, reduced risk, and greater confidence in advanced manufacturing technologies.  

While standards and certifications provide the basis for quality and consistency, continued advancement depends on the exchange of knowledge and ideas. As manufacturing becomes increasingly complex, innovation requires collaboration among engineers, researchers, educators, industry leaders, policymakers, workforce organizations, and professional societies.  

Read more about ASME’s strategy to advance manufacturing.