Smart Manufacturing Names IACMI's John Hopkins Trailblazer in Manufacturing Transformation

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hopkins, the chief executive officer for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, or IACMI-The Composites Institute, has earned a spot on Smart Manufacturing magazine's "25 Leaders Transforming Manufacturing" list, the publication announced today.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) credited Hopkins and his fellow honorees with revolutionizing the pace and scope of technological adoption of smart manufacturing processes at the highest level. SME consulted manufacturing experts from across a range of industry segments and disciplines to identify the 25 individuals, whose employers include public-private partnerships, startups, large corporations and standards organizations.

Calling these men and women "luminaries in manufacturing," Robert Willig, SME executive director and CEO, said they are the movers and shakers driving the dramatic advances in the manufacturing industry.

"We've seen in the last several months how quickly our industry can rebound to near full production," Willig said. "These leaders in manufacturing are pushing the pace of change in our industry, paving the path that leads to elevated quality, improved productivity, increased profitability and higher employment here in North America."

Hopkins said the SME recognition is a "team honor" and it speaks to the collaborative ecosystem of innovation that IACMI — as a U.S. Department of Energy funded Manufacturing USA Institute — and its industry, academic and government partners, such as founding partners Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, have created to drive commercial outcomes for composites, specifically in key energy related markets that improve U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, lead to economic growth and support national security.

Under his leadership, IACMI has served more than 250 members across the U.S., catalyzing innovation with industry partners in more than 50 IACMI technical projects aimed at accelerating the development and adoption of new manufacturing technologies for low-cost, energy-efficient advanced composites. Since 2015, IACMI has sparked $130 million in new research and development value in the U.S., more than 15 new commercially available products, $400 million investment in eight states and 3,000 new jobs in the composites industry.

"IACMI has structured our membership to better serve their needs," Hopkins said. "This past year has underscored the importance of having IACMI consortium members aligned and connected with each other as a community, and the broader connectivity provided by the Manufacturing USA Institutes as a network of these communities, so we can accelerate technical innovations and rapidly manufacture solutions to meet U.S. demand."

Hopkins joined IACMI in 2015 as senior technology manager and, two years later, was named the institute's CEO. Prior to joining IACMI, he served as vice president for research and economic development and director of strategic operations at the University of Tennessee. He earned his M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University, and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Smart Manufacturing profiles all 25 exceptional leaders in its April 2021 issue. The article is available here.

About IACMI – The Composites Institute
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation's energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national Manufacturing USA institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI's partners. Learn more at IACMI.org. Follow @IACMIhq on Twitter, or LinkedIn, or @IACMI on Facebook.

SOURCE IACMI - The Composites Institute