VICKSBURG, Miss. - Researcher Dr. Simon Goerger is participating as the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and Engineered Resilient Systems (ERS) representative in the review of proposals to establish the Digital Manufacturing Design Initiative (DMDI) Institute in Arlington, Va. The institute is a presidential effort dedicated to enhancing U.S. manufacturing capabilities and gaining an advantage in global competitiveness.
“The DMDI Institute will provide the proving ground to link promising information technologies, tools, standards, models, sensors, controls, practices and skills, then transition these capabilities to the information technology industry for real-world application,” Goerger said.
“The institute will meet the need for teams to combine information technology and manufacturing solutions, and promote cooperation across industry lines to promote interoperability in supply chains.”
The DMDI Institute will be the intellectual hub that helps U.S. manufacturers be the best in the world at connecting manufacturing operations, driving them securely with digital data, controlling quality with feedback from sensors and data analysis, maintaining a trusted chain of custody and delivering products faster in less time than global competitors.
The DMDI is scheduled to receive $70 million in government funding over the next five years. Private industry, academia, and state and local governments are expected to match those resources over the same period.
While Goerger is currently the sole ERDC representative to DMDI, once individuals and organizations have been chosen, ERDC researchers will be included in the program’s efforts as subject matter experts.
The institute’s location was selected with an eye toward leveraging industry, academia and government assets. As part of the Department of Defense ERS program, ERDC will lead the effort to provide subject matter expertise for the institute, resolving digital manufacturing gaps with high performance computing and engineering expertise.
The DMDI is part of President Obama’s 2013 National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, due in part to a June 2011 “Report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing.” The report outlined a manufacturing initiative gap between the government, universities and industry. The president directed government to partner with industry and academia to identify ways to fill this gap in his 2012 “National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing.” One of the means to this end is the DMDI.
Goerger is a member of the Long Gray Line, earning his bachelor’s from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1988. He continued his education with a master’s in computer science and a doctorate in modeling and simulations from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., in 1998 and 2004, respectively. He added a master’s from the National War College in 2009, focusing on national security strategy.
A native of Horace, N.D., Goerger is married to Dr. Niki Goerger, ERDC’s business development director.