The Center for Manufacturing Advancement (CMA) at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research works with manufacturers at different scales, in different markets and at different points in their modernization journey.

While the challenges vary, the goal is the same: deploy technology, strengthen and optimize processes and build workforce capability in ways that deliver results on the floor.

If any of the situations below sound familiar, CMA is built to help.

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Regional Manufacturers

(Southern Virginia and Northern North Carolina)

What you are trying to do

Keep production moving while modernizing processes, improving quality and building skills without taking on a long, risky project that strains your team or cash flow.

How we engage
  • Walk your floor to identify pinch points and prioritize low‑complexity, high‑impact improvements
  • Pilot solutions in our labs so you can validate before investing
  • Pair technical changes with custom workforce training so your team can run the process immediately
What you get
  • Fewer first‑piece surprises and faster release
  • Practical automation or digital gains that fit a low‑volume, high‑mix environment
  • A right‑sized plan you can execute this quarter
Common markets we support
  • Automotive suppliers
  • Aerospace components
  • Industrial equipment
  • Advanced materials
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Defense industrial base

What you are trying to do

Adopt technology that holds up to demanding specifications, increase throughput and readiness, and scale capability across suppliers, shifts and sites without slowing qualification or compliance.

How we engage
  • Validate machining, additive, metrology and NDT workflows against requirements
  • Stand up additive paths from DFAM through post‑processing and QA
  • Align digital and data practices with traceability and documentation needs
  • Build role‑based training so capability scales as demand increases
Why we’re a strong fit

Our experience supporting programs such as Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) and the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) informs how we design rapid, compliant and production‑minded solutions. These efforts reflect the same deployment‑focused playbook we apply with all manufacturing partners.

What you get
  • De‑risked adoption and faster time to qualification
  • Clear acceptance criteria and defensible documentation
  • A workforce plan that keeps pace with technology
  • ITAR and CMMC compliant capabilities 
Common markets we support
  • Defense and maritime manufacturing
  • Aerospace and aviation sustainment
  • Nuclear and other regulated environments
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Large commercial manufacturers

What you are trying to do

Pilot, standardize and deploy improvements across multiple lines or facilities while balancing consistency with local realities.

How we engage
  • Provide automation consultant services to meet project definitions. Users rely on our “equipment agnostic” approach to analyze their problem and recommend Industry 4.0 and automation ideas. 
  • Develop automation and integration strategies. We provide context and logical next steps to help end users prepare for the automation selection and integration processes.
  • Collaborate on post-project user training development. Partnering with companies, we support the creation of plans to develop technical skills.
  • Ecosystem approach to automation and MES integration. 
What you get
  • Less variability between facilities and smoother launches
  • Measurable gains in quality, delivery and cost that hold over time
  • A sequenced roadmap for scaling without overwhelming your organization
Common markets we support
  • Automotive and advanced mobility
  • Aerospace and commercial aviation
  • Energy and heavy industry
  • Industrial OEMs
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One approach, many paths

Regardless of size or market, the CMA’s model stays the same: listen on the floor, target high‑impact wins, validate in our labs, follow through to deployment and train your team to sustain the results. 

Start with the manufacturing challenge that matters most

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