The Texas-based contract manufacturing company Flex has joined a group of six companies collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on a plan to advance the future of manufacturing with AI and automation, the firm said.
Under the arrangement, Flex will work with the school’s Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), an initiative launched by MIT in May to help transform the nation’s industrial base by advancing the future of “new manufacturing,” alongside ideas in workforce training, advanced technologies, and industry collaboration.
Other companies in INM’s group of founding industry consortium members include: Amgen, GE Vernova, PTC, Sanofi, and Siemens.
As one of those six businesses, Flex said it will work closely with MIT researchers, educators, and fellow industry leaders to support projects that apply AI, machine automation, and new system-level approaches to manufacturing. Through that approach, the partners plan to reimagine industrial production, drive innovation through advanced technologies, and strengthen U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
INM will also establish new labs to develop advanced manufacturing tools and techniques. Through an MIT “factory observatory” program, students will gain hands-on experience by visiting Flex production sites. Separately, Flex will be hosting MIT faculty, researchers and Masters of Engineering (MEng) students at its Sorocaba, Brazil, site, where they will have the opportunity to work with FIT (Flex Institute of Technology), a nonprofit research and development institute focused on developing technological solutions for electronics manufacturing and related end products.
According to fellow founding member Siemens, the effort comes at a time when manufacturing is once again becoming a strategic capability in the United States, following decades of industrial offshoring. Over the next three years, Siemens will contribute $1.5 million to fund research, innovation, and training through INM, saying the initiative will serve as a national testbed and knowledge hub for U.S. reindustrialization, supporting a broad spectrum of organizations – from startups to major industrial players.
“Adaptive production is more than just a vision – it’s a necessity,” Peter Koerte, Member of the Managing Board, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Siemens, said in a release. “As American industry faces growing challenges, we need technologies that can respond in real time. This collaboration with MIT brings together the best of research and real-world implementation. Together, we’re laying the foundation for a new era of resilient, AI-powered manufacturing – built to adapt, built to last.”
