We need to know how new technology can help local manufacturers, and create a strategy to help them diversify. Those are two of the goals for Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and its Manufacturing Innovation Hub, as they launch two initiatives. The first is a technology road map.
Executive Director of the hub, Curt Burnett, says the chamber has hired a company called NewEdge to learn what local manufacturers and suppliers think about new technologies.
With the second initiative, Burnett says they'll learn what manufacturers are located in the Quad Cities area, what they make, and who they sell it to. The goal is to add customers besides the defense department.
He hopes both projects help companies compete as manufacturing undergoes historic changes in materials, processes, and products.
